White Mexicans Are Despicably Targeting Yalitza Aparicio, But She Is Standing Proud Of Her Indigenous Background
Academy Award-nominated actress Yalitza Aparicio is heading into a big week of Oscar celebrations, and it’s all culminating to Sunday’s award show where she could become the first Mexican woman to win the prestigious prize. However, it’s quite apparent that Aparicio is getting unwarranted racism from her community of actors in Mexico.
Telenovela star Sergio Goyri used racist slurs to say that he didn’t feel Yalitza Aparicio deserve an Oscar nomination.
In the video above, the veteran actor is discussing his reasoning as to why Aparicio should not get a nomination for an Academy Award.
“Que metan a nominar a una pinche india que dice, ‘sí señora, no señora’, y que la metan a una terna a la mejor actriz del Oscar” he said in Spanish.
To summarize Goyri’s racist and vulgar language, he said that an Indian who only says “yes ma’am and no ma’am” is not worthy of a Best Actress award.
The actor quickly apologized for his offensive use of words and issued a video apology to Aparicio.
“It was never my intent to offend anyone. I apologize to Yalitza, who deserves [the Oscar nomination] and much more,” the 60-year-old said on Instagram. “For me, it is an honor to see a Mexican be nominated for an Oscar.”
Mexican actress Gabriela Platas said that while she didn’t agree with Goyri’s opinion, she defended his freedom of expression about the topic.
Platas is facing backlash for defending Goyri’s words, whether she agrees with him or not.
“I never defended the expressions,” Platas tweeted. “I said that I think Cuarón’s casting elections are great, and that I do NOT agree with what Goyri said, but that he is in his right to express what he wants in his private environment.”
Aparicio responded to Goyri’s offensive remarks and said she is proud of who she is and where she is from.
“I am proud to be an Oaxacan indigenous woman, and it saddens me that there are people who do not know the correct meaning of words,” Aparicio said in a statement to The Guardian.
“Roma” director, Alfonso Cuarón, also came to the defense of Aparicio this week by saying that Goyri’s words should be a broader discussion as to why people, particularly in Mexico, have those feelings, and also why the media perpetuates stereotypes.
This is not the first time Aparicio has been the target of racist commentary from other white Mexican actresses.
Last week, Mexican actresses Dolores Heredia, Blanca Guerra, Regina Orozco, and Vanessa Bauche were rumored to have been part of a chat in which they wanted to ban Aparicio from being nominated for Best Actress in the Ariel Awards in Mexico, which is the equivalent to the Oscars. Most of them have since come forward to deny the accusation.
Check out Goyri’s racist rant here.
READ: Vogue Mexico Celebrates ‘Roma’ Star Yalitza Aparicio’s Rise Up Against Racism
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