Yaya DaCosta talks repping her Afro-Latina roots before it was trendy

Credit: CNN

By Natasha S. Alford

Beyond the recognition that Afro-Latinos exist, it’s the actual embracing of Blackness or negritude with pride that is what’s catching fire, particularly in communities online.

DaCosta also stars in the TV show Chicago Med, where the character she plays is actually an Afro-Latina, and Afro-Brazilian American.

“I love it. Occasionally I get to speak Portuguese on the show. It’s like the most fun thing ever,” says DaCosta. “That wouldn’t have happened even 10 years ago.”

But she cautions against getting too comfortable with the current cultural moment, and thinking that on-screen faces are all that matters.

“There’s still some work to do,” she says.

Source: The Grio