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Afro-Latinx People exist. As an Afro-Colombiano
, this is personal for me. A THREAD.
Imagine what it's like being part of a rich Latinx culture while at the same time not being fully embraced by it because you're Black. Anti-blackness is a real issue in Latinx communities.
, this is personal for me. A THREAD.Imagine what it's like being part of a rich Latinx culture while at the same time not being fully embraced by it because you're Black. Anti-blackness is a real issue in Latinx communities.
Racial disparities & discrimination against people of Afro descent isn't unique to the United States. I can't tell you how many times I've been discriminated against by fellow Colombians or people from Latinoamérica (here in the U.S. & Colombia) due to the color of my skin.
Growing up in Latin American culture I've been called⠀
⠀
Negro feo (ugly negro)⠀
Mico (monkey)⠀
Sucio (dirty) etc...⠀
The attack against Black bodies isn't unique to the U.S. but also exists in Latin America. The Afro-Latino narrative is often untold.
⠀
Negro feo (ugly negro)⠀
Mico (monkey)⠀
Sucio (dirty) etc...⠀
The attack against Black bodies isn't unique to the U.S. but also exists in Latin America. The Afro-Latino narrative is often untold.
During the Atlantic Slave Trade (1500s-1800s) over 11 million Africans disembarked from slave ships. Only 450,000 came to the United States. That's only 5%. The rest went to Latin America & the Caribbean.
Between 1872 and 1975, Brazil received 5 million immigrants from Europe and the Middle East, and this was a conscious policy after 1850 to “whiten” Brazil which was very much a prominently Afro-country and still is.
This whole conversation ties in so closely with the identity of Afro-Latinx people. It shapes our value, dignity, and self-worth.
And it doesn't surprise me that individuals would start claiming Afrolatinidad without having any meaningful investment in the conversation.
And it doesn't surprise me that individuals would start claiming Afrolatinidad without having any meaningful investment in the conversation.
I've said years ago how the Afro-Latinx conversation would become central given the lack of representation of Afro-Latinx voices and how our narratives are erased from history, culture, and in present-day conversations.
I pray that leaders within the Church can lead in addressing anti-blackness in our Latinx communities.
¡Somos Afrodescendiente!
Signed,
The Afro-Latina Diaspora.
Also, I've been studying this more as I prepare to speak on Afrolatinidad at the @TheImmCoalition conference
¡Somos Afrodescendiente!
Signed,
The Afro-Latina Diaspora.
Also, I've been studying this more as I prepare to speak on Afrolatinidad at the @TheImmCoalition conference
