Empowerment Series: How Crystal Roman, CEO, Black Latina Movement is Reclaiming Space for Black Latinas On and Off Stage

If you don’t know the name Crystal Roman yet, we need to change it because she’s not just raising the curtain on Afro-Latina identity, she’s rewriting the script entirely.

The Bronx-born powerhouse is the CEO and founder of the Black Latina Movement, a theater company, cultural space, and living, breathing revolution that began in 2008 with her one-woman play Black Latina. Since then, the production has evolved into a full ensemble performance that has toured across major institutions, including USC, the Smithsonian, and Penn State. But this isn’t just a show. It’s a movement grounded in truth-telling, challenging erasure, and making sure dark-skinned Latinas and Afro-Latinas are seen, heard, and valued.

“Our stories weren’t being told with the complexity we deserve,” Crystal shared. “So, I wrote the kind of roles I never got to play, the ones that feed your soul.”

In a world still clinging to Sofia Vergara caricatures and casting Latinas through a single lens, Black Latina digs deeper. It shatters stereotypes and exposes the intersection of race, culture, and gender through raw, layered storytelling. But Crystal doesn’t stop at the spotlight—she’s bringing her sisters behind the scenes too. From lighting techs to producers, the Black Latina Movement builds tables instead of waiting for seats.

Let’s be clear: this work is radical, and not everyone’s clapping.

Crystal’s recent national tour was halted when universities, fearing political backlash, pulled contracts. “This is the first time in ten years we haven’t toured. Schools are scared to host us,” she admitted. The new wave of anti-DEI sentiment has hit her company, and countless others like it are having a difficult time. But instead of folding, she pivoted. “We’re working with private theaters now. The students might lose out, but we won’t stop.”

Resilience is the theme here. So is truth. Crystal doesn’t sugarcoat the nuances of colorism, the invisibility of Afro-Latinas in the media, or the systemic design that keeps our stories buried. From Zoe Saldaña being boxed into “Black” roles to Gina Torres being told she wasn’t “Latina enough,” Crystal is naming names and rewriting narratives.

But the magic of her mission goes beyond the stage. Through her signature event, Talks & Tequila, Crystal curates vibrant, joy-filled spaces for Black and brown women to decompress and connect. These intimate gatherings are part ladies’ night, part healing circle, and 100% community medicine. Whether it’s a candle-making session or an unfiltered group chat over empanadas and mocktails, the goal is the same: sisterhood, minus the judgment.

“We’ve been told we don’t get along. That’s a lie. When we come together, it’s magic,” she said. And it shows. Women walk in as strangers and leave with new friends, business connections, and a reminder that they are not alone.

Through summits, storytelling, and tequila-infused truth-telling, Crystal is helping women reclaim their power and peace.

So what’s next for the woman who never meant to become an activist? More. More cities, more community, more conversations. And when asked how she stays grounded during these turbulent times, Crystal keeps it real: “Put down the phone. Disconnect. Meditate. Go to therapy. Take care of you—because no one else will.”

Let that land.

The Black Latina Movement is not a trend—it’s a testimony. And Crystal Roman? She’s not just leading it. She is it, and redefining representation, one story at a time.

Watch this podcast episode in its entirety on AW Confidential TV on YouTube. Available on all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple, iHeart Radio, and others.

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