Afro Latinos in African American Culture

Rapper, Juelz Santana, actress, Zoe Saldana, and athlete, Carmelo Anthony; we've seen them on television or heard them on the radio, and looked at them, without doubt, deeming them African American....but did you know that they are really Afro Latino? This week’s blog is about Afro Latinos in African American culture. I’m going to be talking about people like Zoe Saldana and Carmelo Anthony who, today, play a significant role in African American culture and are Afro Latino. Through the discipline of culture studies and the discipline of history, I'll attempt to prove that Afro Latinos and African American are connected.

After researching this connection, my question for you to think about is why don’t people want to acknowledge the relation between African American culture and Afro Latinos? Why is it that people still prefer that there be a distinction between African Americans and Afro Latinos?

 

Works Cited

Burgos, Adrian Jr. "Left Out". Duke University Press. 2009

Domino-Rudolph, Jennifer. "Pidieron Cacao: Latinidad and Black Identity in the Reggaeton of Don Omar".Centro Journal. 2011.

Paposwiggity. Perdomo, Willie. "Nigger-Reecan Blues". Youtube. 2010

Somewhere In Between

This week, in listening to the poem, "Nigger-Reecan Blues" by Willie Perdomo, I was shocked by his perception of how Anglo American, African American, and Puerto Ricans see him. He talked about how people always ask him "What are you?" How people assume he is black, or arab, or mixed, but never Puerto Rican. I found that interesting because when I first saw him, I too assumed he was just a lighter skinned black person. I didn't believe he was Puerto Rican until he started speaking Spanish. Perdomo also discussed how people don't even accept his heritage and only acknowledge him as a black man. A lot of African Americans go by the "one drop" rule, where basically, as long as you have one drop of African American blood in you, you are seen as a black   person.

One thing I didn't realize was how people for are Afro-Latino aren't accepted by either ethnic group. In all honesty, African Americans accept Puerto Ricans until they start to speak Spanish. The difference in language separates the two. Initially, African Americans and Puerto Ricans have their struggles in common. The idea of both being a part of the working class and having to deal with racism unites them. Once language comes into play, African Americans disconnect from Latinos because at the end of the day, Latinos can embrace their Hispanic heritage. They can also embrace the fact that they are foreigners, which is something African Americans can not do.

 
Willie Perdomo talked about how women hold their purses tightly when he stand next to them, and how cab drivers avoid servicing him. It goes back to what Roberto Santiago said in his essay, "Black and Latino" when he is told that even if he isn't accepted by the black community or the Hispanic community, he will always be treated like he is a black man. Although African Americans don't always accept Afro Latinos, their African heritage will still be acknowledged through racism and prejudice.

Works Cited

Paposwiggity. Perdermo, Willie. "Nigger-Reecan Blues". Youtube. 2010.

"One-Drop Rule." BlackHistory.com - Celebrating Black History Month - Every Month!. <http://blackhistory.com/content/63228/one-drop-rule>.

Santiago, Roberto. "Black and Latino". Revelations: An Anthology of Expository Essays By and About Blacks. Pearson Custom Publishing. 2010.

Skin Tone: Is It Really That Serious?

Skin tone is something that has played a big role in society ever since the beginning of time. It’s all about being lighter-skinned or darker-skinned. In class this week we read about Afro Latinos and how skin tone is a controversial thing in Puerto Rico. As it turns out, skin color isn’t just an American issue; it’s a problem worldwide. Through the disciplines of history, culture studies, sociology and psychology, this blog will answer the question: “Is skin tone really that serious?”

"Skin Color - They Way Kids See It" 

 

It's amazing that children are taught at such young ages the "advantages" of being white and black. One thing that is most appalling is that one child stated having white skin was better, but when asked why, he didn't even know. It's the idea of wanting something only because society and the media glorify and say it's better. The youngest children didn't know why having white skin was supposedly better, they just knew that it was. The saddest thing is that these children are being taught self-hate at such an early age. It's no wonder, people my age and older are hung up on the tone of an African
American or Latino American's skin.

This picture shows how advertisers lightened the complexion of pop star, Beyonce Knowles, skin color. The picture on the left shows the actual tone of Beyonce's skin, whil the picture on the right is edited to make her appear more racially ambiguous. 

 Works Cited

Cruz-Janzen, Marta. "Latinegra".Revelations: An Anthology of Expository Essays By and About Blacks. Pearson Custom Publishing. 2010.

Santiago, Roberto. "Black and Latino"Revelations: An Anthology of Expository Essays By and About Blacks. Pearson Custom Publishing. 2010.

"Skin Color the Way Kids See It". <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcAuO0PNnrs>.

"Racial Discrimination in Argentina."

 <http://academic.udayton.edu/race/06hrights/georegions/southamerica/argentina01.htm>.