GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Gina Torres on the cover of Black Enterprise

POSTED BY: JAHZARA
UPDATED: Friday, January 30, 2004 00:20
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Tuesday, January 20, 2004 4:25 PM

JAHZARA


Gina Torres is on the cover of the current issue Black Enterprise. The article, "The Afro Latino Connection", discusses the lack of recognition that Latinos of African descent get in American society and the world.

It's an interesting article and she looks absolutely beautiful. She is one of several people interviewed. She discusses how she has almost always been cast as African American, and the fear that casting directors have of confusing the audience (how they want Hispanic actors to look what is stereotypically Hispanic).

In her credits listed, Firefly's not mentioned. But I guess they'll know soon enough. Everyone will.


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Tuesday, January 20, 2004 4:34 PM

LADYJAYNE


Oh wow. That sounds like an awesome article. I'll have to grab a copy. Thanks for the heads up!

--Kala

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Friday, January 23, 2004 7:45 AM

JAHZARA


You are very welcome.

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Friday, January 23, 2004 8:12 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.


Thanks for the heads up Jahzara. I will stop by the bookstore on the way home this afternoon to check it out.

I wonder why they did not list Firefly in her credits. Could it be because it was cancelled in its first season? When was the interview supposed to have taken place?

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."


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Friday, January 23, 2004 4:19 PM

JAHZARA


Quote:

Originally posted by BrownCoat1:


I wonder why they did not list Firefly in her credits. Could it be because it was cancelled in its first season? When was the interview supposed to have taken place?




They didn't have a full credit list of her work, so I'm assuming that they just listed her most popular work. Tragic as it is, most people have never heard of Firefly.
Or at least the people who I'm friends with.

I know, I know, new friends.

Don't when the interview took place.


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Tuesday, January 27, 2004 12:29 PM

DUDEMAN


Hi everyone.

I'm the guy who co-wrote the article. Though I wasn't familiar with this site (I came across it by googling to see if anyone was talking about my article), I am a big Firefly fan.

In fact, one of the reasons I pushed to have Gina on the cover was that I'm a big fan of the show (we even spoke briefly about the planned movie!). So the question of why it was left out of the article is simple: I'm a dumbass. I was so sure I mentioned it that in my excitement about having an actress I really liked on the cover, I totally forgot :(

The funny thing is I was actually watching the Firefly DVD the night after the issue was put to bed when the seed of doubt over whether I omitted Firefly took root. Sure enough, that Monday morning I checked and it was, but by then it was too late.

My apologies Firefly fans. I screwed the pooch on that one.

-Alan

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Tuesday, January 27, 2004 12:39 PM

SHINY


Nice move, dumbass! J/K!

Maybe we should all write letters to the editor pointing out this oversight?

RIVER
Purple elephants are flying.
MAL
Good. Thanks for the update.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2004 12:41 PM

SAINT JAYNE


Quote:

Originally posted by Dudeman:
(we even spoke briefly about the planned movie!).


Dudeman, I will forgive you 100% if you can remember anything you spoke on!

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Tuesday, January 27, 2004 2:07 PM

KURUKAMI


Curious that there's no mention of her role in the first season of Alias. After all, Anna Espinoza, born in Cuba, raised in Russia... that's definitely a Hispanic character if ever there was one. Ancestrally speaking, of course, rather than cultural education.

History doesn't always repeat itself. Sometimes it merely shouts "Weren't you listening the first time?!?" and lets fly with a club.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2004 3:38 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.


Quote:

Originally posted by Dudeman:
Hi everyone.

I'm the guy who co-wrote the article. Though I wasn't familiar with this site (I came across it by googling to see if anyone was talking about my article), I am a big Firefly fan.

In fact, one of the reasons I pushed to have Gina on the cover was that I'm a big fan of the show (we even spoke briefly about the planned movie!). So the question of why it was left out of the article is simple: I'm a dumbass. I was so sure I mentioned it that in my excitement about having an actress I really liked on the cover, I totally forgot :(

The funny thing is I was actually watching the Firefly DVD the night after the issue was put to bed when the seed of doubt over whether I omitted Firefly took root. Sure enough, that Monday morning I checked and it was, but by then it was too late.

My apologies Firefly fans. I screwed the pooch on that one.

-Alan



Thanks for posting Dudeman.

We forgive you, just this once.

I picked up a copy on the 24th. Great article. Very cool to read about Gina & see her gracing the cover of a magazine. Excellent work Dudeman.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."


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Wednesday, January 28, 2004 3:43 AM

BADINLATIN


How do people forget to talk about their favorite show? I suspect having a life might have something to do with that, but whaddoiknow about that...

Seriously, start talking about the movie. Quotes might help. :)

http://www.joshlyman.com/
The West Wing Web

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Wednesday, January 28, 2004 4:03 AM

SPACEMONKEY


Hell, I don't blame the directors for casting her in black rolls; to me she doesn't look Latino. I didn't even know she was until I saw this.

"Lack of recognition that Latinos of African descent get in American society and the world."

Is there a large % of the population in American that IS Latino of African descent? Can someone else name a person of Latino/African descent? I can't. Must the USA go out of its way to recognize and honor, chairise EVERY ethnic group and combination of every group in the world? It boils down to we're all people, I'm really tired of the whole “bow and honor my race" crap.

Last time I checked, the rest of the world doesn't do this, why should we? I guess because if America doesn't, then we're all racist.

Sorry, but we don’t have enough months in the year and channels on the TV to do it.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2004 4:06 AM

SPACEMONKEY


Alan,

Ok, what was the question, and what did you talk about????????

You may have forgotten to put it in the article, but you can still tell us!!??????




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Wednesday, January 28, 2004 9:55 AM

JAHZARA


Okay, here we go...

Quote:

Originally posted by spacemonkey:
Hell, I don't blame the directors for casting her in black rolls; to me she doesn't look Latino. I didn't even know she was until I saw this.



Its mentioned in virtually every article written on her. Including the one on this website.

Quote:

"Lack of recognition that Latinos of African descent get in American society and the world."

Is there a large % of the population in American that IS Latino of African descent? Can someone else name a person of Latino/African descent? I can't. Must the USA go out of its way to recognize and honor, chairise EVERY ethnic group and combination of every group in the world? It boils down to we're all people, I'm really tired of the whole “bow and honor my race" crap.



THERE IS a large population of African Americans of Latino descent. I can name a few actresses off the top of my head. Rosario Dawson and Zoe Saldana, for instance. My friend Lulu. Oh, and me.
But these actresses consider themselves to BE Latina. Who have African heritage. I do not. That is to say, I consider my race to be Black.

I wasn't aware that the US was going out of its way to honor every single Ethnic group. It seems that you're complaining of the various ethnicities that have settled here celebrating their heritage. Imagine that in America.

Quote:

Last time I checked, the rest of the world doesn't do this, why should we?



The rest of the countries in the world, in general, do not have the ethnic diversity that is found in America. No one is forcing you to read the magazine.

Quote:

I guess because if America doesn't, then we're all racist.



Little jumpy there, ain't ya?

Quote:

Sorry, but we don’t have enough months in the year and channels on the TV to do it.



Um, Black History Month and BET are two completely different things. The reason we learn about Black history in Febuary is because is isn't found in textbooks. Or wasn't in the past. I am not happy that there is a Black History Month or any other set aside time to celebrate contributions of a minority. I wish that it could be integrated into the education. But it hasn't so...
And BET is a specialty channel. Like the History Channel. If you don't like it, then as I have stated above, don't watch it.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2004 10:29 AM

JAHZARA


Thank you, DUDEMAN for posting here. Wonderful article.


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Wednesday, January 28, 2004 11:14 AM

DAEDALUS5


Any chance of the article being posted on-line for those of us not in the US?

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Thursday, January 29, 2004 12:08 AM

DRAKON


Quote:

Originally posted by spacemonkey:
Is there a large % of the population in American that IS Latino of African descent? Can someone else name a person of Latino/African descent? I can't. Must the USA go out of its way to recognize and honor, chairise EVERY ethnic group and combination of every group in the world? It boils down to we're all people, I'm really tired of the whole “bow and honor my race" crap.

Last time I checked, the rest of the world doesn't do this, why should we? I guess because if America doesn't, then we're all racist.

Sorry, but we don’t have enough months in the year and channels on the TV to do it.



Well, we may have enough channels, there do seem to be an awful lot of them.

Look, I don't get race. I don't think it is either an accurate or relavant description of folks. People is people, regardless of what their skin tone may be.

I think it is high time to just toss the entire concept of race on the bonfire and be done with it. It was a fraud to begin with, and didn't even work in any arbitrary way, like traffic lights.

"Wash, where is my damn spaceship?"

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Thursday, January 29, 2004 7:08 AM

JAHZARA


Quote:


Look, I don't get race. I don't think it is either an accurate or relavant description of folks. People is people, regardless of what their skin tone may be.

I think it is high time to just toss the entire concept of race on the bonfire and be done with it. It was a fraud to begin with, and didn't even work in any arbitrary way, like traffic lights.

"Wash, where is my damn spaceship?"



I agree with the fact that race is irrelevent, but not meaningless. In my case, its hertitage from my ancestors. It doesn't dictate who I am, but it is a part of me...

Race will always be a issue until EVERYONE lets go of it. In a few a few decades, there will be more "minorities" than...majorities? So eventually it won't matter anyway, everyone will be so intermixed.

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Thursday, January 29, 2004 10:28 AM

DUDEMAN


Sorry for my delay in responding. I'm on the road a lot and keep pretty busy.

Thanks for the feedback on the article as an Afro-Latino myself (My mother is Cuban), I'm glad I was able to bring to light that there's a significant portion of the Latino population who are in fact black. Judging by one of the comments here (something along the lines of Gina not looking Latino), not many folks are aware of this.

The other point of the article is that Afro-Latinos are a group that despite the injustices done to them in the past and present (slavery, widespread racism from their white countrymen), are doing great things and could potentially bring together America's largest minority business communities (those of you tapped into the business scene probably realize the need for this).

Anyway, someone had asked about the film. Gina and I spent less than an hour together and she's every bit as intelligent and personable as you'd imagine. She didn't really go into details on the film because there really aren't any details yet. But she was very confident that the film would be done with the whole cast of the series.

By the way, I don't think I laughed any harder than when I saw the Jaynestown episode :)

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Thursday, January 29, 2004 10:54 AM

JAHZARA


Thanks for the update, Dudeman. What an incredible experience.

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Friday, January 30, 2004 12:20 AM

DRAKON


Quote:

Originally posted by Jahzara:

I agree with the fact that race is irrelevent, but not meaningless. In my case, its hertitage from my ancestors. It doesn't dictate who I am, but it is a part of me...

Race will always be a issue until EVERYONE lets go of it. In a few a few decades, there will be more "minorities" than...majorities? So eventually it won't matter anyway, everyone will be so intermixed.



I think what you are describing has more to do with culture than with skin tone. My folks came from Scotland, Ireland, all over Europe, some were here before the honkies came, and some lines I have not been able to trace quite that well. And yes, we got a lot of culture in all that.

But what culture is, is fundamentally a collection of ideas, held by a population. Those ideas can be anything from the way you dress, what you eat, how you play music, or how you treat outsiders, as well as insiders.

Ideas can change, and cultures evolve and change as time goes on. Some ideas work, some don't. But especially in a age where you got suburban white kids listening to gangsta rap, culture ain't got nothing to do with skin tone. Especially in this country.

"Wash, where is my damn spaceship?"

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