#multiculturalamerica

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.

Takaki talks about how race has shaped American society throughout history, and Atlanta shows that conversations about race are still influenced by these historical inequalities. In the episode “B.A.N.,” Paper Boi appears on a talk show where the discussion becomes less about understanding his experience and more about creating a certain narrative for the audience. Even when Paperboy and the activist Dr. Deborah Holt agreed on an issue, the interview continues to frame Paperboy as villain and asked questions to try to persuade everyone to create a conflict rather than a meaningful discussion. ““Isn’t a lack of a father the reason you hate trans people?” Montague asked Paper Boi. Annoyed, the rapper admits that the topic isn’t one he feels a responsibility for. “It’s hard for me to care about this when nobody cares about me as a black, human man,” he said”. (Monae, 2016) This shows how media can influence the way audiences understand race by controlling which perspectives are highlighted and how people are represented.

The fake commercials throughout the episode also demonstrate how racial issues are presented in pop culture. For example, the Coconut Crunch cereal commercial used satire to criticize how black people struggles are often turned into products of entertainment. It shows a police officer stepping on the back of a wolf, which represent or connects to larger conversations about police violence and the treatment of black communities. These examples show how Atlanta used exaggerated advertisements to reveal serious issues hidden behind everyday media.

The character Tobias, who is a Black man, presenting himself as a white man, also challenged ideas about race and identities. His character raised questions about how society connects whiteness and success, acceptance, and privilege. By changing his appearance and behavior, Tobias shows how racial identity can affect the way people are treated and how they may feel pressure to fit into certain social expectations. He explained that when he walked into a place, he felt that he was not respected, so he decided to change how he wanted to be perceived by the public. But that does not change the fact that visually he is seen as a black man. This can connect to Takaki's argument that historical inequalities continue to influence modern experiences with race. It also connects to Deborah's Willis discussion of representation because Atlanta challenges traditional portrayals of Black identity in media. Instead of presenting one version of Black experience, the episode shows the identity as complex and shaped by history, cultures, and social systems. “The episode felt like a forum for pretty much any given topic, from the stereotypes placed on African Americans to transphobia and police brutality.” (Monae, 2016) All in all, this episode from Atlanta used comedy and satire while also addressing significant issues, showing how entertainment can create conversations about race, power, and representation.

Cited:

Monae, A. (2016, October 12). From Real Life to Trending Topic: Best Moments From ‘Atlanta’ Episode 7 ‘B.A.N.’. Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/atlanta-episode-7-ban-recap-7541045/

Ryan, D. M. (2016, October 12). ‘Atlanta’ Recap and Reaction: “B.A.N.”. Fandom; FANDOM. https://www.fandom.com/articles/atlanta-recap-reaction-b-a-n

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.

“Sorry To Bother You” is a satirical dark comedy film written and directed by Boots Riley. It follows Cassius Green, a low-class black man that takes up a telemarketing job and learns about a hack that helps him climb through the corporate ladder. Through his rise, he experiences privileges of the upper class and becomes caught up in a bizarre corporate conspiracy. The film serves as a commentary on racial and social identity, class division, capitalism, exploitation, and dehumanization in contemporary America through satire and unconventional storytelling. In this post, I’m going to dive into the concepts the film portrayed and how they connect to the material in the class.

Cassius’ journey in the telemarketing world starts at an interview, where he brings fake trophies and plaques to convince them of a hard-working character. Off jump, this small scene showcases the need for black people to prove themselves worthy compared to white people at the same or lower skillset. His first couple days on the job are rough and he finds no success, until a desk neighbor named Langston informs him that he has to use his “white-voice”. Langston describes this voice as “sounding like you don’t have a care” or “someone who got their bills paid, is happy about their future and are gonna jump in their sports car after the call” and when enacting it to the audience for the first time, it sounds exactly like the voice on those corny infomercials you would see on TV. He pretty much says the “white voice” embodies success while the “black voice” doesn’t. When a telemarketer makes a call to a potential customer, the film illustrates the telemarketer teleporting to the customers as if they were talking to them in person. When they use the white voice, the customers were more attentive and likely to be sold, not realizing they are actually talking to a person of color. The “white voice” concept raises the question of what “race” is and demonstrates how it’s more of a societal construct if people of color can use the white voice as a front to get your business, relating to Dyer’s readings of how whiteness functions as a position of power.

Cassius finds success with this method and gets promoted at a rapid rate, eventually landing him a spot in the corporate office. This is where he starts seeing better treatment being part of the upper class, but loses his identity and morals in doing so. As soon as he steps foot in the corporate building, he is greeted by a black man using white voice named “Mr. ____” where he is told immediately that it’s “white voices only in this building”. As Mr. ____ gives Cassius a tour, he explains that this branch sells “power”, which is later revealed to be selling slave labor to other countries on behalf of their biggest client “WorryFree”. Cassius is morally hesitant at first, using his real voice to express concern, but after being shown the starting salary, he switches back to his white voice enthusiastically saying “well I’m gonna have to get me some new suits!”.

Cassius having to suppress his true identity to achieve success reminds me about the teachings in class from Karin Higa's “Toyo Miyatake and ‘Our World’” regarding the "Hyper-Americanism" Japanese-American people felt to achieve in order to get accepted by their surroundings and having to sacrifice their identity in doing so, just like Cassius does to feel successful in his new surroundings. The clip below illustrates this concept perfectly. Cassius settles in his new office and brings out a picture of his dad. He used to hang up this picture by his side, but after turning corporate, he puts it up behind him, as if he's putting his black identity behind him before making a sales call.

The rest of the movie shows Cassius diving deeper into the corporate rabbit hole, as he experiences the surreal nature of the upper class and slowly loses his humanity. When at the top, he finds out that WorryFree plans to turn laborers into horse-like humans for enhanced labor production, snapping him out of the hole he's dug himself into. This is where the themes of labor exploitation and its surreal future come in hand and further touches on the sacrifices of identity and humanity Cassius endures.

The film is a great example of how visual media can be used to address the social and economic issues still prevalent today. The director Boots Riley was able to convey an unconventional story with colorful visuals and subtle metaphors that show how someone’s racial identity and sense of humanity can be challenged if it were to mean receiving success. I see Boots Riley’s film adjacent to Basquiat’s art, both were eccentric and would challenge the viewers to what it says about the current state of the socioeconomic factors in today's world. I highly recommend this film to anyone who takes this class, as its peculiar approach to its message is unlike any other work I’ve seen related to this commentary.

The four-episode Netflix film, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker, showcases the astonishing story of how Sarah Breedlove rose from poverty and became the first African American, self made millionaire.  Although the story takes place in the late 19th century, the film often connects the story line with modern day music when revealing Sarah’s internalized thoughts.  This theatrical approach really unites the viewer to how Sarah feels while reflecting on her struggles.  

Born two years after the Civil War ended, Sarah’s character leads the viewer on a journey as she navigates the creation of a product that would assist with the growth and condition of African American hair.  In the film, she was working as a laundress for a light-skinned, strikingly beautiful, African American lady named Addie Monroe.  Addie’s character was a successful, hair-care entrepreneur with a clear vision and determination of achievement.  Self Made depicts Addie’s image as a stereotypical jezebel.  Whereas, Sarah suffered from scalp ailments, brittleness and at times baldness due to the environmental conditions of the deep South at the time.  The film illustrates Sarah’s image with a mammy stereotype.  Even though Addie taught Sarah how to create her hair-care product, Addie dismisses Sarah’s ambitions of wanting to sell her products.  Addie’s self-identification of being more beautiful because of her lighter skin color classified Sarah as not having the “right look” for the business.  “But history, identity, ethnicity, and sexuality never were indexical,” (Mirzoeff 2003).  The animosity began a life long journey of competition between Sarah and Addie.  

After Sarah and her daughter, Lelia moved to Indianapolis, Sarah connected with Charles James Walker, and soon they were married.  Sarah began formulating her own hair-care product and her (and CJ’s) business, Madam C.J. Walker took off.  Concurrently, Addie found her way to Indianapolis and continued to do what it took to take down Madam and her business with the belief that she stole her product.  In the film series, Madam crosses paths with a dominant, controversial, leader of the African American community, Booker T. Washington at a Men’s Club.  She courageously presses her agenda for an endorsement towards a manufacturing facility.  Booker was not thrilled by her ambitions, as he believed the “beauty culture was frivolous,” and the woman has a place, and it’s behind a man (Smith 2020).  In addition, the series portrays conflicting views of African American female empowerment between Madam and her husband, CJ.  The representation of both Sarah and Addie’s characters in Self Made portrays a paradigm intersectionality of not only being African American women but also how Addie’s lighter skin color was thought of being more beautiful.  In reflection, one can correlate the representation of their characters in Self Made to Sojourner Truth’s famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech.

Nevertheless, Madam persevered and received an endorsement from Booker’s wife and confidants.  Consequently, Madam C.J. Walker opened a manufacturing facility, which employed thousands of women.  Soon after, she opened a salon in Harlem during the peak of the Harlem Renaissance.  In the film, she struggled with her health towards the last years of her life; however, she continued to build an empire helping black woman feel beautiful.  In the series, Madam C.J. Walker’s character stated, “if I help one person, I’m lifting us all up,” (Spencer 2020).    

The film, Self Made is an emotional rollercoaster narrating the struggle of the African American woman post-Civil War era, and offers the viewer a sense of compassion.  It unpacks unfortunate life struggles of African Americans during Jim Crow America including rape and lynching.  In addition, the film, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker unfolds the truth of how black women’s hair has been entangled in issues of race, politics, and pride for generations.  

Hair is an identity. Hair is culture.   

Modern Family is a television sitcom that focuses on the lives of a privileged patriarch along with his second wife, step-son, daughter (her family), and son (his family).  The Modern Family series showcases how the family adapts to the societal cultures in America today.  The representation of white people in Modern Family is noticeably predominant, and the writers appear to exaggerate the whiteness stereotypes of the characters.  “The assumption that white people are just people, which is not far off saying that whites are people whereas other colors are something else is endemic to white culture,” (Dyer 2003).  With an awareness to the stereotypical whiteness of the predominate characters in the series, I would like to focus this blog on the racial imagery of two specific cast roles which are not white.  

The patriarchal image of the father, Jay seems both traditional and cliché considering Jay is a much older, white man.  However, the sitcom narrates the story with his second wife, Gloria in a powerful role.  The representation of Gloria’s character brings a necessary intersectionality of being a female, Columbian immigrant to the modern family dynamic.  Gloria’s history before meeting Jay was complex, unstable, and the narration depicts her life struggles in hindsight.  Even though Gloria is much younger than her husband, her role is not at all submissive to the white male power structure.  Gloria is a loud, outspoken woman and has a deep connection to her Colombian roots, which could play on a Latinx stereotype.  

Another thought-provoking character in the Modern Family series is Lily.  Jay’s son is married to a man, and their adopted daughter is Lily.  In the Modern Family series, Lily is Vietnamese; however, in reality the actress’ background is Korean-American.  It can be said that her role brings a needed awareness of cultural diversity within families.  However, this also generates a conversation regarding accurate representation of ethnicity in television.  Representing minorities in the media is crucial towards the progression of a pluralistic society.  Does casting a Korean-American in a Vietnamese role narrate a stereotype that people with Asian backgrounds look alike?  I invite you to take an “Examination of Asian Experience in America,” which showcases people of three different Asian cultures and you decide what you believe to be their background.  As society evolves, the Modern Family series does emphasize the uniqueness in family structures and relationships, which I believe needs to be represented in television today.