It is Women's History Month, and Latinas can be proud of one of their own. In a few days Salma Hayek could win an Oscar for her riveting performance in "Frida."
Regardless of the outcome, Hayek has already broken new ground. As the first Latina to ever be nominated in a lead role, she shatters more than 75 years of neglect and invisibility. With her dynamic lead role, she showed that Latinas are more than capable of telling their own stories. Her nomination proves a Latina can carry a film. Hayek's accomplishment in "Frida" represents the best qualities of the Latino community: hard work, creativity and tenacity.
It is no secret that Hayek produced the movie as a labor of love. For 10 years, she held on to her personal vision that the film -- based on the life of the major Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo -- would come to fruition. Not only did she have to overcome financial obstacles, she also prevailed in a Hollywood entertainment industry that tends to erase the Latino community. This is an embarrassing truth, especially when the U.S. Census reports that Latinos are the new largest minority group in the nation.
Hayek's success as a Mexican female producer in a white, male-dominated industry cannot be overestimated. The most important lesson to draw from her personal triumph is not to expect Hollywood to create opportunities for Latinos but to create them ourselves. If Hayek had left her career to the whims of Hollywood, we may never have seen her as more than another Latina bombshell. Her career may have been relegated to the unimaginative ethnic stereotypes that Hollywood affords people of color. Instead, she made a non-Hollywood film that showcased her talents as a first-rate actress, while highlighting the richness of her "cultura." Hayek's success should open more doors for the Latino community in the entertainment business -- an industry that needs a healthy injection of more people of color. Otherwise, we may never see ourselves fairly represented.
Even if Hayek does not walk away with the Oscar on Sunday, she's walking away with much more -- her artistic integrity and the respect of her community.
Adelina Anthony is a free-lance writer and an interdisciplinary artist who lives in Los Angeles. This column was produced for the Progressive Media Project, which is run by The Progressive magazine, and distributed by the Tribune News Service.