Dascha Polanco Denies Shading The Black Community Over Latinx Emmy Tweets

BY Erika Marie 9.0K Views
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Dascha Polanco, Emmy, Diversity, BLM
Actress Dascha Polanco has come forward to explain tweets she sent out earlier today while discussing the lack of Latinx representation in the Emmys.

Orange is the New Black star Dascha Polanco found herself in hot water on Wednesday (July 29). There were many people celebrating following the announcement of the Emmy nominations, but the Latinx community wasn't as happy as everyone else. They didn't see themselves represented as much as they'd like, sparking a discussion that spilled over into social media.

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Actor John Leguizamo tweeted, "Why can't we Latinx have a piece of the pie? We are the largest ethnic group in America and missing as if we didn't exist!" Dascha added to his tweet and wrote, "If Its only us speaking up on it, no one cares. It's the silence from those that fight for equality but only their equality. Diversity but Diverse enough to include thyself That mentality of 'As long as I'm good; I don't see a **** thing.'"

The public, specifically Black people, didn't appreciate Dascha's tweets. They believed she was saying that the reason there is a lack of Latinx people represented is that Black people and the Black Lives Matter movement has failed to support other cultures. After being criticized on social media, Dascha Polanco returned with a video to explain her previous thoughts.

"It was not shading our Black community. Blackness is in my DNA as a Dominican, as an Afro-Latina, as a whole," Dascha said. "What I'm referring to is, we cannot sit here and say we are snubbed and write these articles and all these kinds of things when we ourselves are not doing our due diligence to create the work, to create the opportunities. We can't claim diversity but when you're good, then everything else is okay."

She added that "diversity" is also about pay gaps, positions, and "equality across the board." Check out her explanation below along with a few more tweets where she further attempts to clarify her original thoughts..

About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.