Paola Ramos's New Vice Series Asks: What Does It Mean to Be Latinx?

By Lindsay Miller
Photos courtesy Vice
Photos courtesy Vice

In the first episode of her new Vice series Latin-X, Paola Ramos heads to Brownsville, Texas, a town where 90 percent of the population is Latino, and where a serious HIV epidemic has taken hold. It's a testament to the activist and former Hillary Clinton campaign staffer's empathy that she elicits so much openness when it comes to talking about a crisis that is both deeply personal and widely felt in the community — and that's true whether she's speaking to a grandmother at home in her kitchen or a drag queen who's about to put on a show dedicated to sex education.

"These are people that are out there, and they're brave, and are putting their face on these issues," Ramos tells POPSUGAR. "And even now, with everything that's happening with family separation, they're also the ones that are helping these families. They work for other groups. So it's not only the HIV crisis - obviously, that's the story - but it's people who are literally stepping up for their communities in many different ways."

Ramos, the daughter of famed journalist Jorge Ramos, says upcoming episodes of her series will likely focus on immigration, from the mistreatment of transgender detainees under ICE to the aforementioned family separation crisis. But the questions these episodes seek to answer go beyond of-the-moment realities. "Right now, we're just really focused on not only what's happening at the border, but how does one rebuild their life beyond the border, or beyond these detention centers, and make it in the country?"

Read on for our conversation with Ramos on how she stays hopeful in trying times, why the breadth of the Latinx identity is also part of its power, and the role of protest in this political moment.

POPSUGAR: The first episode is a really nuanced look at how culture and religion and sexuality all play out in this town. For you, how does looking at those very specific stories transcend a relatively small population and talk about bigger issues?
PAOLA RAMOS: A lot of the barriers that you see in the valley right there are sort of playing out across the country, right? The socioeconomic factors — we know that Latinas, looking at equal pay, are still not getting paid equally. Religion is still a factor. Culture is, still. We see this every day on the news. We are constantly being demeaned, not only by the president, but by other groups. So I think what you see in [Brownsville] is the projection of what's happening in communities across the country. The hope is that people will see this and feel like, "Hey, this is also happening here."

PS: Both you and your dad have been very outspoken about family separations. What are your conversations with him on that topic like?
PR: I mean, family separation is awful, but exactly what the president said he would do. So we've been talking about this for years. Every day it's a constant attack. Every day we get what [Trump] promised. The one thing that I think we can do in this moment where everyone feels very helpless is try and lift up other people's stories, and try to give voice to those that typically don't have that platform. That's a lot of [what] I've learned from my dad. I come from more of the political space, but we have to find more creative ways to tell these stories, on different platforms, to reach young Latinas. Then at mid-terms, they will go to vote.

PS: While Latinx is a specific identity, at the same time, it can be very broad. Is part of your mission through this series to bridge the gaps in these different segments that population?
PR: Yes, exactly. I think one of the beauties of the Latinx community is how diverse we are. We speak different languages, our skin is different colors, we come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. And I think that is beautiful — but it's also hard. Because it means that it's harder to unite us within the community.

The point of Latin-X is to show that these are stories of everyone who has traditionally [felt] left out of the term Latina. You can be afro-Latina, you can be poor Latina, you can be undocumented Latina, you can be an English-speaking Latina. This is a platform for you. And that, to me, is huge. Because we're millions. If someone knows a magic formula to unite young Latinas, that is how you win elections, that is how you win audiences, that is how you win tomorrow.

PS: You talk a little bit in the opening of the episode about what Latina X actually means. But how do you personally identify with the term? What does it mean to you individually?
PR: To me, the fact that it's undefined — that it's a little bit away from traditional norms — and it sort of embraces everyone and our diversity is why I love the term. And that's why I feel very comfortable in it. It doesn't mean taking a step back and not recognizing your own culture. It simply means truly embracing our diversity, truly embracing our different backgrounds. That, to me, means being really Latinx. Because there is pushback and there are people who, respectfully, don't necessarily identify with the term. But to me, it's like the "x" is a welcome and an open invitation for literally every single Latino or Latina out there.

PS: Every time I talk to someone who is engaged in activism, I always like to ask them if they've had an experience in the last week or so that reinforced their motivation or made them feel hopeful.
PR: Today I'm in New York. Today is primary day. If I have the privilege to walk out of my house and exercise my rights and, truly, there are kids being separated and this Muslim ban is being enforced . . . we don't get to stop. I don't know if that answers your question, but the hope is that there are elections, and the hope is that there are incredible organizers, and the hope is that there is content. And that's powerful. I think that these types of things are opening peoples' eyes and waking up people. I just don't think there's room to sit down and hope. I just think we have to keep going.

PS: As this family separation crisis does stretch on, what do you wish more people understood? What do you think we really need to communicate to people to let them know this is a fight that still needs to be fought?
PR: I think by now people know what's at stake. And I think the important thing is that we go vote, not necessarily for ourselves, but for those that can't. Or for those that are scared to go vote. I think that's key for people to understand. Just because your life isn't being threatened directly, or you think it isn't, you need to go vote, or you need to show up to the rally, or you need to simply care and turn on your TV or read that article. It's more than simply having these great ideas. You need to put all these thoughts into action. We need take these privileges and do for other people. It's just that simple.

PS: And having worked in politics for years and knowing the power of actually utilizing our vote, what sort of role do you think protest plays in this political moment? Are you hopeful that it's going to spell greater voter turnout?
PR: I hope so. I mean, obviously we know traditionally millenials and even Latinos we do a very poor job at voting during mid-terms. But I think that even showing up to the streets is a first step. And people are taking that step. We're leaving our houses. People are outraged. People are feeling things. So I am hopeful that these small steps will turn into greater steps and people will show up to the polls. It is really hard to understand the correlation between self and power — you and your city and your members of Congress. I think all the people who are seeing these protests are building community, and they're building relationships, and they're building a commitment to do something about it. So I am pretty hopeful that people, particularly younger people, will show up now.