The Latino Representation in Publishing Coalition (LPRC), which launched today, consists of seven Latino-led organizations with a shared goal of increasing Latino representation across every sector of the Publishing Industry. The coalition is committed to the expansion of Latino representation in the field of publishing, from its published materials to executive leadership. With support from Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20), a champion in advancing Latino representation in the media, the LRPC is a fresh force in the industry that will work with publishing companies to strategize tangible solutions that amplify the work of Latino creatives and promote Latino organizational staff throughout the industry.

LRPC has scheduled and/or met with the CEOs of five out of the six top publishing companies to work with them to ramp up their efforts to bolster more Latino visibility across the industry while holding legislators who are allowing or leading attacks on books accountable.

Latinos makeup nearly 20% of the US population but only account for 8% of employees in publishing. The LRPC aims to bridge this gap by working with publishing houses, including the top six, to identify opportunities to uplift Latino talent across the industry, from authors and editorial staff to c-suite executive positions. The official launch of the LRPC comes after NHMC and its coalition partners penned a letter to the top six publishing houses demanding transparency of its DEIA efforts and investment in Latino talent across every sector of its business.

“The Government Accountability Office report I commissioned on Latino representation in American media found that Hispanics make up only eight percent of the publishing sector — in a country where we’re nearly 20 percent of the workforce,” said Congressman Castro. “Latinos should have a place in publishing — from entry-level positions all the way to the c-suite. When Latinos don’t have a seat at the table where decisions about narratives in our textbooks, novels, newspapers, and magazines are made, our stories are often ignored, told inaccurately, or riddled with harmful stereotypes, creating a black hole that allows bigotry to fester. The Latino Representation in Publishing Coalition is an important collaboration that will fight for Latino inclusion in the spaces we rightfully belong. With LRPC’s help, publishing can become a more diverse field that helps Americans understand who Latinos are and what we’ve contributed to this country.”

At a time when LGBTQ authors and authors of color are targets of banned book attempts by local governments, the launch of the LRPC is rooted in the belief that authentic representation in publishing is vital, especially when literary narratives are utilized for educational or entertainment purposes.

The LRPC is made up of seven Latino-led organizations, including Dignidad Literaria, the Latino Corporate Directors Association, Latinx in Publishing, The Latinx House, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, and the National Hispanic Media Coalition.

Click here for more information on the Latino Representation in Publishing Coalition.

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Executives of Warner Bros. Discovery, a soon-to-be formed media entity, are facing harsh criticism these days from Latino advocates raising serious questions about the entertainment giant’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

In early December 2021, a group of Congress members, led by Texas Representative Joaquin Castro, urged the United States Department of Justice to investigate the proposed WarnerMedia-Discovery merger for possible violations of antitrust laws. They also asked the DOJ to examine whether the merger would reduce diverse content in a less competitive market. Last year’s General Accountability Office study found that Latinos are more underrepresented in media and entertainment than in any other industry.  However, in spite of these concerns, the Warner Bros. Discovery merger is moving forward.

Discovery, Inc. is expected to acquire AT&T’s WarnerMedia in a $43 billion merger to be finalized later this spring and the two companies recently announced their appointments to the new board of directors. All six of Discovery’s appointees are white men. And while five of AT&T’s seven appointees are people of color, not one Latino was named–this in spite of the fact that nearly one-fifth of the US population identifies as Latinx.

“We are outraged by [the] announcement,” reads a statement published on the website of UnidosUS, the United States’ largest Latino non-profit advocacy organization. The comments are attributed to the Latino Advisory Leadership Council, a group made up of more than a dozen Latino national organizations. “It is abundantly clear that as far as Discovery’s leadership is concerned, diversity does not include any Latinx.”

Among the organizations listed as members of the Leadership Council are the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Latino Corporate Directors Association and the Latino Film Institute, an arts non-profit founded by actor Edward James Olmos.

“By failing to bring Latino representation to the boardroom, Warner Bros. Discovery is not only missing a crucial opportunity to build bridges with our community,” said Brenda Castillo, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, “but [is] also shortchanging the next generation of Latinx writers, directors and artists in Hollywood and beyond,” Castillo added.

Even the National Urban League is lending support. “The exclusion of Latino representation is a missed opportunity to build a leadership team that is as dynamic and insightful as it could be,” said NUL President and CEO, Marc H. Morial in a press release.

We reached out to Discovery on multiple occasions for comment on the concerns raised in this article,  but we have not received a response. 

In May 2021, an agreement was announced to merge AT&T-owned WarnerMedia with Discovery, Inc. and form Warner Bros. Discovery, a new company. The deal would combine storied WarnerMedia properties such as the Warner Bros. film and TV studio, HBO and CNN with Discovery’s HGTV, Animal Planet, the Food Network and other holdings, making it one of the largest media conglomerates in the world.

Since then, concerns have been growing among some Latino advocates who cite research data showing an already severe underrepresentation of Latinos in both film and television projects.

“Mergers have never worked out for Latinos. Our numbers have actually gone down when two companies merge,” said Ana Valdez, Executive President of the Latino Donor Collaborative.  The LDC is a non-profit that produces data on the state of US Latinos in many sectors including media. 

”Discovery is one of the companies that have the [fewest] Latinos behind and in front of the camera–less than 0.4 percent of all the leads on all Discovery channels–that means only one show in 2021. Zero showrunners and zero directors and zero executives who can greenlight a show—for us Latinos, it is a terrible lack of validation,” Valdez said.  

This week’s release of  UCLA’s “Hollywood Diversity Report 2022 Part 1: Film,”  further underscores the problem of low visibility of Latinos in media and entertainment.  According to the study, Latinos represent 18.7% of the U.S. population however, remain “extremely underrepresented” in all the major film categories accounting for only 7.1% of lead actors. In contrast, African Americans, who are 13.4% of the population were “slightly overrepresented in leading film roles at 15.5% of the lead roles.

According to the Latino Advisory Leadership Council’s online statement, for the past several months, coalition members have been in talks with Discovery executives educating and informing them about the value of the Latino community. “These leaders have, in turn, assured us that they recognize the power and potential of our community,” the statement continued. “But as always, actions speak louder than words.”

“Latinos make up nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population and nearly 30 percent of movie ticket buyers,” said Representative Castro (TX-20). “But with [the] board announcement, AT&T and Discovery made it clear that they don’t value our voices.  This is what cultural exclusion looks like.”

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