Historically, fluent Spanish-speaking communities held high expectations for the authenticity of Latino portrayals in cinema. Actors tasked with these roles were scrutinized closely, and those who delivered their lines in poor or broken Spanish often faced harsh criticism from the audience. This vigilance stemmed from a deep sense of pride in our linguistic heritage and a desire to see it represented accurately and respectfully on the global stage.
However, as I reflect on the current trajectory of cultural and linguistic preservation, I’ve come to recognize a shifting paradigm. The concern no longer lies solely with the actors’ ability to embody Latino characters through language but rather with our own communities’ diminishing emphasis on passing down the Spanish language to the next generation.
This gradual detachment from our linguistic roots has led to a scenario where our children, and indeed future generations, might find themselves resembling the very portrayals we once criticized. The newer generations, you know, the “no sabo kids,” slowly but surely becoming the sound of the actors whose imperfect Spanish we once mocked. These butchered depictions of our language, slowly becoming less of an anomaly and more of a mirror reflecting our own linguistic challenges.
This evolving landscape prompts a crucial question: Are we, as a community, investing enough effort into teaching our children Spanish, thereby ensuring the preservation of our mother tongue? The reality is that the responsibility to uphold our linguistic heritage falls on us.
If we find ourselves concerned with the authenticity of Latino roles in media, perhaps it’s time to look inward and address the foundational issue of language preservation within our own homes and communities. I’d love to hear from you or at least have you ask yourself the following. I’ve asked myself this more now than ever: how can we better support and prioritize the transmission of our language to ensure that future generations can both appreciate and contribute to the rich tapestry of our cultural and linguistic identity? How can we pass down our language when we ourselves rarely speak it at home?
Films that remind us of (and place emphasis on) our culture are a great way to spend quality time with our mujercitas (girls/women/daughters) as well as a fabulous way to encourage discussion around traditions. Whether you are a Latino parent raising children in the U.S. (of) A, or a non-Latino parent interested in teaching your children about cultures outside of their own, following are cinco (five) films that will generate discussion about Latino culture.
After the film, you may consider asking your kids the following questions:
CharactersWhat did you think about the characters? Did they seem real and relatable? Do you think they’re based on stereotypes? Do you think they resemble our community (your school, your after-school program, your friends)?
Story What did you think about the story (plot)? Do you think it relates to real life? Do you know about stories like this?
Actors Did you like how the actors performed? Do you think that’s how you would go about expressing yourself? What part/act stood out to you the most?
Message What would you say are the positive or negative messages in the movie? What would you change or add to it? How did you feel while watching the movie? How do you feel about the way it ended? What would you change and why?
Uno— COCO(2017) 1 hr. 49 mins
(Available on demand on your local TV network, YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon Prime.)
Stunningly animated, poignant tribute to family and culture, Coco is all about exploring traditions and the power of unconditional love.Centered around an aspiring musician boy named Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez), a young boy who ends up in the Land of the Dead and is confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, the movie— which features an all-star Latino voice cast (including Gael García Bernal and Benjamin Bratt, as well as a Latino co-director and many Latino crew members— is a tribute to Mexican traditions and customs.
Themes worth noting and discussing:
Gratitude and perseverance
Dia de los muertos
Following your dreams
Holidays and Traditions
TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT…
What does Miguel learn in Coco? How do his experiences in the Land of the Dead help him grow?
Did you already know about the Day of the Dead? If not, what did you learn about the holiday?
How does your family pay tribute to relatives and loved ones after they’ve passed away? Which other Mexican traditions and values does the movie depict?
Did you notice that characters speak both English and Spanish in the movie? Would you like to learn a second language?
For bilingual families: Why do you think it’s important or useful to speak two languages? How does language connect you with your heritage, and your family?
Dos—Under the Same Moon/ Bajo /La Misma Luna (2007) 1 hr. 49 mins.
(Available on YouTube, Vudu, iTunes, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.)
Storyline: UNDER THE SAME MOON tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hopes of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. Unexpected circumstances drive both Rosario and Carlitos to embark on their own journeys in a desperate attempt to reunite. Along the way, mother and son face challenges and obstacles but never lose hope that they will one day be together again.
*Parents need to know that this drama has some mature and emotionally difficult themes. It revolves around a young boy who must deal with his grandmother’s (peaceful) death and an illegal border crossing between Mexico and the United States.
REVIEW: “This movie presents illegal immigration as a human issue and not as a political issue. There are various scenarios in which the viewer can witness the dangers, sufferings and struggles that illegal immigrants and their families faced on a daily basis. It provides an insight into the lives of thousands of people whose families are divided because of this situation.” -Amazon reviewer
Themes worth noting and discussing:
Immigration
Effects of separation because of immigration
Border crossing
Bond between mother and son
Race and identity
Physical and [psychological borders
Courage and love without borders
Hope and faith
TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT…
How the movie portrays the plight of illegal immigrants in the United States.
Do you think the movie is trying to make a specific point about the issue?
If so, what is it?
How would you feel if you couldn’t see your family because of a wall/a border?
What do you think should be done about it?
Tres— Real Women Have Curves(2002) 1 hr. 33 mins.
(Available on YouTube, Vudu, iTunes, Hulu, Google Play, Netflix, and Amazon Video.)
Storyline In REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES, Ana Garcia (America Ferrera), the youngest daughter of an L.A. Mexican-American family, has just graduated from Beverly Hills High School and wants to go to Columbia University and date the sweet but dorky Jimmy. But her mother, Carmen (Lupe Ontiveros), is determined to marry Ana off, have a grandchild, and install Ana at the local sweatshop so she can finally retire. Ana clashes with her traditional mom, at her mother’s insistence that she lose weight to meet a boy. “How dare anyone tell me what I should look like or how I should be when there’s so much more to me than just my weight,” Ana announces. When Ana storms out of the sweatshop, Carmen races after her and collapses. “Are you embarrassed of me?”
WHAT’S THE SCOOP? Real Women Have Curves is a great addition to the pantheon of teen heroine movies. This film encourages young girls to follow their dreams. Like the warmly human Quinceañera, it also shows a teenage girl who unlike other popular films of the like—Mean Girls, Pretty in Pink, All or Nothing, or Easy A— shows a teenage girl who does not come from a white and affluent family and is not spoiled. Ana’s teen angst has a profound purpose. She’s trying to learn to love herself in a world where the dresses she irons are for people far smaller than she is.
Themes worth noting and discussing:
Emphasis on class and race
Body image
Ana loses her virginity to her boyfriend
Although nothing racy, there is some nudity
Family values vs personal values – contraception, education, etc.
Environmental factors where poverty makes it very difficult to succeed
TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT …
How body image is shaped by film and magazines.
How do you feel about how you look?
Do you feel pressure to look a certain way? Where does that pressure come from?
How can teens learn to appreciate themselves for who they are?
How does Ana demonstrate integrity?
Cuatro—Selena(1997) 2 hrs. 8 mins.
(Available on YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon Video.)
Storyline: Based on the life of Selena, killed in 1995, kids may ask questions about the events surrounding her murder. It isn’t shown, but one character does hold a gun to her own head. A character says “s–t” and “damn” in frustration. Non-Latinos are referred to as “gringos” in a few scenes. For aspiring musicians, this movie shows the amount of work, dedication, and perseverance it took Selena and her family to find success. This movie also shows the sexist and racist attitudes Selena had to transcend as a Mexican-American female lead vocalist.
WHAT’S THE SCOOP? SELENA, a touching, effervescent, and ultimately tragic biopic, tells the story of the Grammy-winning Tejano singer Selena, who was killed at age 23 by her fan-club president. The movie chronicles the performer’s rise to stardom and explores her relationship with her tight-knit family, including a domineering yet loving father, Abraham (Edward James Olmos).
TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT …
The relationship between Selena and her father. Why is he so authoritarian? Does he deny his kids a childhood by forcing them to perform?
Selena’s father is shown lamenting the difficulties of Mexican-Americans in having to prove that they’re as American as any other American but also as Mexican as any other Mexican. Do you think this sentiment reflects the difficulties of other Mexican-Americans or immigrant families?
How do you think the movie depict Selena as a role model through her personality, ventures in music and fashion?
What challenges did Selena face as a female or as a Latina?
Themes worth noting and discussing:
Gender and ethnic roles in the music industry
Which Selena song do you know/love?
Parenting roles and styles
Authoritarian parenting
Selena as an entrepreneur
Cinco— El Norte(1983) 2hr. 21 mins
(Available on YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon Video.)
Storyline—”El Norte” tells the story of a Guatemalan brother and sister who fled persecution at home and journeyed north the length of Mexico with a dream of finding a new home in the United States. Released during a time, then as now, when the California economy could not function without their invisible presence as cheap labor. “El Norte” tells their story with astonishing visual beauty, unashamed melodrama, and anger leavened by hope.
REVIEW: “What a beautiful, powerful and endearing film that Gregory Nava has given the general film watching public. While few people have ever seen this film, it rates as one of the best films ever in regards to Latin American cinema. Sure, the budgetary constraints can be seen in many parts of this film, but the overall artistic stamp of the film more than makes up for the lack thereof. In our current society of anti-immigration, one has to experience the pain and torment some of the people have to experience just to get the chance to live in America. This spirit alone gives me respect for most working immigrants, even if some are illegal. Even 20 years from now, Latin American film courses will still use this film as one of its finest examples.”
Themes worth noting and discussing:
Magical realism
Indigenous view and bigotry
Ethnic and political persecution
Guatemalan civil war
Mayans
Guatemalan Exodus
Belonging and identity
The drama features Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez and David Villalpando, in their first film roles, as two indigenous youths who flee Guatemala in the early 1980s due to the ethnic and political persecution of the Guatemalan Civil War. They head north and travel through Mexico to the United States, arriving in Los Angeles, California, after an arduous journey.
I enjoy reading Latino literature. What I mean by Latino literature is not necessarily Spanish written text but rather English written text by Latino authors. Every time I am confronted by the reality that my local Barnes & Noble has not but a 5×4 rack of “Libros en Español,” I can’t help but think back to Spanish-only speaking, Spanish-thinking me. At eleven years old, newly arrived immigrant child, I knew not a word in English but owned a solid 8,800 word Spanish vocabulary.
Although eager to learn the English language, and quickly introduced to it by my school system, reading something I understood or related to in the process would have been a helpful transition. If not Spanish literature, reading English books with characters that looked like me would have helped lessened the all-too-common outcast feeling shared by many immigrant children.
The lack of Spanish literature in a country with over 54 million Latinos is troubling. Out of approximately 3,500 children’s books published in 2015, only 93 featured black characters. The numbers were no better for Latinos, Asians, and American Indians. These numbers are abysmal if you ask me for they are not representative of the country’s population. It is clear, the publishing industry, similarly to the film and TV industry, has a long way to go when it comes to fostering and promoting diversity.
The problem lies not only on finding books in Spanish but also on finding books that represent a broader culture. Books that Spanish-speaking children can relate to not just because these are in Spanish but because the characters in these books look like them or sound like them.
Finding relatable children’s books shouldn’t have to be a challenge. Yet as Lori Tharps, an African-American journalism professor and mother of three bicultural children states, it is, because they’re not there. “I’m not trying to make my kids read about slaves all the time.” She says, “a black wizard story would be nice. Flat Stanley could be Asian or Latino.” These books are not there not because they don’t exist but because many schools choose not to include these books in their teachings. They are not there. Not because there are no good Latino authors writing rich-in-culture, unique and artistic books, but because bookstores as well as schools continue to shy away from displaying these to the public and fail to consistently include them in their curriculums.
So, why exactly is is so hard to find books about diverse characters on our local bookstores? According to publishers, children’s books about diverse characters don’t sell. I wonder, how can there be a demand for diverse characters when the books that feature characters of color are not given the same promotional push by publishers as that given to books with white characters? How can there be a demand for diverse character books when the books that feature characters of color are shoved into the multicultural sections and not placed amongst the rest of children’s literature? As Lucia Gonzalez, the author of The Bossy Gallito further explains, “Quality children’s books have been published for decades, especially since the ‘90s boom. The problem is a lack of visibility. These award-winning titles unfortunately…just don’t get into the mainstream market. Instead of being displayed with the ‘regular’ books, they’re set apart.”
The second reason why bookstores don’t generally carry books about diverse characters is because children’s book editors are predominantly white. According to Robin Adelson, the executive director of the Children’s Book Council, “publishing houses are run by white men. Hiring a diverse array of people would help reflect the different children we’re publishing for.” Adelson continues, “If editors are not cultivating relationships with writers of different backgrounds, then it makes it difficult for writers in a vacuum to do something with commercial sensibility.”
What does this mean to Latino literature? How does the lack of non-white editors affect the book industry? The lack of diversity in the publishing workforce can, in part, be attributed for the disconnect between publishing houses and the gap in children’s literature. The publishing industry’s inability to host a diverse environment, more ethnic editors for instance, speaks volumes of their scarce desire to understand cultures outside their own.
How exactly are we to expect publishing houses to publish more books representative of the nation’s many cultures, or to recognize these cultures’ need to be represented, when they are unable to hire people illustrative of these?
In hiring more diverse people, publishing houses would not only benefit proficiently, but also financially—particularly in a country that in 25 years will be evenly split between whites and non-whites. Minorities for instance, are the majority in six of the eight largest metropolitan areas of the United States. The combined Black, Hispanic and Asian buying power is more than $750 billion[1].
Publishing houses need to step up their game, get with the program, and employ more diverse individuals that can help promote and produce an array of diverse literature. If you ask me, producing more ethnic-centered literature is as profitable to us “the Other,” as it is to them, the big publishing houses. As markets expand, being able to understand and reach out to the individual needs of people from other cultures will be paramount. A multicultural, talented, and trained employee-base gives companies a key advantage. A multicultural curriculum gives children from diverse backgrounds not only a strong sense of belonging but also a stronger sense of self.
Now, let’s get back to where we started, why is it important for more diverse literature to be incorporated into our children’s classrooms? Why is diverse literature essential to our children’s learning? Why is the lack of diversity in our children’s reading lists a problem?
The lack of diverse (nonwhite characters and plots) Literature in the classrooms is problematic. Not only for the children belonging to said apartheid literature group but also for the children outside these groups. Children who are not generally exposed to cultures (customs, values, religion, music) outside their own are less likely to relate to other cultures. It is (often) this lack of understanding what leads to lack of cultural empathy and can potentially influence division. Lori Tharps further illustrates this notion, “Books often give us our first glimpse of how other people experience the world. How do we expect white kids to understand the lives of Asian, Latino, African, and Indian kids if everything they read is about kids who look and sound like them? The way things stand now, this is a lose-lose situation for everyone.” Books can help bridge cultural gaps because it has the power to provide an understanding of cultures outside our own.
Literature connects people. Literature has the power to enrich life and provide readers with a strong sense of belonging. People feel a particular connection when they read books whose characters, themes, maxims, ideologies, and languages are representative of who they are. Readers feel like outsiders when these images are missing and the dominant characters, values, and language are not representative of them—their families, their neighborhoods, their journey, themselves. I ask you, have you looked into your child’s reading list? Are you familiar with the characters illustrated in the books they read? How representative are these of your child? How representative are these of the space to which your child belongs—their communities?
Something to think about…
As the Latino community continues to grow, it will be interesting to see the speed in which Latino Literature is published, the manner in which these books are marketed, and consequently, the buying market’s response. It will also be interesting to see the effect that having more Latina/o literature has on Latino students in elementary schools (and universities), as well as the way in which its availability affects the identity and sense of belonging of Latino-American children—and young adults—who seldom see themselves in present day short stories and novels. //
UP NEXT…
I will be writing a Children’s Books with Latino Characters recommendations blog post. Stay tuned.
Sources cited: [1] Dr.Edward E. Hubbard, author of MeasuringDiversity Results and How to Calculate Diversity Return on Investment
Films that remind us of (and place emphasis on) our culture are a great way to spend quality time with our mujercitas (girls/women/daughters) as well as a fabulous way to encourage discussion around traditions. Whether you are a Latino parent raising children in the U.S. (of) A, or a non-Latino parent interested in teaching your children about cultures outside of their own, following are cinco (five) films that will generate discussion about Latino culture.
Finding relatable children’s books shouldn’t have to be a challenge. Yet as Lori Tharps, an African-American journalism professor and mother of three bicultural children states, it is, because they’re not there. “I’m not trying to make my kids read about slaves all the time.” She says, “a black wizard story would be nice. Flat Stanley could be Asian or Latino.” These books are not there not because they don’t exist but because many schools choose not to include these books in their teachings. They are not there. Not because there are no good Latino authors writing rich-in-culture, unique and artistic books, but because bookstores as well as schools continue to shy away from displaying these to the public and fail to consistently include them in their curriculums.
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