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A decade after “Lopez Tonight” went off the air, Latinos are still waiting for another shot, writes Afro-Latina comedian Suni Reyes

I’m an Afro-Latina whose favorite thing in the world (after warm donuts) is to make people laugh. For the past decade, I’ve been creating and performing comedy on New York City’s most renowned stages. I’ve done it all: stand-up, sketch, improv, raising a child. The dream was to one day get hired as a writer or a cast member on a late-night/variety show, or (dare I dream big!) to have my own show.

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico by an immigrant mother from the Dominican Republic and a “jibarito” from Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, so my mere existence has always been political. When I started doing comedy, I noticed that the “general” American audience didn’t know much about my people or what we represented.

Suni Reyes has heard it all. She’s been asked by casting directors to straighten her hair to conform the white European look they presumed all Latinas had; she submitted an audition tape for “Saturday Night Live” but knew that since they’d already cast one Latina they probably weren’t looking to add more; and after paying her dues for over a decade she’s still called and offered roles like maids and, famously, Delivery Driver No. 2.

But the Puerto Rico-born and raised actress and comedian hasn’t let any of that discourage her. In fact, she’s utilized that as fire to go viral and leave a greater impact than she thought possible. On top of her acting career, where Reyes has popped up most recently in the series “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens,” Reyes has been regularly posting videos looking at political events, social issues, and even...