In his essay entitled "Black and Latino," Roberto Santiago tackles what it was like growing up black and Puerto Rican. Many people are not able to grasp how a person can be both black and Latino at the same time, but I soon found out that the term Afro-Latino refers to many people in America.
When I first heard the term Afro-Latino, I was mildly confused. I didn't really get the concept of what it meant to be Afro-Latino--if you could call it a concept. My confusion was soon pushed away by understanding after a fellow classmate, Isabel Lorenzo, did a presentation on Afro-Latinos. From her presentation, I learned more about the background and culture of Afro-Latinos. She talked about how in school she would often times be mistaken for a black girl and also how only a few people knew that she was Dominican or Hispanic. Many people often times judge a person by how they look without ever talking to or engaging in a conversation with them. I am guilty of doing that on more than one occasion, but going to Howard and living in the D.C. area has really opened my eyes.
Afro-Latinos have a very diverse culture. After attending a presentation on Afro-Latinos in pop culture I found out even more. Different topics included in the discussion were Spanish Novellas and Dominican hair salons. I found out that just like Americans, Hispanics have soap operas too. They are often times very dramatic and the characters very silly. The issue of colorism in the Spanish speaking community was also talked about. In many novellas, you find darker skinned women playing simple roles like that of the maid or mistress. It is never a leading role. Unlike American soap operas, which are long and ongoing, novellas are usually over in one episode, and they are also centered on different places and cultures of Latin and South America. After listening to two presentations about Afro-Latinos, I was thoroughly informed and very entertained. Ultimately, I learned to not judge someone by the color of his or her skin. Just because they are the same color as I am or darker does not mean they are Black!!! 
That really good that you've discovered what Afro-Latino is. Many people choose to be ignorant by not putting forth the effort into learning about unfamiliar races or ethnicities. Being form the DMV I've met people from all types of backgrounds and from places that I could barely pronounce. It is good to realize that everything is not always how it seems. I speak Spanish, listen to Latino music, and watch novellas. People assume that i'm Dominican or Puerto Rican because of my skin color but i'm not Hispanic at all; i'm just a black girl that loves Spanish culture.
ReplyDelete