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The Latino population makes about 18 percent of the United States with over 60 million Latino residents throughout the country.
However, our screens and books paint a different picture.
UCLA’s 2021 Hollywood Diversity Report found that Latinos actors, directors, and scriptwriters make up just under 6% in Hollywood.
And print media is not seeing much a higher rate in representation either. University of Wisconsin-Madison's survey into children's literature found that Latino characters published were at 6% as well.
Today, experts in the arts discuss Latino representation in the media, their impact on stereotypes, and our perception of their roles in the U.S.
What has the oldest, and largest, non-profit publisher of Hispanic literature in the United States seen throughout its run? And how are Latinos breaking barriers on and off the page?
Some recommendations by our guests include:
- We Were Always Here: A Mexican American's Odyssey by Ricardo Chavira
- Secrets of the Casa Rosada by Alex Temblador
- Wishbone by Anna Garcia Shaper
- La Borinqueña by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez
- Editing by Design: The Classic Guide to Word-and-Picture Communication for Art Directors, Editors, Designers, and Students Book by Alex W. White and Jan V. White
- Arte Público Press, founded by director Dr. Nicolas Kanellos, publishes an estimated 20-30 books per year with an average of four movie licenses.
- Dr. Raquel Ortiz's book When Julia Danced Bomba, explores dance, overcoming shyness, and accepting praise.
- Robert Rodriguez's movies are a favorite of media expert, Charles Ramirez Berg. The director's characters, such as Machete and Spy Kid's Lava Girl, highlight Latino actors as heroic action stars.
- Terry Blas's first published cover for Marvel's Reptil. The comic follows superhero Humberto Lopez, an aspiring Avenger.
- Listener Martina called in to share her favorite Latinx comic book, Love and Rockets by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez.
- La Borinqueña by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez is a favorite of anthropologist Dr. Raquel Ortiz.
Guests:
- Founder and director of Arte Público Press
- Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Houston
- Professor in Media Studies at the University of Texas at Austin
- Author Latino Images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, and Resistance
- Author of bilingual picture books for children, including When Julia Danced Bomba
- Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Salamanca
- Comic book artist and writer with Marvel, Vox, and independent publishing
- Creator of You Can Say Latino and You Can Say Latinx
Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day's most important and pressing issues.
Audio from today’s show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.
