Why Latinas Should Read We Will Be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo
Nemonte Nenquimo’s We Will Be Jaguars tells a powerful story of Indigenous resistance, identity, and environmental justice making it essential reading for Latinas today.
When Insecure debuted on HBO, women of color everywhere rejoiced, finally, a show that represented us. Was this terrific new series enough to fill the huge void in a TV world heavily dominated by white females? Noooo. We need a lot more shows before there is equal representation.
The Chicago-based web series Brown Girls is doing a terrific job at helping fill that void, even if it is via the “interwebz.”
On the show, we follow the trials and tribulations of Leila (Nabila Hossain) a South Asian-American freelance writer, and Patricia (Sonia Denis), a Black-American musician who is outspoken but still financially dependent on her mother, “single girls club forever, forever. It’s Oprah, Gayle and me, single girls club forever,” said Patricia to herself in the mirror before kicking out her “booty call” from her apartment.
The series resonates with so many of us because of the topics discussed in the short episodes, ranging from 5 to 15 minutes long. The world of dating and not wanting to commit, being queer while Brown, family dynamics, the friendships that develop when you are in your twenties, and what is like to navigate this crucial decade in our lives.
The brains behind Brown Girls? Women of color, of course, led by writer Fatimah Asghar and directed by Sam Bailey. The series is as refreshing as Insecure, certainly better than Broad City, and while perhaps we should not compare, it is far superior to GIRLS. The show is loosely based on the decade-long friendship between Asghar and musician Jamila Woods.
The first season of this revolutionary series is available online, and you will binge-watch it in a heartbeat. It is rather short; we need a longer and more in-depth development of Leila and Patricia. While you wait for the new season of Insecure to premiere, give Brown Girls your time and attention, it is a must watch!
