The versatile Colombian-American actor, John Leguizamo, sat down in an interview with Remezcla regarding his newest film The Infiltrator, based on the story of a federal agent who goes undercover inside the trafficking world of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. During his interview, the Carlito’s Way star shared why now more than ever, it is absolutely crucial for Latinos to stand together in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
“We’re not strangers to Black Lives Matter. How many people are being abused by border patrol?” asked Leguizamo passionately. “How much horrible abuse is not being filmed because people don’t have access to iPhones? There’s a lot of abuse going on and brown lives matter, too. And we’ve gotta do our part.”
This comes after the graphic deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, who were killed at gunpoint at the hands of the police. Rightfully igniting hysteria throughout social media, the deaths of these two men sparked a new wave of protest among critics.
#DallasPoliceShooting I always say that non-violence is not the weapon of the weak. It is the weapon of the strong.
— John Leguizamo (@JohnLeguizamo) July 8, 2016
There’s no doubt that the two communities are not only historically connected, but unspeakably stronger united in such a cause. At the Afro-Latino Festival, which took place in Brooklyn last weekend, Caribbeans, Latinos and Afro-Latinos, and more, came together to show their support to BLM. This included Dominican and Puerto Rican performers Maluca and Nina Sky, which together sent a powerful message.
“We’ve gotta do our social media part, people need to protest, you need to call government officials, write letters,” continued Leguizamo. “We’ve gotta do everything to help our black brothers and sisters, and also speak up for ourselves. Latin people are the most bullied people in this country right now. It’s the minority that’s the most bullied in schools, and there’s a huge amount of violence being perpetrated on our kids. And it’s a tragedy and it shouldn’t be happening, and it really hurts me as an American.”
The Infiltrator is now playing in theaters near you.