It’s Halloween! Let’s Talk About Afro-Latina Witches on TV

Hello Meltingpot readers,

I’m going to be honest. I love Halloween. I love the costumes, the candy and the lack of house cleaning and prep work it requires on my part. My boys are old enough now to make their own costumes, and babygirl still enjoys wearing whatever costumes we have in our dress-up bucket. This year she’s either going to be a dragon, or Piggie from the Gerald and Piggie books. Dinner is pizza. Dessert is obviously, candy.

I’m not a fan however, of horror movies or creepy stories. Never have. Never will. But I have always had a fascination with witches. From the Salem witch trials to Bewitched, witches and stories about witches have a special place in my heart. The only problem, I never saw witches that looked like me. I never saw myself reflected in the witch-focused stories in pop culture.

So, thank you, Netflix for your new show, Siempre Bruja. It’s a new show due out next year, about a 17th century Afro-Latina witch in Columbia who gets burned at the stake and then is reincarnated in 2019 and has to adjust to modern life. Let that sink in for a minute. Also, read this article from Broadly that gives the backstory on the series including the novel the show is based on. On so many levels, I’m in. The show is filmed in Columbia. The main character is a witch who looks like me, well she’s actually a gorgeous Afro-Latina actress, but you know what I mean. There are some nice Kinky Gazpacho hints in the preview. What’s not to love? Check out the trailer and then let me know if you’ll be tuning in when the show launches next year. You can thank me later for the suggestion. Peace!

Photo by 3Motional Studio from Pexels