The Los Angeles Voice--Part One "Our White Protagonists"

This is the first of the three part series “The Los Angeles Voice” on teen multiracial creators in Los Angeles by Maya Raval.

I pride myself on having diversity among my friends. As a mixed kid, I am most grateful for those of my friends who are also mixed. I have found recently that it’s difficult being mixed because often times, it feels as if you don’t fit into one of the many fixed race categories within our society. This is also true for artists, especially female artists. I took it upon myself to talk to a couple of my friends about their race in their daily life as well as in their artistry.

Keely Martin:

M: Hey Keels! I’m gonna be super upfront to start off the conversation… what ‘mix’ are you? K: I’m half Mexican & half Caucasian - white - whatever you want to call it.

M: Okay cool, how does that play into your daily life?

K: I’d say that if anyone were to assume my ethnic background, they never assume that I’m Hispanic, or Latina, or anything. And usually, they’re surprised if I ever say anything in Spanish, and if anything, they’d just assume that I went through a Spanish Immersion Program and I’m white. So it’s always frustrating when that topic’s brought up, but I’ve never experienced any direct oppression or anything like that.

M: Yeah, I can relate. Assumptions really can throw you off. So, you are a filmmaker, has your race, being mixed, ever come into effect with your decisions when writing films or scripts or directing or casting?

K: A lot of people that I’ve met that also make films, when they explain an idea to me, sometimes without conscious they think that the main character is white or that’s what they picture in their head. Nothing against them, I’m not saying that they’re discriminating. But it’s just an automatic register in their minds that a protagonist should be white, but I don’t think that. I try to go out of my way to make a character that is more than what everyone is assuming because I think it’s really important. And I feel relieved when someone is Latino, or even a different race, it’s relieving to see a character that is a different race. And not solely for benefitting the story, like a lot of times, they put people of color in movies just to benefit the exposition of the story. Like they won’t just put a Hispanic person in because they’re Hispanic, it has to do with them living in Mexico, or..  you know? Well, I try to cast people in that way, with that in mind, just because there are other people in the world.