The Academy Awards aired this past Sunday, and I was proud, to say the least. For the past 10 years or more, the inclusion of various ethnicities in Hollywood have been based on stereotypes and news media biases. Nonetheless, Hollywood has progressed some, and there has been better representation of non-whites in their movies.
Guillermo del Toro, Jordan Peele, Kumail Nanjiani, Tiffany Haddish, Daniel Kaluuya, and other non-white nominees show the progress that the industry has made. Even the diverse presenters are something to be proud of.
The animated movie of the year, "Coco," was the best representation of the Mexican culture that has been out to the public in years. The creative and heartwarming movie left millions shedding a tear at the end. With that, it won Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song. Not only was the film amazing, but the live performance of "Remember Me" was outstanding.
Another great achievement for the Latino community was Guillermo del Toro winning Best Director and his movie, "Shape of Water," taking home the Oscar for Best Picture. But he is Mexican, aren’t all Mexicans that live in the US illegal and criminals? Well, not to burst your stereotypical bubble, but no, we are not.
The stereotypes that people have constructed because of the media they consume are usually never true. The audience that creates this prejudice has probably never been to these countries. Sadly, people do not realize that America is built on diversity, and we, the "foreigners," are here to stay.
Guillermo del Toro is the fourth Mexican in four years to have won Best Director. You have Alejandro Iñárritu who won for The Revenant, which if you recall, gave Leonardo Dicaprio his long time coming Oscar. He also won for Birdman. Alfonso Cuaron won for Gravity in 2013. They are just a few examples of the success that working hard and thinking outside of your culture bubble can get you.
The presenters also made it a mission to point out that minorities need more positive representation and inclusion in Hollywood. With their fame, their voices are heard across the nation and make a difference. Personally, I think watching the Oscars this year was the most inclusion I felt as a Latina woman.
All this gives this world a little hope that one day we might all reach the same level of equality. There is still so much work to be done, but one step at a time is the most thorough way to achieve something.
