Latino representation in U.S. media

It is no secret that there is a lack of representation of Latinos in U.S. media. A recent GAO report confirmed that the underrepresentation of Latinos in the media is still a valid concern as our country continues to become more diverse. According to the report, only 5% of all speaking characters on screen and 4% of directors were Latinos in a study of one thousand popular movies from 2017–2019. In 2019, 12% of media industry workers (including film, TV, publishing, and news) identified as Latino compared to an estimated 18% of workers in the rest of the workforce.

However, it’s encouraging to see a new wave of films on Latino stories representing our values and community despite the sobering statistics. Some of these films include the remake of “West Side Story,” the new Disney film “Encanto,” and Lin Miranda’s production of “In the Heights” and “Vivo.” These stories center on themes like family and love and the challenges we face in our everyday lives.

But that’s not all. Recently the remake for “Cinderella” starred Camila Cabello, a Cuban-born U.S.-raised actress. And the wildly popular “Jane the Virgin” showed us that our stories could break through to U.S. audiences. Other TV shows centered around Latino experiences include “Los Espookys,” “On My Block,” “One Day at a Time,” “Gentefied,” and “The Baker and the Beauty.” Unfortunately, many of them struggle to be picked up for another season and end up canceled. On the film awards front, Mexican directors have consistently been winning the grand prize of the night, the Oscar for Best Director. But in general, the Academy Awards is criticized for their lack of diversity in nominations. In 2015, the hashtag #Oscarstoowhite trended when only two people of color were nominated that year in major categories.

There is so much more work to do. We have to continue sharing our stories, whether on TV and film or through news, podcasts, books, music, etc. We have the talent, and now it’s time for the media industry to invest in our Latino community to reflect the diversity of the U.S.