Multicultural America

https://www.instagram.com/lejuanjames

LeJuan James is a bicultural and bilingual comedian and social media influencer. Born Juan Atiles and of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, he has become a leading voice in Latino digital entertainment. He began his career posting short skits on Vine, choosing his moniker as a nod to his favorite basketball player. His content is based on experiences of Hispanics in the United States. His skits where he features a range of characters including his parents, quickly garnered millions of views.  

LeJuan James. (May 2026). When Hispanic Parents Won't Let You Parent Your Kid [LeJuanJames}. YouTube.

James expanded his platform to Tik Tok, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. He has over 6 million followers throughout his platforms. He is also an author of “Definitely Hispanic: Growing Up Latino and Celebrating What Unites Us”. He is credited with highlighting immigrant life and bringing Latino family humor into mainstream media. The book discusses Hispanic culture without “falling into caricature or stereotypical territory”. (Fitzreader, Definitely Hispanic by Lejuan James | Chapter chats 2021)  

Definitely Hispanic Book Cover (LeJuan James)

LeJuan James also prides himself on wholesome family humor and features his skits as well as his home life as a husband and father on his platforms. He has also signed major brand deals and has appeared in films, television and music videos.  

LeJuan with his wife and daughter (LeJuan James Instagram)

In a climate where Hispanic Americans are constantly facing anti-immigrant rhetoric, James shows deep pride of Hispanic culture. Reaching audiences through his humor, he promotes preserving cultural identity and fostering community unity. 

LeJuan James. (October 2024). Going Shopping with Hispanc Parents [LeJuanJames}. YouTube.

"Temple of Confessions" a performance exhibition by Guillermo Gómez-Peña and Roberto Sifuentes confronted viewers to discuss their feelings about immigration and Mexican / Mexican-Americans as well as other Latino populations. (Temple of Confessions, 1994–1996). It is an interactive, multimedia performance piece and documentary film. It is designed to make audiences confront their deepest racial and ethnic prejudices. In the documentary, a white woman walks two Hispanic men, each dressed in stereotypical outfits around on leashes. They visit various locations as onlookers watch. The men represent caricatures of how others view Latinos. The fact that this type of piece was created to bring racial and ethnic prejudices of Latinos shows that positive representation is incredibly powerful. LeJuan James is a role model for current and future generations of Hispanic people.

hemisphericinstitute.org The Temple of Confessions

Citations:

Fitzreader, J. (n.d.). Definitely Hispanic by Lejuan James | Chapter chats. Definitely Hispanic. https://chapterchats.org/2021/07/09/definitely-hispanic-by-lejuan-james/  

https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/celebritytalentbios/LeJuan+James

LeJuan James. (May 2026). When Hispanic Parents Won't Let You Parent Your Kid [LeJuanJames}. YouTube. Retrieved 7/21/26 from URL https://youtube.com/shorts/F6CP9ZdCLRo?si=QztuNi9GusEQKXvP

LeJuan James. (October 2024). Going Shopping with Hispanc Parents [LeJuanJames}. YouTube. Retrieved 7/22/26 from URL https://youtu.be/Ga4NnCR4D98?si=hWhEBinjSmu2L1bR

James, L.[@lejuanjames].Instagram.https://www.instagram.com/lejuanjames

“Get Out” a 2017 film directed by Jordan Peele has been lauded for its masterful blend of horror and social commentary. The film is not meant to simply entertain its audience, but explore racial tensions, cultural appropriation and the nuances of racism in America. It serves as a powerful critique of exploitation, microaggressions, and appropriation of African Americans.

In this film, the main character, Chris Washington, played by Daniel Kaluuya is a black photographer dating a white woman, Rose. He reluctantly agrees to meet her family during a weekend at her family’s estate. During this visit, Chris experiences both overt and subtle racism, leaving him increasingly uncomfortable.

During this visit, the family continuously makes attempts to prove to Chris that they are not racist and “color blind” to his race. This is their way of conveying they cannot be racist because they do not see a difference between themselves and people of color. This however, from the perspective of a black person, is a way for white people to ignore the fact that racial inequality is still an issue in contemporary America.

Missy, the mother of his girlfriend is a psychiatrist and manipulates Chris into a hypnotherapy session. She frames this to help him quit smoking. During the session, his consciousness falls into a dark void which she refers to as the “sunken place”.

As the visit continues, many wealthy, white guests arrive for an annual get together. He is soon to realize the true reason for the get together. Chris finds photos of his girlfriend with numerous black people which she had dated. These people included Rose and Walter who work for the family.

Once Chris realizes the true intention of this visit, Missy hypnotizes him again and the truth is revealed that they plan to implant a white man’s brain into Chris’s body. The wealthy white people see the black individuals as having superior physical qualities and feel that exploitation of those physical qualities and black identities is warranted. This further perpetuates the stereotype that African Americans are physically superior to Caucasians. The family and their white friends hide behind white liberalism to degrade and fetishize back culture. This film is a first to highlight racism outside of white nationalists, KKK, and neo-Nazism. White liberalism often hides behind the “color blind” mentality while still exhibiting microaggressions and racism.   Artist Glen Ligon posted two nearly identical photos in his piece “Self-Portrait Exaggerating My Black Features and Self-Portrait Exaggerating My White Features”(Ligon, G. “Self-Portrait Exaggerating My Black Features and Self-Portrait Exaggerating My White Features” 1997) to have those viewing the photos to question how they read race. He argues that looking for the differences in the photos reveals how our brains rely on preconceived biases of race. I feel that discussion relates to how the white people viewed the black individuals as physically superior and why they wanted their brains implanted in them.

“Get Out” is a masterclass in social horror.  It’s use of symbolism and music serves a deeper thematic purpose. The song featured in the beginning of the film "Sikiliza Kwa Wahenga" translated from Sawahili is "Listen to the ancestors". The song choice serves as a warning of what is to come. The music choices, themes, and symbolism throughout the film piece together a masterful tapestry of how black people are not truly safe or equal in post-racial America. At the heart of this horror is the idea that black consciousness needs only be retained deep inside the “sunken place”. This film is a must see for cinematic quality and the thought-provoking social discussions it encourages.

This song featured in the film which title translates from Swahili to "Listen to the ancestors"

Citations:

Glenn Ligon, Self-Portrait Exaggerating My Black Features and Self-Portrait Exaggerating My White Features (1997, silkscreen on canvas, two panels, Collection of the artist).

Peele, J. (2017). Get Out. Universal Pictures.

Never Have I Ever is a show on Netflix that follows Devi Vishwakumar, an ambitious, overachieving Indian-American teenager living in California. Following the sudden, traumatic death of her father, Devi temporarily loses her ability to walk. After recovering, she resolves to shed her unpopular, nerdy status and reinvent her high school social life. Created by Mindy Kaling, this comedy-drama spans four seasons that cover Devi's high school journey.

The story line balances classic teen drama and romantic triangles with authentic cultural themes, including traditional family expectations, religion, and generational gaps. Devi's experiences are balanced by the parallel lives of her mother Nalini, cousin Kamala, and her grandmother Nirmala. Devi strives to balance two cultures, feeling caught between two worlds, at times feeling like she doesn't fully belong to either her Indian or American culture. She works through questions about who she is and beyond the labels of identity and belonging.

Her feeling of trying to balance two cultures made me think of the participants of the Hapa Project by artist and author, Kip Fulbeck which we learned about in class. The Hapa Project began in 2001, photographing over 1,200 individuals who identified as multiracial, including their handwritten response to the question, “What are you?” The name comes from the Hawaiian word “hapa” which means part or half. In the project, the participants touched on being biracial. Fulbeck revisited the project 25 years later to highlight the same participants. The project was originally displayed at the Museum of Us where some portraits from The Hapa Project were first featured in the exhibition Race: Are We So Different? The Project is on display again at the Museum of Us until 2027, including the portraits of the participants 25 years later. (https://museumofus.org/exhibits/hapa-me)

(https://museumofus.org/exhibits/hapa-me)

The four seasons of this show highlight her journey balancing her family expectations and her personal identity. She goes between wanting to be the perfect Indian daughter and a cool American teen. As she attends a predominantly white school, her culture makes her “different” which most high schoolers try to avoid. The show follows her through her high school years until her final decision on college.

Never Have I Ever was the first show on Netflix to feature a lead female protagonist that is first generation Indian American. This was a milestone for South Asian representation in a major television series. In the documentary “Through the Lens Darkly”, filmmaker Deborah Willis highlights the need for POC to be highlighted in art and film in a positive way. This representation is important for those of their race and culture to see those like themselves portrayed positively.  

One of the reasons I chose Never Have I Ever as my television program to highlight was because it was a window into Indian American families. This was not something that is done often. I also feel like it reflects the struggles of multicultural teens who try to balance their culture wile finding their own identity.

Citations:

Willis, D. (Ed.). (1994). Picturing us: African American identity in photography. The New Press.

Film:

Get Out (2017)

Directed by: Jordan Peele

Staring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams and Bradley Whitford

Production Company: Blumhouse Productions, QC Entertainment and Monkeypaw Productions

DIstribution Company: Universal Pictures

Post (Television)

Never Have I Ever (2020 - 2023) Netflix

Created by: Mindy  Kaling and Lang Fischer

Starring: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Darren Barnet, Jaren Lewinson, Poorna Jagannathan and Richa Moorjani

Social Media / Internet