If you want to be heard, you have to speak up. That’s seemingly the overall message behind HBO’s upcoming one-hour documentary Habla Now, which features testimonials about everything from immigration to social and environmental activism from Latinx celebrities.
Celebrities interviewed for the documentary include actress Diane Guerrero (Orange Is the New Black), Olympian Laurie Hernandez, comedian and actor Arturo Castro (Alternatino with Arturo Castro), TV personality and trans activist Carmen Carrera and graphic novelist Edgardo Miranda Rodriguez (La Borinqueña), among others.
“If we’re not involved, if we say, ‘Oh, well, no one cares about us anyway,’ then we’re never gonna get anywhere,” Guerrero said.
As we know, Latinos come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and are not a monolith. For example, “not all Latinos speak Spanish,” Mark Hugo Lopez, Director of Hispanic Research at the Pew Research Center, said. “A growing share of Latinos today speak only English.”
For actress Justina Machado (TV’s One Day at a Time), it shouldn’t be a question of whether you should speak up or not on issues that matter, but how far your voice will carry.
“You have to say something whether they’re going to change or not,” said Machado. “You have to say something because otherwise, you’re complicit in the situation.”
If Habla Now wants to show how diverse Latinos are, the trailer proves that they have at least started the conversation on the right note. Let’s hope the documentary is more than just window dressing and that these talented Black and Brown celebrities have something truly profound to share about how to make major strides in industries across the board.
Habla Now will debut on HBO Latino and stream on HBO Max September 18.
