Chapter 18: In The Heights (2021)

In 2015, the play, Hamilton, was a big hit. At that time, I was teaching 6th-grade in South Central, Los Angeles, CA. My students, who were primarily Black and/or Brown, consistently sang the cast album written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It was a wonderful sight to see and hear so many students interested in United States history and musicals, but particularly because there was a popular show with a diverse cast. The adaption of a color-conscious musical continued to the film, In the Heights (Chu, 2021), where the majority of the cast was Latinx, Black, and/or Afro-Latinx. Representation is at the core of the film, which depicts stories of everyday Latinxs and normalizes their experiences. This film brings Latinx culture to Hollywood, which is counter-narrative to the traditional and often stereotypical roles of Latinx performers.