Afro-Latinos face many challenges when it comes identity, particularly when people refuse to believe that being Black AND Latino aren’t mutually exclusive experiences.
The Latino identity denotes an ethnicity, which means that Latinos exist in every color and race imaginable – and explaining the difference between race and ethnicity can be quite a cumbersome task to take on on a daily basis. And yet, many Afro-Latinos are often forced to do so after being told they’re not “Latino enough” or being asked to choose between being Black and Latino.
Afro-latin@s struggle with being ignored by the media because for some reason people don’t believe you can be both Latino and Black. This is why there’s so much controversy when it comes to race and ethnicity. People try to paint Latin@s as this light brown or even white skinned when there are many dark skinned Latin@s. They are in all parts of South America, Central America, the Caribbean, & in North America (Mexico). Unfortunately, these folks aren’t represented in the media much and we have portrayed Latin@s in a certain way that has shaped the thoughts of others when they hear that word.
^ Say that. There’s the blatant erasure by the media, as well as the fellow Latinxs who shun blackness. Then there’s the serious lack of knowledge by people who still don’t understand the clear difference between race and ethnicity, and assume Black means “African American” (which it does not), so as a result they question your identity. Race does not denote one’s ethnicity/ethnicities. Latinxs do not have a specific look or skin color. There are sooooooo many brown skin Latinxs out here.
Black and Cuban at the same damn time.
Black and Puerto Rican at the same damn time.
Black and Colombian at the same damn time.
Black and Dominican at the same damn time.
Black and Mexican at the same damn time.
Black and Honduran at the same damn time.
Black and Ecuadorian at the same damn time.
Black and Nicaraguan at the same damn time.
Black and Panamanian at the same damn time.
Black and Peruvian at the same damn time.
Black and Uruguayan at the same damn time.
Black and Venezuelan at the same damn time.
There’s way more to be listed, but I think y’all get it now…hopefully.
I’d just like to add, see how they behave when they’re angry/frustrated/exhausted, and if you see something that concerns you, wait until they’re calm, and then talk to them about it.
My husband used to yell when he got frustrated, but after I explained to him that I found it upsetting, he stopped yelling and started consciously working on asking for help before he got to that level of frustration.
When I’m upset over something, or just in a bad mood, I tend to withdraw. My husband explained to me that it makes him feel like I’m mad at him, so now when I need some space, I’ll tell him what I’m upset about, or that I’m in a bad mood for no particular reason, and I need to be alone for a little while.
See your friends and partners at their worst, but don’t assume that their worst is immutable. If someone loves and cares about you, they’ll try to accommodate you to the best of their ability.
