Latinos: The Weakest Link On TV.
July 20, 2001
Twelve out of one hundred faces in America are Latino; yet only 2 out of 100 faces reflected on prime time network TV are Latino. “Latinos are the weakest link on TV,” said Felix Sanchez, President of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. “Latino writers, producers and executives are almost nonexistent behind the camera and Hispanic women are virtually absent in front of the camera,” added Sanchez.
Sadly there are few observable Latino roles on TV, such as those currently played by Esai Morales on ABC’s NYPD Blue and Jessica Alba on Fox’s Dark Angel. Unfortunately, a greater number of network television roles portray Latinos in the service sector, such as the Hispanic maids on ABC’s Dharma and Greg and NBC’s Will and Grace (played by Lillian Hurst and Shelly Morrison respectively); and the nurse on NBC’s E.R. (played by Laura Ceron).
NHFA commends NAACP President Kweisi Mfume for his leadership in addressing the global issue of diversity on network television.
Actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales and Washington, D.C. attorney Felix Sanchez, founded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, in 1997. The mission of the foundation is to promote Latinos both in front of and behind the camera. NHFA has worked closely with the NAACP to achieve full diversity in the entertainment industry.
