After news broke Thursday that Portuguese-Swedish-Russian (a.k.a. white) actor James Franco was cast as Fidel Castro in the upcoming film, Alina of Cuba, Latinx people across Al Gore’s Internet were quick to hate on the choice, pointing out all the problems with Hollywood’s continued erasure of our community.

The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival partnered with Netflix for its 2022 fellowship, recruiting five Black and five Indigenous filmmakers and giving each $20,000 and a few months to complete their projects, which premiered at the festival during the first week of June.

Latino Rebels asked Latino lawmakers about a new amendment to the House appropriations bill, submitted by Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), that would prevent the executive branch of the federal government from referring to Latinos as “Latinx” in public documents.

The film finds its horror in anti-immigrant and anti-Latinx sentiment, policies, and power grabs, but the frights are only half of it. ‘American Carnage’ is as much a comedy as it is a scary movie, and the laughs mostly come from intra-Latinx racial politics.

The Spanish Language Disinformation Coalition sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, thanking the agency for its plans to initiate a new rulemaking to protect Latinx consumers and prevent unfair and deceptive practices by online platforms.

HBO’s much-watched ‘Father of the Bride’ tells the story of two Latinx families as aspirational and aspirationally American. While there are problems with the movie, it is nice to see Latinx people headline a successful, classic film—especially one that punches up at whiteness.

Open and honest conversations about mental health in our communities are a start. Chats at home with our parents, tíos, and aunties, with our neighbors and comadres, and especially our children, will move us in the right direction.

From its board of 15 to its chairman’s advisory council of 20 and its staff of five and over 100 partners, there is no broad representation of Afro/Black Latino, Latina, and Latinx people. We are not represented in any significant way.

‘The Valet,’ a romantic comedy starring Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez (‘Instructions Not Included, ‘CODA’), presents a warm and thoughtful representation of Latinidad that gently nudges its audience to evaluate their own values and how they play out in the world.

The series is an HBO reboot of a 20-year-old Nickelodeon show, ‘The Brothers Garcia,’ that the current show’s team bills as “the first English-language sitcom to have an all Latino cast and creative team.”

Argentinian American journalist Nick Barili wants Latinx Hollywood icons to “get their flowers” now, as he recently told Latino Rebels. That’s why he created the web series ‘SEEN’ to highlight Latinx talent, distributed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

From Moesha to Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Castle and now This Is Us, Huertas has been in over 400 episodes on television. And for much of his career, he’s been the only Latinx actor on the call sheet.

Latinx adults are more likely to have done gig work than their Black, Asian, and white counterparts, according to a study by the Pew Research Center published in December. About 30 percent have earned money from an online app platform.

“Right now in Hollywood, there are so many Latinos who are doing it, making shows and are showrunners. But they’re almost all white Latinxs,” Mercedes tells Latino Rebels. “Indigenous and Black Latinxs (need) the opportunity to develop their own shows (so it’s) not always the same experience that we see.”

According to a new survey, 40 percent of Latinos say the word Latinx offends them or at least bothers them, while 30 percent say they would be less likely to support a politician or organization that uses the term

Cultural assets, including the many ways of being and knowing that Latinx students bring with them from their homes and communities to college, boost their persistence, retention, and ultimately lead to their graduation.

It’s time we take action to close the gaps in education, income, and wealth, and being able to successfully navigate the post-high-school years through financial literacy is an important step toward that goal.

Selena Gomez can’t represent our entire community, but her character in the Hulu series ‘Only Murders in the Building’ is a positive addition to the Latinx canon.

Fresh off the heels of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September, and as National Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close on Friday, now is an appropriate time to examine the intersection of Latinx and suicide.

There is great potential for Latinx entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and beyond, if only they were adequately supported by banks, angel investors, venture capitalists, and their own community.

While Latinx people are disproportionately affected by the gun violence crisis, we are also on the front lines of ending it.