How Afro-Latina artists navigate industries that often leaves little room for them

Based on a recent segment from LatiNation Roots’ Blacktinidad, Vergi Rodriguez sat down to reflect on a career that moves between dance, storytelling and cultural memory. What began as a conversation about her journey quickly turned into something deeper: how Afro-Latina artists navigate an industry that often leaves little room for them.

Rodriguez started her career in New York City as a professional dancer, training and auditioning in one of the most competitive creative environments in the world. She eventually performed with major artists, including Prince, but the experience also exposed an uncomfortable reality inside the entertainment industry.

“There’s always only one slot for someone a little darker,” she explained during the conversation.

It’s a comment that captures a broader truth many artists of color recognize immediately. In casting rooms and on stage, opportunities have historically been limited, often reduced to a single “ethnically ambiguous” role within a lineup.

Rodriguez describes pushing through that reality the only way she knew how: focusing on craft. Her strategy was simple but demanding. Work harder, train harder and let the talent speak first.

Competing in your own lane

That mindset eventually became the foundation of her podcast “A Race of Your Own,” a platform where Rodriguez now hosts conversations with creatives whose contributions often go unrecognized.

The idea behind the title reflects a philosophy she developed over time. Sometimes resilience leads to inspiration. Other times inspiration is born from resilience.

For Rodriguez, the podcast became a way to create space for voices that rarely get centered in mainstream entertainment conversations. Many of the guests she invites onto the show have long résumés across film, music and media, yet their stories remain largely undocumented. In that sense, the project isn’t just about interviews. It’s about recognition.

Remembering the people who built Latin music

During the conversation, Rodriguez also reflected on the legacy of Ralph Mercado, one of the most influential figures in the global expansion of salsa music.

Mercado founded RMM Records, a label that helped shape the careers of icons like Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Marc Anthony, and La India. Rodriguez had a personal connection to that history. Early in her career she interned within Mercado’s management orbit, giving her a direct view into how Latin music was being pushed onto global stages.

From major concerts to international tours, Mercado helped transform salsa from a regional sound into a worldwide phenomenon. His work also highlighted something that often goes under-acknowledged: the Afro-Latino leadership behind much of Latin music’s global expansion.

For Rodriguez, telling these stories is essential. Cultural memory, she argues, is fragile if no one actively preserves it.

Watch the complete episode here