LA Vanguardia: An L.A. Times project celebrating the Latino vanguard transforming our cultural landscape

“Hollywood has failed Latinos for more than 100 years.”

So started the L.A. Times’ 2021 package on Hollywood’s Latino culture gap, in which Times journalists traced the horrendous history of Latino representation in entertainment and explored how that past manifests itself in our present — what we see, or don’t see, on the screen, on the stage and on the page today.

What’s changed since that Latino culture gap project came out? Not much! Not in one year. It’s way too soon for us to publish a progress report when, quite frankly, there isn’t much progress to report.

So as the staff here talked about a follow-up package, the conversation eventually focused on how we might build on the Latino-culture-gap articles, rather than repeat them. Last year we wrote all those stories about the lack of representation, so this year we’ve decided to do the opposite: Share stories of representation. This is LA Vanguardia. L.A.’s vanguard. The people who are part of the solution to a persistent, pernicious, many-tentacled problem.

To be clear, this is not a Latino power list. This is not a Latino hot list. This is not a comprehensive study. This is not a ranking. Instead, this is a survey of the rising writers, actors, directors, architects, thinkers, musicians and other artists who are shaping the culture you are living in now and certainly the culture you’ll be living in tomorrow. It’s our attempt to spotlight some of the talented individuals who have beaten the odds to get a seat at the table. And it’s our invitation to you: Pull up a chair and join the conversation.

Want to suggest someone for LA Vanguardia? Share your idea with us. We will consider reader nominations in planning our coverage, including future iterations of LA Vanguardia. And check back here for more LA Vanguardia stories all week long.

John Leguizamo’s open letter to Hollywood

We’ve heard so much talk about diversity. And yet, where are the Latinos? Open the talent pipeline — and lift up those who’ve fought their way in.

Meet LA Vanguardia: The Latino innovators, instigators and power players breaking through barriers

Meet the inaugural LA Vanguardia class, talented Latinos defining the cultural landscape of L.A. and beyond.

Latino culture is American culture. A new generation is proving it

A Hollywood talent manager, curator, playwright and scholar talk about how Latinx artists are approaching representation with greater nuance.

USC historian Natalia Molina is reframing how we think about race

The Echo Park-raised author and professor is helping us relearn how race was constructed in the U.S. — and how communities thrive in L.A.

Trolls came for rising star Xochitl Gomez. Then she took matters into her own hands

The Marvel star faced online hate for playing a ‘Baby-Sitters Club’ character who was originally white. Now she’s opening up about fighting back.

Diana Burbano, a Colombian immigrant and punk rock playwright, is always true to herself

In her work, Colombia-born playwright Diana Burbano creates rich, three-dimensional characters for Latinx actors, the likes of which are sorely lacking in canonical theatrical material.

Becky G: L.A.’s homegrown, go-to Latin pop star

Fresh off four Latin Grammy nominations for her work with Karol G and Christina Aguilera, Becky G says, ‘We have to be championing one another.’

These artists are preserving the history of a dance style gay men created in ’70s-era L.A.

As the last member of a dance movement that emerged in L.A.’s queer club scene in the 1970s, Viktor Manoel is teaching a new generation of dancers who are uplifting the style and its history.

Using Los Angeles as a canvas, Walter Thompson-Hernández remaps narrative art

Writer-director Walter Thompson-Hernández went from journalist to artist and filmmaker. His mission — exposing the hidden lives around us — never changed.

As statues of oppressors toppled around L.A., Meztli Projects emerged to uplift Indigenous artists

Meztli Projects, an arts and culture collective in Los Angeles, intends to create a space for Native and Indigenous community members to come together.

Are you Latino and want a career in the arts but don’t know where to start? Try these programs

Latinos have historically been underrepresented in the U.S. world of arts. These programs are trying to change that.