"My grandfather saw a lot of violence and a lot of poverty, and really was incredibly, deeply tortured by it. It was always this elephant in the room that we never talked about growing up. He spoke fluent Spanish, but never in front of us. I think he was really afraid that we would be judged and held back by our Mexican heritage, like he was. Part of writing this play was like digging up my own family ghosts and things that I personally had always been afraid to talk about, because my family never talked about them. Also, because I’m Mexican and I’m white, I often struggle with wondering if I’m “allowed” to tell stories through this lens; growing up, the white kids always told me I was Latina or “ethnic,” and the Chicano kids always told me I was a “gringa,” so I never really felt like I fit in anywhere…"
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Screenwriters from the United StatesPlaywrights from the United StatesProducers from the United StatesPeople from South CarolinaHispanic Americans
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
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On her play The Ghosts of Lote Bravo in “The Borders of Our Lives” (American Theatre; Feb 2018)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hilary_Bettis
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Hilary Bettis
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