Kara Young Talks Breakout Role in "I'm a Virgo" and Her Relationship With Latinidad

"First and foremost, I'm a Black woman," says Kara Young. She's the two-time Tony nominee starring in Boots Riley's "I'm a Virgo." It's a surrealist comedy about a 13-foot-tall Black man, played by Dominican-American actor Jharrel Jerome, coming of age in Oakland.

"I'm from Harlem, you know, I've always been a Black girl," Young tells POPSUGAR when asked about her Latinidad. Both of Young's parents emigrated from Belize.

"Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America. Yet, I have so much blood that is Indigenous [and] is Latin blood. So, it feels like a sticky conversation at times. But then also, sometimes I'm like, 'I am Afro-Latina.'" Young's need to explain her identity stems from the misconceptions that still exist surrounding Latinidad, particularly when it comes to Latine communities with Afro-diasporic roots.

For those not familiar with Belizean history, the small Central American country is nestled between Mexico and Guatemala. The people there were Mayan before Europeans arrived. Both Great Britain and Spain laid claim to the land, with the British eventually winning out. English is still the official language there and Spanish is the second. It's also a place with a sizable and rich Black population, including Garifuna communities.

"I do feel like I represent Latinidad because Belize is in Central America," Young shares while admitting that she's open to her answer evolving. It is important to note that as Latines's views of identity continue to evolve, so are the terms we are using to identify ourselves. We went from identifying with United States government-mandated terms like Hispanic or Latino, which were created to categorize Americans who trace their roots back to Spanish-speaking or Latin American countries, to younger generations adopting more inclusive and non-gendered terms like Latinx or Latine. There are even individuals of Latin American descent that prefer not to refer to themselves as Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine at all and instead choose to identify as Afro-Caribbean or Afro-Indigenous. There is no right answer.

But Young is clear on other aspects of her identity — including her family legacy. Young shares how her grandmother often speaks of the Mayan and Indigenous ancestry that exists in their family. And that's not the only part of her identity she's sure of. Young is also a proud New Yorker, crediting the city with making her a global citizen.

"I grew up with a lot of Jewish kids. I grew up with a lot of Puerto Rican kids. I grew up with a lot of Dominican kids. My father worked in the restaurant industry, so a lot of his friends were Indian or Thai. My mom works in the healthcare industry. She was a physical therapist for 20 years at Harlem Hospital, and a lot of her colleagues were Filipina," Young shares. "I feel so connected to these cultures at all times . . . I feel like I'm really a part of the world as a New Yorker."

Young's global perspective informs her goals as an actress. "I hope at the end of the day that people really see each other as human beings — looking at people in the eyes and really accepting them," she says regarding her "I'm a Virgo" character. "We all have a beating heart and we're all living this life on this earth and we all deserve the basic human rights to live . . . [Let us] see each other in our light."

And not to spoil too much, but that's basically the takeaway from the show, where Young plays Jones, a community organizer who may just have a superpower of her own. She's a transformative public speaker, the type of orator who transports her audience into her mindscape, making them see her ideas as she explains them.

"Jones is really trying to inform the people that they have more power than what they've been told," says Young. "She's intellectually powerful, but there's this selfless part of the power. She belongs to everyone." Over the course of the show, we see Jones organize rallies and protests, explaining the ways capitalism is hurting her community of Oakland and the ways it particularly demonizes Black communities like hers.

In that role, Young is a stand-in for Boots Riley, the series creator and director. Cinephiles may know him as the writer/director of "Sorry to Bother You," the Sundance selection starring LaKeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson. Hip-hop fans may know him from The Coup. And social justice folks will be familiar with Riley for his community work.

Young knew she wanted to audition for "I'm a Virgo" upon just hearing his name. "I know about Boots. I know about his activism work. Following his entire career from the jump, his activism is in everything that he does, in his music, [and] in the way that he organizes in his community. And he comes from a really legendary group of people who have been active in their communities for some time," she shares. "He's just one of the dopest creatives in cinema, in film and television now, and such a dynamic storyteller, really breaking the boundaries of what it means to tell a story and so boldly, so radically, so colorfully."

Young also cites "I'm a Virgo"'s diverse team as a reason for the show's success, name-dropping people like Tze Chun, Naima Ramos-Chapman, Whitney White, Marcus Gardley, and Michael R. Jackson, many of whom share Young's background in theater. She's proud of the stories they've told — before "I'm a Virgo" and during it. And Young hopes to keep challenging herself in this community of like-minded artists of color. "I'm learning," she says of transitioning from stage to screen. "In both mediums, there's just so much to learn. And there are so many paths to grow."

Here's hoping Young's opportunities only grow so we can continue to watch her represent Latinidad in all of its nuanced, and complex ways.

Season one of "I'm a Virgo" is available to stream now on Prime Video.