To Naya,
I know you & I never met. I also know this blog may come across as opportunistic but I promise my intent is simply to educate. I wanted to shine a light on some of your accomplishments for those out there who may not truly understand the magnitude of your contributions.
I’d be lying if I said the show Glee wasn’t a huge part of my late high school years, hell I used to tweet out the week’s featured songs a week before each episode aired but as a choir/theater kid Glee really spoke to me. I also know the Glee wasn’t your entire life or career, but for those of you out there who were not like myself, a former Gleek, I need to fill you in on Naya’s role in the series. Naya played Santana Lopez, a character that, for all intents & purposes, started out as an antagonist of the show. Santana would do her best as a cheerleader to sabotage the glee club, even going as far as to join to try & destroy it from the inside out. So, why is Naya’s role so important to pop culture? Well, Santana Lopez was a Latinx character that often directly pointed out the cherry picking that American culture, specifically white American culture, & history often do when it comes to the Latinx community. More on Santana as a character in a moment.
Now, I’ll be one of the first to admit the Glee’s writing was cringey at best sometimes, it also featured quite a few problematic cast members during its run & often made broad missteps by today’s cultural standards but the one thing Glee really had working for it was representation. Glee wasn’t afraid to incorporate gritty stories, often dealing with suicide, bullying, racism, LGBTQIA+ issues, domestic abuse, etc. this is once again where Naya comes into play.
Santana wasn’t just a beautifully realized Latina, she was also Lesbian, a revelation that took several seasons of character growth to unearth. You see the amazing part of Santana was how unapologetically she lived. She loved who she loved & she stood her ground & fought for the things she wanted even when those she loved turned their back on her simply for being herself. I know so many people who derived strength from that.
I know it may sound silly to say that representation in a show from 10 years ago matters but it does, it matters so very much. We live in a world that often tells people it’s not okay to be who they are, it’s not okay to feel the things they do, or love the people they do & this, this beautifully imperfect show gave so many people hope. It showed so many people that they are worth of love & their dreams & looking back Naya’s performance was definitely a pillar of that.
Naya, I hope you were so proud of that. I hope you realized how much you changed this world for the better. I hope you know how many lives you saved, how much courage you instilled in people who were struggling, & how many people are truly living free thanks to you. I hope you rest easy, I hope you know how grateful so many of us on the earth are for you & the gifts you shared. You have changed the world for the better & you are gone far too soon but you left a truly earth shaking legacy behind you.
Rest in peace Naya. Much love to you & yours.