Friday, November 16, 2007

Why Afrolatina Alive?

Many people who define themselves as "Black", "African-American","Latino",Spanish" or "Hispanic" often question the use of the term Afro-Latino(a) by individuals who are both of African and Latino descent. Their demand is - CHOOSE. Essentially they are saying, "You can be with us or against us but you can't identify with BOTH of us." This is a strange demand, especially from those who live in the United States, the land where one is, allegedly, free to express one's self in whatever manner one chooses. Nonetheless, the Black and Latino advocates are usually adamant in their belief that our existence threatens their pursuit of "unity". Sadly, they've bought into the maniacal "them v. us" mentality that is all too common in the world today. The political/financial windfall available to the winner of the "biggest minority" label lottery is huge, so the stakes are high. In such an environment, there is no room for the ambiguity brought about by our advancement of the "hybrid" Afro-Latino(a) identity. This brewing Anglo-Black-Latino battle notwithstanding, if the amalgam of nations in the Americas are truly a melting pot, surely there has to be space in the pot for an Afro-Latino identity.

This "them vs. us" mentality did not evolve out of thin air. In the United States, the "one drop rule" required that anyone with any known and/or visible African ancestry be designated as Black. The goal was to isolate and oppress Africans. Brave battles were fought against this discrimination and, as a result, anyone with Black ancestry who attempts to identify as anything other than exclusively Black is accused of being "ashamed" of being Black. I always laugh when I encounter this "logic" because, central to the Afro-Latin identity is the term "Afro". How much more African focused can an identity be than one that incorporates the term "Afro"? If one is essentially identifying as "Afro", isn't one embracing the African aspect of one's identity?

The troubling aspect of what I'll call the "Black only" identity is that it creates a hierarchy of power where those who have the most power attempt to intimidate those with less power into denying certain aspects of their identity so that the identity of the powerful group reigns supreme. That minority groups allow themselves to fall into this trap even though they, themselves, have been victimized by it, is too sad for words. Stated differently, Blacks who identify solely as Black and demand that others do so as well make, the unilateral decision that the Latin connections of Afro-Latinos be hidden for the sake of "unity". Whatever hardships are experienced by those of whom the demand is made are ignored and/or dismissed as irrelevant to the "struggle".


What hardships are we talking about? Many Afro-Latinos speak limited English. Huge numbers of Afro-Latinos speak only Portuguese or Spanish. The Black unity movement, on the other hand, is largely conducted in English and led by English speakers in the US, Caribbean and Africa. How can those who don't speak English be included or even be heard if the important cultural reality of language is subsumed to the demands of the powerful, solely for the sake of "unity"? Similarly there are obvious cultural differences between Anglo-Blacks and Afro-Latinos. The two groups have historically had different religious practices, political views, and cultural practices. These views and practices are as dear to Afro-Latinos as they are to Anglo-Blacks. Anyone who believes that Afro-Latinos will, en masse, drop these aspects of their lives for the sake of being accepted by Anglo-Blacks is sadly mistaken. Frankly, such a demand should never be made as it smacks of haughty disrespect/hubris.


In contrast, ethnic identity in Latin America often demands the denial of one's African lineage. As a consequence, Hispanic/Latin unity advocates demand that Afro-Latinos get on board, without rocking the boat (ie by emphasizing the African aspect of their identity). A further consequence of the Hispanic/Latin "unity" model is that if Afro-Latinos agree to these demands we, invariably, will find ourselves literally in the margins as the "Euro" Latinos grasp all the power available to Latinos as the most populous minority group in the United States. Generally speaking, Euro Latinos (and those who identify as Euro Latinos) are the most visible, educated, and vocal segment of the Latino population. Can they be depended upon to speak up for Afro-Latinos, history tells us that the answer is a resounding NO. Control of the Latino community by Euros is the norm in the US and is replicated uniformly throughout Latin America. For example, Afro identity in Argentina is so hidden that the myth that there are no people of African descent in Argentina is widely held. The Argentinian government does little to dispel this myth. Similarly, people in the Dominican Republic who are of African descent have been convinced by those that govern them that they have no connection to Blacks or Africa even though their mirrors reveal the undeniable truth to them every day. All in an effort to promote pro-Dominican nationalism against the Black Haitian "hordes". Further, people of Black descent in Brasil willingly discriminate against other people of Black descent in Brasil simply because the former group has a fraction more of the colonizer's blood flowing through their veins than does the latter.

Latin America has practically driven itself schizophrenic in its frantic attempt to deny and ignore its African connections. The marginalization of Afro-Latinos throughout Latin America has enabled and empowered the Black deniers. If we have any hope of remaining relevant, viable and visible we must remain vigilant and vocal about identifying as Afro-Latinos. Irrespective of how badly those of us in the US have it, most Afro-Latinos in Latin America have it worse. We have a responsibility to use our education and access to the media to speak out against the abuses that are being levelled against Afro-Latinos as well as attempts to keep us marginalized and excluded.


Those who speak out against the assertion of an Afro-Latino identity do so at great cost to Afro-Latinos in the Caribbean, the US and Latin America. It is precisely because of the incessant denial of the Afro-Latino reality that the descendants of Africans in Latin America and the Caribbean have not attained the same political and social advancements of Anglo-Blacks in the US. Jim Crow laws created an unintended consequence, the discrimination faced by Anglo-Blacks was written in black and white and was undeniable. This gave US Blacks an avenue through which to challenge the discrimination we encountered. Generally speaking and with few exceptions, Latin American countries did not enact such laws. The lack of such legalized discrimination has hampered the advancement of Afro-Latinos because official entities can more easily deny that any problem exists. Inasmuch as nothing was written in black and white, these governments can claim that any discrimination is limited to individuals and does not have the stamp of government approval. Without such laws and the inevitable intermarriage of Euro and Afro and Indigenous Latinos, the presence of Afro-Latinos becomes easier to deny and the value/contributions of Afro-Latinos become easier to de-emphasize and to ultimately, ignore, such that those who are most visibly African become isolated, excluded and marginalized.


Clearly, the tensions that exist between Blacks and Latinos in the US are palpable and without careful treading, will become exacerbated as their relative population percentages shift. Unless Afro-Latinos become vocal and visible about our unique concerns and issues, we run the risk of becoming a casualty of the battle, ultimately required to assimilate and to choose, "them v. us". Inasmuch as we are not exclusively Black, nor exclusively Latino, we must be allowed to embrace both aspects of who we are without apology, rebuke or shame. If allowed to embrace the entirety of our identity, we are uniquely positioned to bridge the widening gap between the Black and Latino communities in the US.


So, I return to the original question, why call this blog Afro-Latina Alive? It is necessary to do so to prevent our marginalization. People who are alive have voices. Autonomous people with voices give expression to those voices so as to protect their interests and identity. Calling this blog Afro-Latina Alive underscores the point that we are alive, have a voice, are autonomous and have interests that need to be expressed and protected.


It is my hope that this Blog will be a positive step toward the improved awareness of the Afro-Latino(a) reality, and a channel through with the Afro-Latina voice can gain expression.


Alessandra

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