In the late 1980s, Rosie Perez hit the pop culture scene like a planet-killing asteroid. She made her screen debut in the classic drama Do the Right Thing (1989), before scoring other hit films like White Men Can’t Jump (1992) and Fearless (1993). She has earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Perez has continued to be a cultural force throughout the years, as evidenced by her supporting turn in the DC blockbuster Birds of Prey (2020). Perez’s family history, coupled with where she grew up, makes for an interesting background, and we’re here to lay out what it is.
Is Rosie Perez Puerto Rican?
There is a simple and complicated answer to Rosie Perez’s ethnicity. The simple answer is that she’s Puerto Rican. She was born in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn to parents Lydia Pérez and Ismael Serrano. Both of her parents were born in Puerto Rico, according to The New York Times. Perez’s mother, Lydia, was born in Humacao, while her dad, Ismael, was born in Aguadilla.
Perez co-directed a documentary about her Puerto Rican heritage called Yo soy Boricua, pa’que tu lo sepas! in 2006. The doc allowed the Oscar nominee to examine her family’s roots, as well as Puerto Rican culture in general. She told the International Documentary Association that a big part of why she wanted to direct the film was to showcase rarely represented aspects of her culture.
As important as her Puerto Rican background is, however, Rosie Perez is adamant that she is also an American. She detailed this balance in an open letter in 2017:
My father, God rest his soul, was a very proud Puerto Rican. My father was also a very proud American who served his country in two wars — World War II and the Korean War.
Is Rosie Perez Afro-Latina?
In addition to being Puerto Rican and an American, Rosie Perez identifies as an Afro-Latina. By definition, an Afro-Latino, or Afro-Latina, is a person of Latin American descent who also has African ancestry.
Perez feels so passionate about this particular aspect of her ethnicity, in fact, that she spoke on the dangers of colorism during an interview with Essence in 2020. As far as she was concerned, splitting up groups of people based on their skin color was ultimately detrimental:
I think it’s very dangerous, the separation of color within the Latin community. People who are dark skin have to pronounce themselves as Afro-Latinos… I think it’s important that we unify.
Despite her concerns, the Oscar nominee is hopeful for the future. She believes younger generations of Latinx or Afro-Latinx people are more accepting than ever. “They do not care [about these labels]. And they are voicing their opinions and I think that’s fantastic,” she noted. Perez is the recipient of the prestigious Hispanicize’s Latinavator Award.
