Rita Forced to Retract

Rita Moreno – a goddess by any standard – has spoken her mind for close to a century.  And yet, last week, she was forced to eat her words in order to sell a documentary.  She was chatting with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, and said, “Can we talk for a second about that criticism about Lin-Manuel?  That really upsets me.  You can never do right, it seems.”  She was referring to the criticism that Lin-Manuel’s film version of In The Heights does not have enough representation of Afro-Latinos.  Not coincidentally, Miranda co-produced Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It.  Moreno believes that given how much Miranda has done for Latinos, people are “attacking the wrong person”.  The backlash was swift – because, you know, an 89-year-old legendary trailblazer isn’t entitled to her own opinion.  And, since she has a documentary to sell, she apologized via Twitter.  “I’m incredibly disappointed with myself…I was clearly dismissive of black lives that matter in our Latin community.  It is easy to forget how celebration for some is lament for others.  In addition to applauding Lin for his wonderful movie version of In The Heights, let me add my appreciation for his sensitivity and resolve to be more inclusive of the Afro-Latino community going forward.  See, you CAN teach this old dog new tricks.”

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