Art: Untitled by John Gregory Brown

Latinx Storytelling: Deserving of Far More Intersectionality than Brown Cartoon Characters

When I was five years old, on any given day, after school you could find me plastered in front of the living room television, wide-eyed as I sat down to watch yet another episode of Dora the Explorer. I was obsessed with this cartoon, her silhouette was visible on all of my school supplies, and I would wander around the house singing the backpack and map songs on a loop until it drove my parents and my big sister insane. Occasionally, my bright mind would register some familiar Spanish words I had heard my mother use while she was on the phone with my grandparents. As a little girl I was quite proud of this recognition because it made me feel connected to my family in ways I could not yet understand. By the time I entered the second grade, my friends and classmates had even gone so far as to say that I looked like Dora. As a little brown girl, I reveled in this compliment, ecstatic to be compared to someone who was known for going on such exciting adventures. Only now as a young adult am I realizing how completely and utterly fucked up this type of comparison is. I was an impressionable schoolgirl being compared to an ill-proportionate cartoon character. It’s no one’s fault really, where else in rural Indiana, would anyone I know see a spectrum of little girls who looked like me. I guess that’s why I’ve started to gravitate toward and fight for the representation of the Latinx community in television and film. Everyone deserves to see themselves in a character that reflects their own experience. The stories of Latinx people are becoming more increasingly important by the day, after all, in just a few short decades these stories will represent upwards of half of the population of the United States of America.
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Since Hamilton’s arrival to Broadway in 2015, lyricist, composer, playwright, and  actor Lin-Manuel Miranda has been one of Broadway’s biggest names, especially in terms of diversity and inclusion in casting. However, in 2008 Miranda was involved in the creation of another musical, in the Heights. This musical is incredibly special because it is a narrative telling the stories of an entirely Latinx Community. At its heart, it captures everything that I’ve learned to embrace about Latinx Culture. The writing has a significant amount of Spanish it, without making things incomprehensible for people who don’t speak the language. This in itself creates an entirely new relatable quality for me. I love the way some of the humor is only in Spanish. This gives the musical an intimacy that feels the same way as having belly achingly funny inside jokes with your five best friends. Most notably of all, this musical is about the ever-popular American dream within Latinx stories, but instead of feeling tired and overdone there is a breath of fresh air revived in those dreams. These characters are going through things that feel familiar yet open your eyes to a whole new world of hardships that you didn’t even know existed. There is truly a character in the story for everyone to relate to.

Personally, Nina Rosario is the character that I feel most emotionally attached to. Nina is a member of one of the few middle-class families in the barrio. When the story picks up, we learn that Nina’s family uses most of their money to send Nina to Stanford University on partial scholarship. However, Nina has recently taken a leave of absence in light of losing her scholarship. Nina is afraid of disappointing her parents, a quality that more than resonates with me. Ever since I was little, schoolwork was my exceptionality, the way I left my mark on the world. My mother has always been excessive in reminding me of the important  of a good education. Ever since I was in middle school, my mom has frequently sat me down for a stern talk about how my intelligence was natural, and I have privileges in areas where she did not. I can still hear her raising her voice saying “Mija, just because you don’t have to work as hard me academically, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t.” I have always felt the pressure that comes undesired from having an extremely ambitious and history breaking mother. When I do well on something my mother still believes that I can continue get better. Because of this, I was never satisfied with my achievements. The thing no one tells you about having a Mexican-American mother is that they are never satisfied with good enough. I don’t mean this to sound as if my mother belittles me, it simply means that our culture is one that fixates itself on improvement and making things better for the people that come after us. There is an insane amount of pressure you put on yourself when you realize that with every generation, comes a new opportunity to break down barriers that once fenced in those before you. My favorite lyric Nina has is “Hey guys, it’s me, the biggest disappointment you know.” When Nina sang this, my heart fell into my stomach. Having a strong willed, hard-working, and adversity overcoming second generation Hispanic American mother, is a constant reminder of how much your achievements affect everyone else. Each and every person in your family wants to see you succeed, and there is no greater emotional pain than living with the fact that you didn’t succeed. Then, of course, there’s the fear of inadvertently letting everyone who ever looked like you down. There is no stranger, and more uncomfortable feeling than realizing that you didn’t set as good as an example for all the little girls who would feel like you as you hoped you would.

In the end, Nina realizes that her parents are not angry at her short comings, but instead hurt by the idea but she believes she cannot confide in her parents in fear of disappointing them. Nina’s development in the story reminds me that family is everything and always there for you, even at times it feels like you’re letting them down.

Of course, a great deal more than Nina’s story line resonates with me. The music is incredibly authentic to the Latinx identity and experience, Music, specifically that of my culture, was undoubtedly  a huge part of my childhood and seeing that cultural representation in the medium that is as American  as a musical theater it Is truly immaculate. For many Hispanics, music is about storytelling and taking the time to enjoy a few moments of fun. Hispanic music is an incredibly diverse first art form. The soundtrack to this musical is more than reflective of this quality. From rap to salsa type dance music, the music feels authentically Latinx with a proper homage to its musical theater context. When I listen to this music I see things like dancing around the kitchen when my great-grandmother fixes chorizo and frijoles for breakfast. This is one of the most fond memories of my childhood. Listening to this soundtrack allows me to relive these memories that are ever so fond to me with a fresh new perspective. However, this soundtrack doesn’t only spark complete happiness. I listen to the heartbreaking ballads of this complicated piece of musical theater and I hear the anguish of my great grandmother trying her absolute best to raise my mother in an increasingly more intelligent world while she speaks inherently broken English. Fortunately, there is a sense of sheer happiness returns after the emotional roller coaster of the ballads because there are party songs that I imagine could have been dance tracks at my mother’s low budget yet highly anticipated Quince. After all, one of the few stereotypes that the media actually gets right about Latinos is that we love to dance.Of course, a great deal more than Nina’s story line resonates with me. The music is incredibly authentic to the Latinx identity and experience, Music, specifically that of my culture, was undoubtedly  a huge part of my childhood and seeing that cultural representation in the medium that is as American  as a musical theater it Is truly immaculate. For many Hispanics, music is about storytelling and taking the time to enjoy a few moments of fun. Hispanic music is an incredibly diverse first art form. The soundtrack to this musical is more than reflective of this quality. From rap to salsa type dance music, the music feels authentically Latinx with a proper homage to its musical theater context. When I listen to this music I see things like dancing around the kitchen when my great-grandmother fixes chorizo and frijoles for breakfast. This is one of the most fond memories of my childhood. Listening to this soundtrack allows me to relive these memories that are ever so fond to me with a fresh new perspective. However, this soundtrack doesn’t only spark complete happiness. I listen to the heartbreaking ballads of this complicated piece of musical theater and I hear the anguish of my great grandmother trying her absolute best to raise my mother in an increasingly more intelligent world while she speaks inherently broken English. Fortunately, there is a sense of sheer happiness returns after the emotional roller coaster of the ballads because there are party songs that I imagine could have been dance tracks at my mother’s low budget yet highly anticipated Quince. After all, one of the few stereotypes that the media actually gets right about Latinos is that we love to dance.

Despite my endless list of praises for this musical, I’ll be the first to admit that it is far from perfect. For example, it’s focus on inner city Latinos can lead outsiders to this community to expect that the majority of Latinas people are struggling financially and educationally. This musical further supports the assumptions that minorities are in a constant state of struggle. Additionally, this musical seems to focus on immigrants without giving individual attention to the first-generation Americans. Finally, in the cast was able to see use a very specific look for Latino characters, not emphasizing the diverse spectrum of Latin complexion and physical features. This is disappointing because it only gives part of the Community the chance to have the spotlight and feel seen

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One of the most profound memories of my adolescence is sitting in the living room watching my Abuela sweep the floor and laugh aimlessly at her favorite telenovelas played on the Spanish speaking television channel, a generic yet strangely inclusive platform. I’ve never met anyone who was able to enjoy themselves as this much while cleaning the house and stopping occasionally to glance at the TV. My Abuela and her joyous telenovela induced laughter is one of the most jubilant sounds that soundtracks my entire childhood. Because of these fond memories regarding this artform, you can imagine my surprise when I found out the summer after my 21st birthday that the popular show I assumed was your regular run-of-the-mill sitcom, called Jane Virgin was actually a telenovela created to entertain the diverse American audience. I was instantly intrigued to see if it lived up to the description of these programs that I found on the Internet, and more importantly would it be able to create as much laughter as my abuela’s beloved favorites from the Spanish channel. With some Spanish being spoken parallel to English there was something about this multi-generational narrative that felt instantaneously innovative and game changing, yet comfortable and familiar.

I instantly  found the tightly kinit bond shared by the Villanueva women to be incredibly endearing and relatable core to  the story’s always layered and multifaceted plots. I’ve never met a group of Hispanic female relatives, that were not close to each other. Furthermore, the dependability these family members share is a welcome constant in a realm that thrives off of twists and turns and cliffhangers. It also gives me a feeling that mimics every inch of warm and fuzzy that the incredibly affectionate and protective women in my family have given me. From the overenthusiastic birthday parties, to the alarmingly tight hugs get from your mom and abuela the moment your heart is broken.

Of course, the men in this story hold important storylines but the women are the game changers. They have personality traits that defy patriarchy and overused stereotypes. These women are fiercely ambitious, hardworking, loyal, and independent. This is everything I wanted to see in characters that share so much of what makes them special  with myself. Seeing myself in these characters almost makes up for the lack of representation I experienced growing up. I love it when women get to share their vulnerability on our screens, for some reason this feels like it hasn’t been happening too much lately, yet Jane the Virgin does an absolutely incredible job at letting women, especially women of color feel sad without being cliché, and get to experience raw anger and fear without being labeled as irrational or overly moody. These emotions are so incredibly palpable that I can feel my heart fall into my stomach and I can see the hairs stand up on my arms.

For the most part the women involved in telling this story are allowed to make decisions without judgment and that is something that really resonates with me. As a woman of color, I’m constantly questioning every decision I make, because I feel as if the world wants every decision I ever make is somehow inherently connected to the way I overcome adversity. My favorite thing about Jane’s character in particular is that she feels the pressure of every life-choice that she has ever had to make. Every time I see her organizing a calendar making a list of pros and cons, I am reminded of how hard it is to make important decisions your life is balancing all of your intersectionalities. Jane’s character’s journey to become a writer has significantly aided in teaching me how to embrace each and every diversity box that I can. Jane has a way of taking everything she experiences and bringing them to life in her writing and that has inspired me in so many ways.

While so much of what this TV show means to me is wrapped up in character traits I think that all believable Latina women characters should have, that is not at all what I think makes the show special, representative and relevant. The way that this show appeals to Latin American experiences in the writing is unlike so many of the representative programs before it. This show appeals to more intersectional Latin American audiences than I could ever easily name on the spot. It appears to people like my mom, who are middle-aged and just trying their hardest to figure out what kind mark they want to leave on this world before they get older and constantly need help, because the mother in this story is always trying to get a grip on her identity now that she no longer has children who are in need of actively being raised. It appeals to people like my strong-willed and quick-witted abuelita because Alba is constantly wanting to learn new things to keep  with the ever-changing world, yet, trying to stick to her own ideologies because family values and faith are the utmost the important things to her. For me, Jane’s character represents a woman that feels appreciation for her culture and heritage, but it is always wanting more. She wants to follow her dreams of becoming a published author because she know she can give the world a chance at seeing a perception that is vastly unrepresented. Having her feet planted evenly within her to worlds of being a Contemporary American and a member of the Latinx community

I can’t say that many bad things about this show because it has moved mountains in the fight for representation for the community I’m so proud to be a part of. But what I can say is that no television show has the capability to be perfect. Sometimes the male characters on the show have no ideas concerning the instantaneous privilege they have been given. For example. Jane’s father is a popular telenovela actor, and after it is revealed that his female costar is making more than he is, he talks about how he believes issues of pay parity affect men too. In my opinion, this was a prime example of privileged and speaking out about an issue that you were not educated about. It is very important to me that a character’s privilege is something that they’re aware of and are trying to use it to make the world around them a better and more inclusive place.         I can’t say that many bad things about this show because it has moved mountains in the fight for representation for the community I’m so proud to be a part of. But what I can say is that no television show has the capability to be perfect. Sometimes the male characters on the show have no ideas concerning the instantaneous privilege they have been given. For example. Jane’s father is a popular telenovela actor, and after it is revealed that his female costar is making more than he is, he talks about how he believes issues of pay parity affect men too. In my opinion, this was a prime example of privileged and speaking out about an issue that you were not educated about. It is very important to me that a character’s privilege is something that they’re aware of and are trying to use it to make the world around them a better and more inclusive place.

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I’ve said many times that the great thing about art especially performing arts is its ability to tackle and focus on many issues at once. I don’t know if there’s any show that does it better than One Day at a Time. It resonates with so many communities, Latin American, immigrants, LGBTQ+, veterans and more. However, at its heart, it is a show about family in every sense of the word. Although these characters are Cuban, and my family is Mexican, this family’s experience feels so much like my own. Everyone in this family is extremely close, yet they all have those moments where they get frustrated with each other, which is something that I am able to relate to incredibly easily. This is the most authentic family I’ve ever seen on TV, and its originality is delightfully refreshing. Additionally, its place in the sitcom community is unlike any other I’ve ever seen, it talks about difficult issues without making fun, but sheds tasteful light on these very emotional and thought-provoking topics. This show is one that inspires people and helps them to see what really matters in their lives and encourages them to be open and honest with their family. I think one of my favorite concepts is the delicate manner in which the show deals with is mental illness. The gradual development of Penelope finally accepting the need to take her medication pays tribute to the commonality that Latinos I’m afraid to seek help because they have had to stand up for themselves. I think there’s something in the Latinx culture that drives us to want to be independent, and fear needing help because we are so used to putting on such a strong emotional front.

Personally, I think Elena‘s character is the most important to my current demographic because it is hard being subject to double consciousness at such an impressionable age. She’s constantly worried about being Latinx  enough. Unfortunately, that is something that I understand more than I could ever wish for. While this character is worried about passing as white, I am worried about not being a part of this community because one of my parents is not. However, the way Elena feels about not knowing Spanish being a weakness in her identity is on par with my emotions. By not speaking very much Spanish I am losing a lot of communication with people I love. Elena always wants to learn more Spanish so that she can show her Abuela how much she cares.

Another thing I love about Elena’s character is the emphasis on her coming out experience in dating as a lesbian. I like this because it shows how complicated it can be sorting through the emotions of belonging to so many oppressed minorities that on character is the emphasis on her coming out experience and dating as a lesbian. My mind was instantly drawn to this concept because it shows how complicated it can be sorting through the emotions of belonging to so many oppressed minorities at once.
Overall, I think the best experience they captured in the show is the overbearing, yet fiercely loving nature of Latinx families. Members of the Alvarez family are constantly asking to make decisions on their own and be independent, but every family member always offers opinions which can end in fighting. However, this story takes ownership of the fact that any help or concern is out of love, and that being honest and open with each other is the most important. There’s something in this honesty that makes me feel more confident in sharing experiences with my family, even when it’s hard.

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Following the cancellation of One Day at a Time, there were only three out of 495 American television programs that have Latinx centric narratives. This startling statistic angers me more than I can comprehend. It’s also one of the most shocking things I’ve ever heard. There are more than 3 paths members of this mega community can take, so why are there only three being told on our screens? Now, that One Day at a Time was picked up for a another season by PopTV due to the overwhelming feedback given to the media about how upsetting this cancellation was, my heart is on the path to believing that if you advocate for the importance of something passionately and determinedly enough, real change has the power to happen. I’m still just as in love with the world of storytelling for large audiences as when I was just a little brown girl. However, I don’t think that this storytelling needs to include a live-action representation of Dora. This character is a high schooler that feels childish and that’s not something that little brown girls today need to be seeing. They need to be seeing young women who are confident in who they are, trying new things and being emotionally vulnerable.

I’m certainly not the girl I was when I was enamored by a cartoon character. Now, there’s a raging fire inside of me that wants to give other little brown girls a story they can connect with, a story they can look at and think’ I want to be just like her when I grow up. More than anything, I want to be a storyteller who breaks new ground on intersectionality, who tells the stories no one else has discovered need to be told. I don’t know if I’ll be the next screenwriter with seven different shows on one network, making people stock up on tissues week after week, but I do I know I’ll be telling the stories of my people and I definitely won’t ever stop until there’s a new statistic, one that makes people smile instead of frown in disappointment, and most importantly, one that makes me more than proud of American television.

About the author:

My name is Megan Richards, I’m 22 and enjoy writing that allows pop culture and social justice to intersect.

In the artist’s words:

Born and raised in New Orleans, John Gregory Brown is the author of the novels Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery; The Wrecked, Blessed Body of Shelton Lafleur; Audubon’s Watch; and A Thousand Miles from Nowhere. His honors include a Lyndhurst Prize, the Lillian Smith Award, the John Steinbeck Award, a Howard Foundation fellowship, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Book of the Year Award, and the Library of Virginia Book Award.

His visual art has been displayed in individual and group exhibitions and has appeared online and in print in Hayden’s Ferry Review, the New England Review, Flock, The Brooklyn Review, Gulf Stream, and elsewhere.

He is the Julia Jackson Nichols Professor of English at Sweet Briar College in Virginia, where he lives with his wife, the novelist Carrie Brown.