ABSTRACT
I can’t think of even one Chicano [on fi lm] that played a part as a teacher or doctor or educated person. (Antonio, quoted in Yosso, 2000, p. 101)1
Chicana/o students such as Antonio may not recall seeing themselves portrayed “as a teacher or doctor, or educated person” because too oft en, mainstream Hollywood fi lmmakers depict Latinas/os2 using derogatory racial stereotypes. Film scholars have documented persistent patterns of Latina/o misrepresentation and critiqued the social psychological signifi cance of these racialized and gendered media portrayals (Beltran, 2008; Keller, 1985, 1994; Pettit, 1980; Ramírez Berg, 2002; Rodriguez, 1997; Woll, 1977). Researchers have also examined how media-based beliefs about Latina/o intelligence, moral character, cultural values, and physical appearance infl uence Latina/o youth (e.g., Baez, 2008; Yosso, 2000, 2002) and shape public policy (e.g,. Bender, 2003; Delgado & Stefancic, 1992; Romero, 2001; Santa Ana, 2002). To expand on this scholarly literature, this chapter analyzes Hollywood fi lm portrayals of urban high schools, focusing on their tendency to feature one-dimensional, negative images of Latina/o students. By presenting a distorted view of Latina/o youth, these cultural texts contribute to a history of institutional neglect of Latinas/os in U.S. public schools.
