Files
Download Full Text (5.0 MB)
Abstract
The United States of America is a nation built by and made up of immigrants, being home to one-fifth of all migrants across the world. Anti-immigrant prejudice and xenophobia have long defined the American people and national policy, but the target demographic is constantly changing to reflect current narratives and fears. In recent years, Latine immigrants have been a prominent topic of concern in American politics. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2021 movie musical In The Heights aims to celebrate the existence of immigrants in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in New York City. Using peer-reviewed scholarly sources and movie reviews, this comprehensive literature review analyzes the representation of the Latine community in In The Heights. This research paper also examines over a century of American government legislation on immigration in order to discover if the challenges faced by immigrants in the musical are based on historical accuracy. In the Heights shines as a musical representation of Latin American immigrant communities by avoiding harmful stereotypes, emphasizing the panethnic Latine identity, and normalizing issues faced by Latine populations in America. Despite the musical’s positive contributions to Latine media, there are still some areas where the film falls short, including the sexualization of female characters, absence of Afro-Latine representation, and the lack of conversations surrounding accountability and consequences in terms of federal policy. In The Heights celebrates the beauty of Latine culture, normalizes a minority group that is historically stigmatized in America, and highlights many struggles that come with being an immigrant. While In the Heights reveals a detailed chronicling of the realities of being an immigrant in America, the musical falls short in representing the diversity that is the Latine community and the potentially devastating political immigration crisis that currently looms over America, when sensitivity and inclusion are imperative for representative media.
Publication Date
2026
Subject Major(s)
History
Keywords
In the Heights, Immigration, Latin America, Broadway, Musicals
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Film and Media Studies | History | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Theatre and Performance Studies
Current Academic Year
Freshman
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
John Lemza
Rights
© The Author(s)
Included in
Film and Media Studies Commons, History Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Theatre and Performance Studies Commons