It’s Time Afro-Latinas Like “West Side Story”‘s Ariana DeBose Are Cast as Leads

I grew up seeing little-to-no illustration of Latinxs in tv or movie. “West Aspect Story,” regardless of its inaccurate and stereotypical depiction of the Puerto Rican neighborhood, was certainly one of my favourite movies rising up as a result of it was one of many few movies the place I noticed any Latinx actors (although there have been only a few precise Latinx actors within the movie) or reference to the Latinx neighborhood in any respect. (A whole lot of of us had their opinions concerning the casting of Natalie Wooden, the white actress who performed Maria, and rightfully so.) I used to be at all times much more targeted on the character Anita performed by the now-iconic Rita Moreno. It may need been a supporting function, however Anita stole the present for me. So when the casting for Steven Spielberg’s remake of the movie was formally introduced, I used to be much more involved about who was going to play Anita than who was going to play Maria. Once I realized that the function was given to none aside from Broadway star Ariana DeBose — a wonderful, gifted, and dark-skinned Afro-Boricua — I used to be thrilled. I hadn’t even seen the movie but, and I used to be already feeling optimistic about it. Elementary faculty me would have by no means in one million years imagined the character of Anita being performed by a Black Latina.

When Lin-Manuel Miranda’s movie adaptation of his Broadway hit “In The Heights” was first introduced, many people locally have been hyped — Dominicans particularly. By no means earlier than had we seen a mainstream Hollywood movie middle the Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights. However what we hoped this movie can be versus what it really delivered have been two very various things. The uptown neighborhood of Washington Heights is the biggest neighborhood of Dominicans outdoors of the Dominican Republic, with many being Afro-Latinx or not less than of African descent. When you take a go to to the neighborhood, you may see largely dark-skinned and brown-skinned Dominicans. However that wasn’t in any respect mirrored within the movie. “In The Heights” acquired a ton of backlash and criticism from the neighborhood due to its lack of dark-skinned Afro-Latinx illustration. Certain, there have been background dancers and extras with darkish complexions, however this was a possibility to forged darker-skinned Afro-Latinxs in lead roles. If there was a movie that had a possibility to get this proper, it was “In The Heights,” which severely missed the illustration mark.

I wish to consider that after the “In The Heights” fail and the various problematic facets of the unique “West Aspect Story,” Spielberg and Tony Kushner have been decided to get the “West Aspect Story” remake proper. Not solely did a dark-skinned Afro-Latina get to play Anita, however DeBose enjoying this function even impressed plot traces that revolved round colorism in fairly a number of scenes.

DeBose has admitted in interviews that she initially turned down the “West Aspect Story” function 4 occasions as a result of she did not wish to play Anita except she was capable of handle how being a Black Latina impacts her notion of the world.

“It was essential for me from the bounce that we handle it. It is one thing I introduced up in my audition,” DeBose advised POPSUGAR in a earlier interview. “And I mentioned to Steven [Spielberg], ‘, in the event you’re not prepared to discover and acknowledge this id within the context of the script, then I do not assume it is best to rent me. Maybe I am not the woman for you.’ As a result of it is so uncommon that you just see an Afro-Latina this integral to the plot, enjoying a number one function. She’s supporting, however she’s essential to every thing that is occurring on this neighborhood, and she or he actually packs a punch by the top of this factor.”

There’s one scene particularly the place Bernardo suggests to his girlfriend, Anita, that she’s probably not a part of his household, even though the 2 have been residing in the identical residence along with his youthful sister, Maria, and contributing in direction of the lease and residing bills. Anita shortly places him in his place and asks him if he would not take into account her a part of the household as a result of she is “prieta,” a phrase typically utilized in a derogatory method (relying on what a part of Latin America you are from) to insult or demean Black individuals or somebody with darker pores and skin. DeBose needed to make use of this time period as a possibility to the touch on not simply the racism and discrimination that Latinxs expertise within the US, but in addition the colorism that exist inside Latinx communities — particularly in direction of darker-skinned Afro-Latinxs.

“I cherished the inclusion of the time period ‘prieta’ as a result of it is extremely particular to the neighborhood. It is a very particular phrase. Colorism could be very actual, and we by no means speak about that within the leisure trade,” DeBose advised POPSUGAR. “It was very nice to really feel heard. This was a really inclusive set. That is without doubt one of the examples of how this lived expertise was not solely acquired, however allowed to tell the character and what it really meant to the plot. Since you additionally see it mirrored within the interactions with Lieutenant Schrank. He says some actually nasty issues to her in that second — it is freaking impolite. There are microaggressions. That is one thing we expertise day-after-day. Our lived experiences are invalidated day-after-day, so it was good to really feel affirmed that we aren’t loopy and that microaggressions are actual, and that is what I’ve to say about that.”

As a journalist, I discover myself always having to defend my work in prioritizing constructive Latinx illustration in media. In 2022, I nonetheless want to elucidate to individuals — even to different Latinxs — why this issues, particularly relating to darker-skinned BIPOC communities. We dwell in a world the place, for hundreds of years, we have been conditioned to consider that the lighter the colour of your pores and skin, the extra beneficial you might be as a human. Whilst brown and Black individuals, we have been conditioned to consider that darker pores and skin is related to lack of magnificence, lack of schooling, lack of sophistication, lack of wealth, lack of success, and lack of worth. Even in my very own neighborhood, in my family, I nonetheless hear feedback concerning the pores and skin tone, hair textures, and facial options of newly born Latinx infants. I nonetheless witness lighter-skin infants with straighter hair textures and extra Eurocentric options being handled higher than their darker-skinned siblings or cousins. This very a lot nonetheless occurs in our communities at this time. Whatever the intentions or whether or not individuals are even cognizant of their actions or not, it would not change the affect it should have: not simply on these darker-skinned kids, however on society total.

Whenever you develop up in a world that tells you this after which do not see anybody that appears such as you positively mirrored in mainstream media, movie, or tv, you begin to consider that the lies that you have been advised might really be true. However whenever you see folks that seem like you depicted positively in lead roles, it might probably have a constructive affect on the way you understand your self. It additionally impacts the way in which that society perceives and treats you. There’s true worth in inclusion. Publicity to detrimental representations or lack of illustration can deeply affect one’s sense of self, particularly in the event you’re a baby nonetheless determining who you might be and the place you slot in. Take into consideration the “doll exams” that happened within the Forties, the place a bigger majority of younger Black ladies confirmed desire to white child dolls versus Black ones. That desire did not come out of nowhere. It was a direct results of the affect of segregation and never seeing themselves mirrored positively anyplace. Think about how in another way that experiment may go at this time with a gaggle of younger Black ladies who’re rising up seeing extra constructive, more healthy depictions of themselves in movies, TV, magnificence adverts, and even within the dolls which might be obtainable to them.

As a Dominican American lady who identifies as Afro-Latina and was born and raised in NYC — in a metropolis the place I used to be surrounded with different Latinxs who appeared like me — I did not perceive rising up why my neighborhood wasn’t ever mirrored in books, media, movie, tv, magnificence adverts, or magazines I subscribed to. It wasn’t till I hit my teenagers that I understood that colorism was one of many many causes behind why this was a actuality. And whereas I acknowledge that there are Afro-Latinas who’ve darker pores and skin and curlier hair than I do, I might have nonetheless appreciated seeing somebody like DeBose enjoying a task like Anita rising up. I want to see us get to a spot the place we do not even must have these conversations anymore, however as a substitute the place castings like this turn out to be so natural that we see an increasing number of main — not simply supporting roles — performed by individuals like DeBose, Rome Flynn, or MJ Rodriguez.

There is a gratifying feeling that marginalized communities typically really feel after they see folks that seem like them on display. We merely “need our desires, not simply our realities, to be represented.” I feel it is honest to say that each marginalized neighborhood deserves that — to see their desires and never simply their realities represented pretty. All of us do.