When Broadway's "Hamilton" released audition information for prospective actors hoping to land a part in the touring cast, it didn't take long for critics to stir up accusations of "discrimination" based on the specific wording in the audition notice. The open casting call ad requested "non-white" actors to audition — something civil rights attorney Randolph McLaughlin of the Newman Ferrara Law Firm believes is a violation against anti-discrimination laws. “What if they put an ad out that said, ‘Whites only need apply?’” McLaughlin said to CBS New York. “Why, African-Americans, Latinos, Asians would be outraged.”

While it's plain to see where Mr. McLaughlin is coming from, my problem with his logic is that it is terribly flawed if we delve further into the issue that is racism and whitewashing in Hollywood (which is just one area of entertainment where these issues prevail). One has to wonder why an obviously multicultural show like "Hamilton" seeking to retain its diversity prompts outrage from what appears to be a minuscule fraction, and even a possible lawsuit for its wording in an audition advertisement, when the most recent controversial castings in movies have brought about a greater deal of indignation among the people and yet not much is being done to put a stop to it.

The recent casting of Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi has prompted considerable backlash, not only from fans of the manga series "Ghost in the Shell," but social media users around the globe as well. As The Daily Dot writer Gavia Baker-Whitelaw wrote, "By casting a white American actress, this film is whitewashing a character who is clearly meant to be Asian in a story that takes place in Japan and is populated by Japanese characters." Baker-Whitelaw has hit the nail on the head: By casting someone clearly inappropriate for the racial identity of a character, you not only disrespect the creator of the character and their vision, you disrespect the very real people who relate to the character on a cultural level. Others even argued that Johansson already had Black Widow — she didn't need to take away another inspiring heroine from an actress that actually fit the racial profile. Furthermore, writer and photographer Jon Tsuei spoke out on Twitter to say:

"This casting is not only the erasure of Asian faces but a removal of the story from its core themes. You can "Westernize" the story if you want, but at that point, it is no longer 'Ghost In The Shell,' because the story is simply not Western."

The point Tsuei makes is that a story that was centered on important changes in Japan and themes connected to these changes cannot be Westernized as the casting is making it. To add more depth to the matter of Asian casting, data pulled together by researchers at the University of Southern California found that only 5.3 percent of Asian actors made up the 100 movies of 2014 while 73.1 percent of these film actors were white. These percentages are hardly surprising, and yet it is still a shock to many that in this day and age that percentages like these for minorities remain the same in entertainment. In the case of "Ghost in the Shell," why did casting agents come to the conclusion that Johansson was the most suitable person for the role? Of the many talented Asian film actors who hold merit as high as Johansson's in the film industry, why was it that a blind eye was turned in their direction to pick a white actress for a Japanese role instead? Despite the current controversy around this particular case, this is not the only recent example of the Hollywood whitewashing pattern.

When it was announced that a movie entitled "Pan" would soon be coming to theaters, people were certainly ecstatic that one of their beloved childhood movies was becoming a live-action film starring none other than Hugh Jackman — that is until he released a first-look post on Instagram containing the movie poster. It didn't take long for social media users to come up with another topic of controversy — the casting of Rooney Mara as Native American princess. Tiger Lily. As expected, the casting decision caused an uproar in social media, prompting users to ask why a suitable Native American actress could not be found for the role, or why yet again Native Americans were receiving zero representation in top entertainment. It was said at the time of the casting announcement that, "Wright is planning to create a world that is very international and multi-racial, effectively challenging audiences’ preconceived notions of Neverland and reimagining the environment.” It is interesting that in deciding to make a world that is "very international and multi-racial," Wright was only successful in the main cast being all-white and minorities playing very few, small roles. Whatever Wright's intentions, it is clear to many that diversity was not accomplished in "Pan's" casting. From the same data report as mentioned in the paragraph pertaining to "Ghost in the Shell," it was noted that only 1 percent of roles in the top 100 movies of 2013 were filled by Native Americans. While many believe someone should not just be chosen for a role because they walk in and have the racial requirements fitting the character, this display of whitewashing sends an alarming message to the masses. This message says to many people of color, "There is not really anyone of your race good enough for the role we are trying to fill, so we chose a white person instead." How is it that in the audition process for Tiger Lily, Wright was able to turn away a staggering amount of women of color auditioning for the role and only come up with the excuse that "it was Rooney who felt the most like a warrior princess." I have a hard time believing of all the women Wright saw, and most likely the many more that didn't even get the opportunity, Rooney was the only one who could portray a Native American princess with a warrior side. While Tiger Lily has not always been played by a Native American actress, the fact Wright let the unfortunate tradition continue and not try to change history displays the lack of concern he and other whitewashing Hollywood executives continue to have. If teenagers on Tumblr can correctly cast fictional characters by matching them to actors who not only fit the racial requirements of the character but who can also portray the character well, it shouldn't be that hard for educated directors and casting agents to allow the same decency to such a diverse community of actors.

While these are the two most recent examples of Hollywood yet again whitewashing characters explicitly shown to not be white, the list goes on and on, and extends all the way back to the beginning of the film industry itself. It was not uncommon for early film stars to use yellowface or blackface and exaggerate stereotyped behaviors of certain races when cinema first began. While these are now more so considered inappropriate and occur less frequently in entertainment, an overwhelming amount of people of color are still cast in very stereotyped roles. As a Hispanic actress, I am tired of these castings and along with the large community who agrees with me, I strongly believe they need to be stopped. While I hold some advantage over many other Hispanics because I am mixed and rather white-passing, I may still face casting limitations that my fellow white actors may not. Hispanic representation in top entertainment is at another low percentage of 4.9. And even at that, many Hispanics are cast in roles with accents as thick as Sofia Vergara's, or as criminals of some kind. The statistics don't lie when it comes to the perpetual stereotype or whitewashed casting in entertainment and other media for many people of color.

Despite the depressing numbers and still occurring instances of whitewashing when it comes to diversity in Hollywood, significant progress has been made even within the past few years. The predominantly white Oscar nominees of 2015 aside, the year brought more representation to the table in entertainment and people who made waves with their award wins and speeches. Emmy award winner Viola Davis proved to the masses that anything is possible if you work hard enough, care enough and push past the barriers that may stand in your way, while "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" introduced to audiences three title characters of which two were men of color. The accomplishments don't end there — but the main point to be taken away from all of this is that there has been progression in entertainment concerning diversity, this is true. Yet, there is still much work to be done to even out the percentages. It is our hope that the newer generations will keep speaking out and playing a part in the continuous change occurring in the entertainment industry.