THE BLACK LATINA MOVEMENT: White/Black Latino

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

White/Black Latino

As we know and have debated over heavily Latino is not a race. It is an ethnicity within a race.

In college I was taught the 3 race idea. Black (Negroid), White (Caucasoid) and Asian (Mongoloid). Now if this is to be true how comfortable as Latinos do some feel in calling themselves White or Black.

I for one want it to be known that I am what some like to call "mixed" or "double minority" ie the label "Black Latina". Now yes we shouldn't get too wrapped up in labels but let's entertain it for a moment. Would/should Latinos with White ancestry call them White Latinos as the same for Black Latinos. Do many feel comfortable with that?

I had a meeting recently with the head of an organization that promotes Afro-Colombians and we spoke about how the distinction is only made in reference to something negative. For example if on the news something positive happens and involves a Latino the new reporter will say "a Latino" BUT if it is something negative they are quick to say "Black Latino".

These are the social and political injustice that continues to occur so now the flip side is why would anyone want to be called a Black Latino as oppose to a Latino when they are portrayed to be the lesser of the two.

Well we have to take the stance and change the way we are looked. This is part of what sociologist call the sociological perspective- are you going to change/affect society or will u let society change/affect you?!

4 Comments:

At November 17, 2010 at 9:41 AM , Serial Chic said...: The pale ones can call themselves whatever they like, I'm more concerned with the ones that look like me. Racism exist among the Latino communities and it needs to dealt with, and not ignored or swept under a rug. Afro-Latinos need to wake their a$$es up and many need to first take pride of their African Ancestry and stop hiding behind a nationality, and pretending that there's utopia in our communities.
At November 17, 2010 at 12:31 PM , W Bill Smith said...: I had a similar and recent blog post about Latino being a race or a culture. Wow, you should see the comments. http://ahorasecreto.blogspot.com/2010/10/is-latino-race-or-nationality.html

However, I thought your point was very interesting about how the news make positive and negative distinctions between black Latino and Latino.

Years back, I was browsing through a list of films presented by the Latino Film Festival, and the only film featuring a black person was a role an incarcerated woman in a Venezuelan prison. I chose not to go.
At November 17, 2010 at 12:51 PM , Anonymous said...: I like your blog. :)

I consider myself a Hispanic, first, then "black" second. I rather identify myself through my heritage because it's full of life.
Furthermore, I think when people say "black" Hispanic it seems like a us vs them situation. Anyway, people do have the right to identify themselves as they see fit. :)

It is true that negativity
At November 17, 2010 at 4:06 PM , W Bill Smith said...: Hidi, you are not by yourself. Marcus Garvey, whose Universal Negro Improvement Association included chapters all over Latin-America, was told by a Cuban delegation that they were Cubans first and blacks second. In my personal travels to Mexico, Cuba, Perú, and Ecuador, I found that the blacks too identified themselves by their nationality first and their color second--if at all.

But when you talk about “us” versus “them,” I saw that too as a reality. From my observations, it was evident that blacks were locked out of a lot of occupations that we black Americans take for granted; bus drivers, shopkeepers, secretaries, politicians, business people, and government workers. Now, there are black civil rights groups springing up all over Latin-America.

My blog post “Racism-Latin American Style” goes into detail--- http://ahorasecreto.blogspot.com/2010/05/racism-latin-american-style.html

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THE BLACK LATINA MOVEMENT

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

White/Black Latino

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