Storytellers in Scripted Arts

In celebration of Black History Month, the next edition of Storytellers is honoring twenty Afro-Latino artists who are inspiring and impacting our community through their craft.

Our second list: scripted arts.

LAZ ALONSO

For Laz Alonso, storytelling is a way to share an experience. As an actor, he takes great pride in telling other people’s stories, especially ones that connect to his Afro-Cubano roots.

“Actors get paid to relive what most people in society pay to never have to relive,” he says on LATV’s Storytellers.

Born and raised in Washington D.C., Laz Alonso is known for his roles in Avatar, Miracle at St. Anna, and Fast & Furious. As he’s navigated his Hollywood career, he’s kicked down doors to get his voice heard. Through this process, he feels like his ancestors are actively alive inside him.

“We’re doing a dual service. We’re representing Latinidad in general, surely, 100% proud, but I’m also representing my race, which is the Afro side of Afro-Latinidad, my Black race,” he continues. “Anything that we do, it’s not just affecting us. It’s affecting thousands and thousands of people whether we’re aware of it or not.”

As for his own story, Alonso seeks excellence. He is passionate about bringing more accurate and reflective Afro-Latino narratives to cinema. Looking to the future, he plans to start producing films.

ANTHONY MILIAN

Anthony Milian has always loved history. Then, after having his son and losing his father, he was compelled to take Afro-Latino history to social media as way to persevere his heritage—for his family and for his community.

“I live in a … state where they are consistently trying to change historical narratives when it comes to, you know, African-American people, Black people, the struggle of what it means to be Black in America,” the social media historian tells LATV. “With a platform and with an audience, I can combat that.”

His page sheds light on figures like Arturo Schomburg, an art collector whose pieces trace the African diaspora, and Rafael Cordero, the father of public education in Puerto Rico. So often, Black history points to slavery. Milian’s selected histories about innovators and chefs and creators work to reframe that narrative.

In reviving Afro-Latino history, he has deepened his own sense of cultural identity.

“My parents, they raised me to see myself as Black first. It was Black first, man second, Puerto Rican third,” he goes on to say. “They understood that the world that I lived in wasn’t going to see me as Puerto Rican, the “quintessential Puerto Rican”. As I got older and the world began to change, to [be] … accepting of cultural differences instead of racial differences, that’s kind of when, like, you know, people were more like, ‘Oh, no, you’re Puerto Rican.’”

Turn your scrolling into micro-educating yourself, and check out his Instagram page, @deffnotant.

ADARGIZA DE LOS SANTOS

For a long time, Adargiza de los Santos didn’t know how to use her voice. She was a kid who “fell through the cracks.” Then she found acting, and her hardships were made beautiful, even just for a moment on stage.

“[Art was] always my refuge,” the Afro-Latina actor tells LATV. “Because there was always a story to tell. There was always, you know, a new world to go discover in my mind, in my imagination. You know, there was safety there.”

De Los Santos was born in New York to Dominican parents. From the start, she knew what it felt like to be othered, to be misunderstood by peers, misrepresented on TV. She still does. So, as part of her work, she shows up as an advocate for communities that lack microphones.

“I think that, you know, as Latinos, as Afro-Latinos, as human beings, we’re not a monolith of anything,” she goes on to say. “Now it’s so beautiful that we are able to tell, you know, to showcase all facets, you know, like we’re not all, you know, dying to cross the border.”

It pains de los Santos that arts programs are being defunded in schools. But, despite obstacles, she believes artists will continue telling stories, sharing dialogue, and diversifying narratives. She certainly will be, both on camera and in community.

BENI MARQUEZ

Afro-Venezuelan filmmaker Beni Marquez spearheads projects that connect to his roots and explore the nuances of Latino identity. Currently, he’s working on a documentary about salsa—its history, its cultural valor, and the people who have shaped it through the years.

“My passion to document salsa’s history comes from my ancestral and cultural ties,” Marquez says on the documentary’s website. “My roots in San Agustin, a working-class Venezuelan barrio, have shaped my outlook as a filmmaker, screenwriter, and storyteller.”

As for the origins of salsa, some point to Cuba; others point to Puerto Rico or even New York. Marquez traversed the Caribbean, Colombia, Argentina, all of Latin America seeking the right answer for his film. He cultivated relationships and partnered up with artists and grassroots organization along the way.

What he discovered was that salsa, with its energetic tumbao, is steeped in the blended histories of the region at large. From Marquez’s perspective, salsa is ultimately a product of migration. By that logic, its roots are endless and scattered.

“I am a storyteller,” he says in Spanish on LATV’s Blacktinidad. “I think it’s important to tell stories about where we come from and where we are going. It’s a projection.”

ARIANA DEBOSE

When it comes to representation on screen, Academy-Award winner Ariana DeBose has been leading the charge. The North Carolina native was the first Afro-Latina and first openly queer woman of color to be nominated by the Academy for her portrayal of “Anita” in West Side Story. More recently, as “Asha” in the animated film, Wish, she became the first Afro-Latina actress to voice a Disney protagonist.

Debose never thought she would be first at anything. She was just focused on doing her part as an artist.

“So often, as artists we make work that isn’t seen or isn’t received well,” she says in an interview with AP News. “So, to me, this is such a gift. It’s given me the opportunity to be seen as a human, to be seen as an artist and to represent all of the communities that I belong to in a way that I’m very hopeful will keep the conversation moving forward.”

Growing up, she admired actresses like Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts—and they are fantastic, talented artists worth looking up to. But, for DeBose, it’s exciting to see Hollywood making space for different types of women, different types of performances, that not only broaden representation on screen but also better reflect the experiences of audiences watching.

“America—the world—is not a one-size-fits-all,” she says in interview with SAG-AFTRA. “It’s really cool to see the faces diversifying in the entertainment field, both in front of the camera and behind it. I’m really stoked to be a part of that.”

Check out all of LATV’s Storytellers content here!