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inetryconydot
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 Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 15:30 Post subject: The Afro-Latina experience |
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https://silverchips.mbhs.edu/inside.php?sid=2203
The Afro-Latina experience
Ria Richardson, Foreign Desk
10/2/2003
Puedes leer la traducción de este artículo aqui: La experiencia Afro-Latina
As I enter the small bodega, I feel a little nervous because a lot of people start to look at me in a funny way. I go up to pay and the cashier begins to talk to me in English with much difficulty. I answer the young woman in Spanish to make to conversation easier on her and her facial expression turns to shock. There is no noticeable difference between the other shoppers and I that would cause such discomfort except that I am a Latina of African descent.
To me, this incident is nothing out of the ordinary. Even though there are many Afro-Latinos like me, some people are unable to comprehend that a black person can be Latino as well. There are numerous Blair students that have had similar experiences to me.
Between two worlds
Hispanics of color are descendents of African slaves brought to Latin America. Since we are both black and Hispanic, we pertain to both cultures. "I can be in the two races; in the black and in the Hispanic," says freshman Leonel Caro, who is from the Dominican Republic. We can rap like Juelz Santana or dance salsa like the Venezuelan Oscar de Leon.
On the other hand, some Latinos believe that problems have emerged with the relationship between African Americans and Afro-Latinos. "I have felt that African Americans do not look at me in the same way, there is no unity," comments Maria Yordan-Torres, an Afro-Puerto Rican Spanish teacher.
Luis Murillo, an Afro-Colombian and a former mayor in Colombia, has experienced what Yordan-Torres feels. "There were some African American young men and they said to me, 'hey, an African American speaking Spanish ,' and they began to laugh," states Murillo.
Why is it?
Javiela Evangelista, a Dominican doing her masters in Latin American and African American studies believes that the hierarchy system is to blame for the denial. "Generally, those who have had power have been of European descent. I believe that because of this, some try to neglect everything African," says Evangelista.
There are many reasons for the ignorance about Afro-Latinos. "I have noticed that people from Central America look at me weird maybe because there is not much African presence in their countries," states junior Tracey Davis.
Others feel that the lack of knowledge is a result of U.S. presence in the region. Evangelista believes that the United States has created this mentality of ignoring African culture. She gave the example of the U.S. invasion in the Dominican Republic where they gave power to the dictator of the country, Rafael Trujillo, who tried to "purify" and "lighten" the Dominican population. In this way, a division was created within the population, says Evangelista.
Problems caused
Most people do not believe that I have Latino blood. "I was very surprised because you are so dark that you gave me the impression of being from here," says junior Andrea Sempertegui, a Bolivian.
I can’t speak Spanish in many places without feeling uncomfortable. One time when I was buying tickets to see the salsero Gilberto Santa Rosa, I entered the store along with my mother and everyone's eyes were glued on us. We finally reached the front of the line and the cashier never attended us and continued on with customers behind us, like we were invisible.
Problems in the Afro-Latino population
The problem of negating the African presence has gotten worse. In the Dominican
Republic, it is evident that the majority of the population are of African descent, but many avoid their African identity. I went to Santo Domingo and there were people darker than me telling met that there was no way I could be Dominican because I am so dark.
It is a shame that some Afro-Latinos deny their true roots and identity. I hope that we can abandon prejudices in order to form a more united Latino community.
Last edited by inetryconydot on Thu 20 Jul 2006 15:50; edited 2 times in total |
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G-Man
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 15:42 Post subject: |
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| Could you provide a link to the story. Thank you. |
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oevega
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 16:07 Post subject: Re: The Afro-Latina experience |
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| soserious wrote: | ...
Hispanics of color are descendents of African slaves brought to Latin America. Since we are both black and Hispanic, we pertain to both cultures. "I can be in the two races; in the black and in the Hispanic," says freshman Leonel Caro, who is from the Dominican Republic. We can rap like Juelz Santana or dance salsa like the Venezuelan Oscar de Leon. |
Yes, but Salsa is not a "Hispanic" or "racial" dance. Each country has its own customs and traditions. I doubt the person dance Mexican corridos, for example. And in southern South America we preffer Argentinean rock.
| Quote: | | There are many reasons for the ignorance about Afro-Latinos. "I have noticed that people from Central America look at me weird maybe because there is not much African presence in their countries," states junior Tracey Davis. |
That's the reason. People don't realize there are large regions in mainland Americas where there is no "African presence" at all.
| Quote: | | Others feel that the lack of knowledge is a result of U.S. presence in the region. Evangelista believes that the United States has created this mentality of ignoring African culture. She gave the example of the U.S. invasion in the Dominican Republic where they gave power to the dictator of the country, Rafael Trujillo, who tried to "purify" and "lighten" the Dominican population. In this way, a division was created within the population, says Evangelista. |
That's a Dominican topic that most Latinos are not even aware of.
| Quote: | | Most people do not believe that I have Latino blood. "I was very surprised because you are so dark that you gave me the impression of being from here," says junior Andrea Sempertegui, a Bolivian. |
Bolivians don't have a large Black community at all. Most have not seen an African person in their lives.
| Quote: | The problem of negating the African presence has gotten worse. In the Dominican
Republic, it is evident that the majority of the population are of African descent, but many avoid their African identity. I went to Santo Domingo and there were people darker than me telling met that there was no way I could be Dominican because I am so dark. |
Dominican problem once again.
| Quote: | | It is a shame that some Afro-Latinos deny their true roots and identity. I hope that we can abandon prejudices in order to form a more united Latino community. |
Most "Afro-Latinos" are Latinos of mixed ancestry. They have been part of the Latino people since the beginning. They have relatives of all colors. Why they should abandon theirs culture to embrace indentities that are allien for them?
Perhaps the point could be better expressed in these terms: Are Dominicans discriminated by the rest of Latinos? Perhaps there is some light on that question.
Omar |
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inetryconydot
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 16:24 Post subject: Re: The Afro-Latina experience |
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| oevega wrote: | | soserious wrote: | ...
Hispanics of color are descendents of African slaves brought to Latin America. Since we are both black and Hispanic, we pertain to both cultures. "I can be in the two races; in the black and in the Hispanic," says freshman Leonel Caro, who is from the Dominican Republic. We can rap like Juelz Santana or dance salsa like the Venezuelan Oscar de Leon. |
Yes, but Salsa is not a "Hispanic" or "racial" dance. Each country has its own customs and traditions. I doubt the person dance Mexican corridos, for example. And in southern South America we preffer Argentinean rock.
| Quote: | | There are many reasons for the ignorance about Afro-Latinos. "I have noticed that people from Central America look at me weird maybe because there is not much African presence in their countries," states junior Tracey Davis. |
That's the reason. People don't realize there are large regions in mainland Americas where there is no "African presence" at all.
| Quote: | | Others feel that the lack of knowledge is a result of U.S. presence in the region. Evangelista believes that the United States has created this mentality of ignoring African culture. She gave the example of the U.S. invasion in the Dominican Republic where they gave power to the dictator of the country, Rafael Trujillo, who tried to "purify" and "lighten" the Dominican population. In this way, a division was created within the population, says Evangelista. |
That's a Dominican topic that most Latinos are not even aware of.
| Quote: | | Most people do not believe that I have Latino blood. "I was very surprised because you are so dark that you gave me the impression of being from here," says junior Andrea Sempertegui, a Bolivian. |
Bolivians don't have a large Black community at all. Most have not seen an African person in their lives.
| Quote: | The problem of negating the African presence has gotten worse. In the Dominican
Republic, it is evident that the majority of the population are of African descent, but many avoid their African identity. I went to Santo Domingo and there were people darker than me telling met that there was no way I could be Dominican because I am so dark. |
Dominican problem once again.
| Quote: | | It is a shame that some Afro-Latinos deny their true roots and identity. I hope that we can abandon prejudices in order to form a more united Latino community. |
Most "Afro-Latinos" are Latinos of mixed ancestry. They have been part of the Latino people since the beginning. They have relatives of all colors. Why they should abandon theirs culture to embrace indentities that are allien for them?
Perhaps the point could be better expressed in these terms: Are Dominicans discriminated by the rest of Latinos? Perhaps there is some light on that question.
Omar |
Afro-Latino often does not = not mixed it is people of visible African ancestry who embrace it... |
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oevega
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Location: santiago, chile
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 16:30 Post subject: Re: The Afro-Latina experience |
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| soserious wrote: | | ..Afro-Latino often does not = not mixed it is people of visible African ancestry who embrace it... |
People of unmixed African Ancestry are very hard to find in Mexico, Central America or South America. Really hard to find.
The mainlands are very different in ethnic composition that the Caribbean.
So, I guess what you have there is a discrimination between peoples of different nationalities.
Omar |
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G-Man
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 16:49 Post subject: |
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Ther article posted above is dealing with the "Afro-Latino" experience in the U.S. primarily.
Some of the issues touched on in the article are worthy of discussion:
Latinos in the U.S. may not perceive black Latinos as "real" Latinos and African Americans and perhaps other Americans may not be aware that there really are people of predominant African ancestry who are Latino.
The latter, depending on where you live, is understandable. Most Latinos in the U.S. are Chicanos or Mexicans, and so our conception of Latino is based on that.
The former is something I have difficulty understanding, but is not uncommon. Even in New York, many Latinos will do a double take when they encounter someone decidedly black who speaks Spanish as their native language. Where Latinos of Central American or Mexican origin predominate, this is especially so. But in areas with high concentrations of Caribbean Latinos it also exists, which is puzzling. |
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inetryconydot
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 17:04 Post subject: Re: The Afro-Latina experience |
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| oevega wrote: | | soserious wrote: | | ..Afro-Latino often does not = not mixed it is people of visible African ancestry who embrace it... |
People of unmixed African Ancestry are very hard to find in Mexico, Central America or South America. Really hard to find.
The mainlands are very different in ethnic composition that the Caribbean.
So, I guess what you have there is a discrimination between peoples of different nationalities.
Omar |
\
I guess it depends on your perception of unmixed... Namely, If one is 80 percent black and 20 percent other even though they are mixed they will appear predominantly black... And thus, will be perceived as thus... |
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inetryconydot
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 17:08 Post subject: |
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| G-Man wrote: | Ther article posted above is dealing with the "Afro-Latino" experience in the U.S. primarily.
Some of the issues touched on in the article are worthy of discussion:
Latinos in the U.S. may not perceive black Latinos as "real" Latinos and African Americans and perhaps other Americans may not be aware that there really are people of predominant African ancestry who are Latino.
The latter, depending on where you live, is understandable. Most Latinos in the U.S. are Chicanos or Mexicans, and so our conception of Latino is based on that.
The former is something I have difficulty understanding, but is not uncommon. Even in New York, many Latinos will do a double take when they encounter someone decidedly black who speaks Spanish as their native language. Where Latinos of Central American or Mexican origin predominate, this is especially so. But in areas with high concentrations of Caribbean Latinos it also exists, which is puzzling. |
Good point, many people’s idea of a Hispanic is Jennifer Lopez aka the P. Rican look and the Mestizo look. Also, if you watch the Spanish channel Univision you almost never see a black person on there… That is the most Eurocentric channel and fails to create an accurate image of what Latino’s look like… |
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fwsweet
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 17:12 Post subject: |
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| soserious wrote: | | Also, if you watch the Spanish channel Univision you almost never see a black person on there… That is the most Eurocentric channel and fails to create an accurate image of what Latino’s look like… |
I suspect that their programming is no different from that of U.S. news channels. Specifically, they either show what their audience wants to see or they go out of business, replaced by an organization that shows what the audience wants to see. |
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G-Man
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 17:21 Post subject: |
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| fwsweet wrote: | | soserious wrote: | | Also, if you watch the Spanish channel Univision you almost never see a black person on there… That is the most Eurocentric channel and fails to create an accurate image of what Latino’s look like… |
I suspect that their programming is no different from that of U.S. news channels. Specifically, they either show what their audience wants to see or they go out of business, replaced by an organization that shows what the audience wants to see. |
I believe this is something that people neglect to take into consideration when looking at Spanish-language t.v. Some of the programming is U.S.-based and it may simply reflect what Latinos in the U.S. want to see. Though I would challenge soserious's contention. In recent years, there has been more color on Spanish-language television so to speak. I'm not sure if this is due to pressure from the Latino viewing public or the increase in the number Spanish-language channels. |
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oevega
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 17:43 Post subject: Mestizo look. |
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| soserious wrote: | | ...the Mestizo look.… |
Could you define the mestizo look, please. What is mestizo or not?
As far as I know mestizo means European+Amerindian ancenstry. I does not mean a particular "Mexican" phenotype.
Omar |
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inetryconydot
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 18:30 Post subject: Re: Mestizo look. |
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| oevega wrote: | | soserious wrote: | | ...the Mestizo look.… |
Could you define the mestizo look, please. What is mestizo or not?
As far as I know mestizo means European+Amerindian ancenstry. I does not mean a particular "Mexican" phenotype.
Omar |
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William
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 18:30 Post subject: |
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| Omar wrote: | | As far as I know mestizo means European+Amerindian ancenstry. I does not mean a particular "Mexican" phenotype. |
Yes, you're right. Some European-Amerindian crosses look like Eurasians. Others, like many Chileans, look quite European. I have a few Chilean friends, and know most of their family members. Not a single one of them would look out of place in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, etc. |
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inetryconydot
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 18:31 Post subject: Re: Mestizo look. |
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| soserious wrote: | | oevega wrote: | | soserious wrote: | | ...the Mestizo look.… |
Could you define the mestizo look, please. What is mestizo or not?
As far as I know mestizo means European+Amerindian ancenstry. I does not mean a particular "Mexican" phenotype.
Omar |
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dark hair, dark eyes slightly tanned skin |
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William
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 18:35 Post subject: Re: Mestizo look. |
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| soserious wrote: | | soserious wrote: | | oevega wrote: | | soserious wrote: | | ...the Mestizo look.… |
Could you define the mestizo look, please. What is mestizo or not?
As far as I know mestizo means European+Amerindian ancenstry. I does not mean a particular "Mexican" phenotype.
Omar |
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dark hair, dark eyes slightly tanned skin |
Those two would not look out of place in southern Europe. |
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G-Man
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 18:57 Post subject: Re: Mestizo look. |
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| William wrote: | | soserious wrote: | | soserious wrote: | | oevega wrote: | | soserious wrote: | | ...the Mestizo look.… |
Could you define the mestizo look, please. What is mestizo or not?
As far as I know mestizo means European+Amerindian ancenstry. I does not mean a particular "Mexican" phenotype.
Omar |
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dark hair, dark eyes slightly tanned skin |
Those two would not look out of place in southern Europe. |
yeah they look Greek or Albanian. |
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inetryconydot
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 19:03 Post subject: |
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oevega
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 21:25 Post subject: girl |
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| soserious wrote: | |
This girl has negroid features, I believe. She is 3-racial, perhaps.
Omar |
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oevega
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| Posted: Thu 20 Jul 2006 21:40 Post subject: People of Latin America |
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Phenotypes in Latin America:
Indian
European
Black
mestizo
mulato
Don't get confused 
Omar |
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oevega
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| Posted: Fri 21 Jul 2006 02:08 Post subject: Paki |
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| William wrote: | | Omar wrote: | | As far as I know mestizo means European+Amerindian ancenstry. I does not mean a particular "Mexican" phenotype. |
Yes, you're right. Some European-Amerindian crosses look like Eurasians. Others, like many Chileans, look quite European. I have a few Chilean friends, and know most of their family members. Not a single one of them would look out of place in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, etc. |
Well, Chileans are 80% European (Latin countries mainly) and 20% Amerindians. (Our Amerindians, for some reason, also are sort of European looking too) We know we could "pass" easily as locals in Southern Europe, including myself.
When I was abroad, Europeans thought I was either Greek or Spaniard. But I could not "trick" the people where I lived, in Canada. I lived in a place where almost all white people was Nordic, mainly Ucranians, Russians and Germans. Every single one of them had blue eyes, white pink skin and blond hair. Even some White Americans I met looked brown in there. For the locals I was a "paki"
Omar |
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