I was soooo pissed. I spent an HOUR preparing a blog post about the connections between Afro-latinos and South American Ciganos/Gitanos, and, in an instant, it was gone. Completely unretrievable just as I was putting the final touches on it. I wanted to scream. I hated Blogger at that point, I really did, so I had no choice but to let a few days pass before I attempted another blog post. So here it is. Maybe one day I'll remember everything I wrote in my last attempted post. It was really all that, if I must say so myself, so I'll try to post it at some later date.
Despite my tragedy, life did go on, and as I undertook my daily task of scouring the internet for Afro-Latino information, I came across a new word to describe Afro-Latino people: "BLACKTINO". I LOVE IT...completely. I also love the term Black Rican. I discovered these terms when I went to the Blacktino e-news network website. Once there, I came across the article posted below. The article was written by Rosa Clemente, an Afro-Latina or Blacktina of Puerto Rican heritage. She recounts the reasons why she boldly identifies herself as Black and the questions her choice arouses among Anglo-Blacks and other Latinos.
I was always curious about why Puerto Ricans would so eagerly run from any association with Black identity when Afro culture is so visible in the community: in the people, the foods, the dance, the music, etc. Growing up in Philadelphia, there was a large Puerto Rican community, and a large Anglo Black community all within the North Philadelphia section of the city, but the gulf between the two groups was, and sadly still is, very huge. I've witnessed, from a safe distance, Anglo Blacks being chased out of Hispanic neighborhoods and I've witnessed Hispanics teased mercilessly by Anglo Blacks for their poor English language skills and "immigrant" status. The Black Puerto-Ricans were, however, invisible in all this animosity laden activity. We did, however, have an elementary school called Roberto Clemente and both Anglo-Blacks and Puerto Ricans attended the school.
In the Philadelphia of that time period, to have any public facility named after a Black person, Anglo or Latino or otherwise, was a BIG deal. So, even as a child I understood the importance that Roberto had in the city as a visible symbol for people of color. The the Anglo Black community, of which I am also a part, largely viewed him as a member of the perhiphery. Yes, he was undeniably Black, but the establishment of the school was seen largely as a coup for the emerging Puerto Rican community; a victory viewed as coming at the expense of some project supported by the Anglo Blacks. Roberto received the "Obama treatment" before Obama was even old enough to know what he would be in for, you know"...he (Roberto) did not grow up the way that we did so he's not one of us, he doesn't represent us" kind of negrononsense.
Not having been raised in a Jim Crow environment, Roberto possesed the pride and poise that was rarely seen in a Black man of his era. With the exception of Paul Robeson, Malcolm X, Sidney Poitier, Marcus Garvey, few pre-70s era Black men, other than Roberto commanded respect just by their carriage, and presence of being. The Black diaspora would be far better off if we had followed their lead and learned from their examples. These Black men did not see themselves as second class citizens and did not tap dance for anyone. They were psychologically strong and as such were shining symbols of Black male leadership. Of course they all paid a dear price for their strength, but they stood strong, nonetheless. Not only was Roberto a leading baseball player, he had deep concern for Latin America and gave his life trying to help the poor Latinos.
I love that Afro-Latino look he possessed, chocolate skin,ebony eyes, you know what I mean (lol). In recent years the new "Roberto" is Reuben Sierra. Another Afro-Latin baseball man of my dreams. These Puerto Rican men are also Black men, but unfortunately, they are often forced to choose sides, Black or Latino. Roberto explains this dilemma in a biography written about him that was published last year. If you want to understand the "not quite Latin but not quite Black" challenge faced by many Afro-Latinos, I suggest that you buy/read the book about Roberto.
Anyway, here is Rosa's excellent article. Enjoy.
By the way, Merry CHRISTmas!
A Puerto Rican woman claims her place in the African Diaspora Tag it:African Diaspora
Written by Rosa Clemente -Guest Columnist FinalCall
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Who is Black?
Yesterday, an interesting thing happened to me. I was told I am not Black.
The kicker for me was when my friend stated that the island of Puerto Rico was not a part of the African Diaspora. I wanted to go back to the old skool playground days and yell: “You said what about my momma?!” But after speaking to several friends, I found out that many Black Americans and Latinos agree with him. The miseducation of the Negro is still in effect!
I am so tired of having to prove to others that I am Black, that my peoples are from the Motherland, that Puerto Rico, along with Cuba, Panama and the Dominican Republic, are part of the African Diaspora. Do we forget that the slave ships dropped off our people all over the world, hence the word Diaspora?
The Atlantic slave trade brought Africans to Puerto Rico in the early 1500s. Some of the first slave rebellions took place on the island of Puerto Rico. Until 1846, Africanos on the island had to carry a libreta to move around the island, like the passbook system in apartheid South Africa. In Puerto Rico, you will find large communities of descendants of the Yoruba, Bambara, Wolof and Mandingo people. Puerto Rican culture is inherently African culture.
There are hundreds of books that will inform you, but I do not need to read book after book to legitimize this thesis. All I need to do is go to Puerto Rico and look all around me. Damn, all I really have to do is look in the mirror every day.
I am often asked what I am—usually by Blacks who are lighter than me and by Latinos/as who are darker than me. To answer the $64,000 question, I am a Black Boricua, Black Rican, PuertoriqueÒa! Almost always I am questioned about why I choose to call myself Black over Latina, Spanish, Hispanic. Let me break it down.
I am not Spanish. Spanish is just another language I speak. I am not a Hispanic. My ancestors are not descendants of Spain, but descendants of Africa. I define my existence by race and land. (Borinken is the indigenous name of the island of Puerto Rico.)
Being Latino is not a cultural identity but rather a political one. Being Puerto Rican is not a racial identity, but rather a cultural and national one. Being Black is my racial identity. Why do I have to consistently explain this to those who are so-called conscious? Is it because they have a problem with their identity? Why is it so bad to assert who I am, for me to big-up my Africanness?
My Blackness is one of the greatest powers I have. We live in a society that devalues Blackness all the time. I will not be devalued as a human being, as a child of the Supreme Creator.
Although many of us in activist circles are enlightened, many of us have baggage that we must deal with. So many times I am asked why many Boricuas refuse to affirm their Blackness. I attribute this denial to the ever-rampant anti-Black sentiment in America and throughout the world, but I will not use this as an excuse. Often Puerto Ricans who assert our Blackness are not only outcast by Latinos who identify more with their Spanish Conqueror than their African ancestors, but we are also shunned by Black Americans who do not see us as Black.
Nelly Fuller, a great Black sociologist, stated: “Until one understands the system of White supremacy, anything and everything else will confuse you.” Divide and conquer still applies.
Listen people: Being Black is not just skin color, nor is it synonymous with Black Americans. To assert who I am is the most liberating and revolutionary thing I can ever do. Being a Black Puerto Rican encompasses me racially, ethically and most importantly, gives me a homeland to refer to.
So I have come to this conclusion: I am whatever I say I am! (Thank you, Rakim.)
(Rosa Clemente is the youth organizer for the F.R.E.E. Youth Empowerment Program of Central Brooklyn Partnership. She is also an organizer with Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and the co-host of WBAI’s “Where We Live” public affairs program.)
Monday, December 24, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Dr. Watson and the Myth of "Pure" Whiteness
Well, well, well. It appears that many "pure White" people are not as "pure" as they believe. Dr. James Watson, the Nobel laureate who discovered the double helix structure of DNA,( along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins), made headlines several months ago by proclaiming that individuals of African descent are inherently less intelligent than Whites, ( a fact that he claimed was plainly observable to anyone who interacts with Black employees), is, in fact, an Afro-descendente. In the United States, many will now view Dr. Watson as Black. In Latin America, however, this revelation will have little impact on Watson's public racial identity.
Dr. Watson, who likely did not know about his African lineage at the time his anti-Black statements were made, also claimed that the prospects for Africa's future as a relevant player on the world stage are dim and that Western nations make a mistake in presuming that Whites and Blacks can interact as partners of equal intelligence. It now appears that the one making the mistake was dear old Dr. Watson. A cavalcade of secrets regarding his family's racial make up have come tumbling out of Dr. Watson's closet, no doubt to his huge chagrin.
Scientists who have evaluated Dr. Watson's DNA genome have discovered that Mr. Watson has 16 times the level of Black ancestry than does the average White person. Not only that, Dr. Watson also has significant East Asian ancestry as well. To break down the numbers, Dr. Watson was found to have a genome in which 73% of his genes reflected European ancestry. Further, 16% of the genes reflected African ancestry and 9% of the genes reflected Asian ancestry. The scientists who conducted this analysis of Dr. Watson's ancestry indicate that he most likely has a Black great-grand parent. Extrapolating that analysis, we can safely assume that he also has an Asian or Native American great-great grandparent. Does this mean that Dr. Watson should be deemed to be 25% less intelligent than the average White person? (lol) Needless to say, Dr. Watson has not yet responded to the release of information about his African and Asian heritage.
This is all very interesting, but what does this have to do with Afro-latinas you might ask? I decided to blog about this topic because I've been involved in a blog debate, on another site, with a Brasilian about the extent to which Blacks and Afro-descendentes are represented in the Brasilian population. He, like many other Brasilians, are quick to assert that only 6% of the Brasilian population is Black and that, at most, only 34% of the Brasilian population is Black or Mulatto. Using this logic, unless a person is classified as Black or Mulatto, these people attempt to wipe the genetic slate clean and thus, with a waive of their hands, any and all African ancestry in the population magically disappears. Hence the discussion of Dr. Watson's racial identity. Not withstanding Dr. Watson's relatively large degree of African ancestry, these people would deny that Dr. Watson is of African descent.
Contrary to the assertions of these deniers, DNA research reveals that at least 50% of Brasilians have Black ancestry. While it certainly is true that not every person with Black ancestry is considered to be Black in Brasil, it is certainly not true that the only people who have Black ancestry in Brasil are those who "look" Black or Mulatto. This same debate is had regarding the African ancestry of Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Argentinians, Peruvians, Panamanians, Colombians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, Cubans, etc. Like good old Dr. Watson, many people in these countries claim to be, or believe themselves to be "pure" White, but they are not as White as they believe themselves to be or as White as their appearance would suggest.
Though on the one hand, this whole racial discussion is silly, tired and demeaning, on the other hand, we must talk about these issues because of the serious life consequences that race and racial dominance have on the quality of life of many Afro-Latinos. We are being discriminated against because we are Black by people who, more likely than not, are also of Black ancestry. Just as Dr. Watson aggressively espoused theories about the alleged inherent inferiority of people with African ancestry, not realising that he, himself, is of African ancestry, many of the "White" Latin Americans who discriminate against Afro-Latinos because they believe Afro-Latinos are inferior because of their African heritage. They discriminate unaware of (or intentionally choosing to disregard) the African genes coursing through their DNA.
Due to his public exposure as an Afro-Descendente, Dr. Watson will likely recant his racist theories, if only to prevent his being viewed as less intelligent than other Whites. Its amazing how quickly public exposure can force a hateful liar to come clean. Unfortunately, the Dr. Watsons of Latin America will continue their aggressive efforts to suppress Afro-Latinos and deny our existence, not withstanding their own African heritage, simply because they don't "look African" and thus, presume themselves to be "pure White". 90% of the discrimination, and persecution facing Afro-Latinos could be wiped away in an instant if everyone in Latin America was forced to take a DNA test. Until then, the charade continues.
What a crazy mess.
Alessandra
To read more about Dr. Watson's African ancestry check out:www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3022190.ece
Scientists who have evaluated Dr. Watson's DNA genome have discovered that Mr. Watson has 16 times the level of Black ancestry than does the average White person. Not only that, Dr. Watson also has significant East Asian ancestry as well. To break down the numbers, Dr. Watson was found to have a genome in which 73% of his genes reflected European ancestry. Further, 16% of the genes reflected African ancestry and 9% of the genes reflected Asian ancestry. The scientists who conducted this analysis of Dr. Watson's ancestry indicate that he most likely has a Black great-grand parent. Extrapolating that analysis, we can safely assume that he also has an Asian or Native American great-great grandparent. Does this mean that Dr. Watson should be deemed to be 25% less intelligent than the average White person? (lol) Needless to say, Dr. Watson has not yet responded to the release of information about his African and Asian heritage.
This is all very interesting, but what does this have to do with Afro-latinas you might ask? I decided to blog about this topic because I've been involved in a blog debate, on another site, with a Brasilian about the extent to which Blacks and Afro-descendentes are represented in the Brasilian population. He, like many other Brasilians, are quick to assert that only 6% of the Brasilian population is Black and that, at most, only 34% of the Brasilian population is Black or Mulatto. Using this logic, unless a person is classified as Black or Mulatto, these people attempt to wipe the genetic slate clean and thus, with a waive of their hands, any and all African ancestry in the population magically disappears. Hence the discussion of Dr. Watson's racial identity. Not withstanding Dr. Watson's relatively large degree of African ancestry, these people would deny that Dr. Watson is of African descent.
Contrary to the assertions of these deniers, DNA research reveals that at least 50% of Brasilians have Black ancestry. While it certainly is true that not every person with Black ancestry is considered to be Black in Brasil, it is certainly not true that the only people who have Black ancestry in Brasil are those who "look" Black or Mulatto. This same debate is had regarding the African ancestry of Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Argentinians, Peruvians, Panamanians, Colombians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, Cubans, etc. Like good old Dr. Watson, many people in these countries claim to be, or believe themselves to be "pure" White, but they are not as White as they believe themselves to be or as White as their appearance would suggest.
Though on the one hand, this whole racial discussion is silly, tired and demeaning, on the other hand, we must talk about these issues because of the serious life consequences that race and racial dominance have on the quality of life of many Afro-Latinos. We are being discriminated against because we are Black by people who, more likely than not, are also of Black ancestry. Just as Dr. Watson aggressively espoused theories about the alleged inherent inferiority of people with African ancestry, not realising that he, himself, is of African ancestry, many of the "White" Latin Americans who discriminate against Afro-Latinos because they believe Afro-Latinos are inferior because of their African heritage. They discriminate unaware of (or intentionally choosing to disregard) the African genes coursing through their DNA.
Due to his public exposure as an Afro-Descendente, Dr. Watson will likely recant his racist theories, if only to prevent his being viewed as less intelligent than other Whites. Its amazing how quickly public exposure can force a hateful liar to come clean. Unfortunately, the Dr. Watsons of Latin America will continue their aggressive efforts to suppress Afro-Latinos and deny our existence, not withstanding their own African heritage, simply because they don't "look African" and thus, presume themselves to be "pure White". 90% of the discrimination, and persecution facing Afro-Latinos could be wiped away in an instant if everyone in Latin America was forced to take a DNA test. Until then, the charade continues.
What a crazy mess.
Alessandra
To read more about Dr. Watson's African ancestry check out:www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3022190.ece
Monday, December 3, 2007
Venezuela: The People have Spoken
Hugo Chavez recevied some very unwelcome news today. The Venezuelan people have rejected his bid to amend the Venezuelan constitution so as to grant to himself extraordinary presidential powers. What were these powers he sought? Well, had his constitutional changes been approved, Chavez, as president of Venezuela, would have been able to run for president for an unlimited number of terms in office. Also, the length of a term in office for president would have been increased from 6 years to 7; he would have been able to declare, unilaterally,a state of emergency and end it when he deemed appropriate; allow the president to select local leaders; etc. The changes would have also created a social security type system for laborers and would have also reduced the length of the work day from 8 hours to 6.
Chavez has stated that the election results were close, and has now conceded defeat. Fortunately, no tyrannical acts on the part of the Venezuelan government, such as declaring the election void, etc., have been reported in the wake of Chavez's electorial defeat. Chavez, for his part, was very conciliatory and stated his willingness to respect the results of the election, saying that his acceptance of defeat stand as proof of his commitment to democratic ideals. He was quoted as saying: "There is no dictatorship here."
Chavez, of whom it is said claims both Afro-Latino and Indigenous descent, was elected as President of Venezuela due to overwhelming support among the poor, among whom large numbers of Afro-Venezuelans are included. Chavez had been a member of the military before he emerged as a political leader, following a coup that dislodged the former regime. Election promises offered by Chavez during his two presidential bids included a commitment to improve the quality of life for the poor of Venezuela through the redistribution of oil revenues to the people.
Though the poor, the Brown and the Black swept Chavez into office, it appears that many of them could not bring themselves to support his initiatives this time around. Chavez is reported to have acknowledged that his supporters did not turn out in the numbers he needed to win today's election. Why did the Afro-descendentes of Venezuela, and other Chavez supporters, sit out this election and leave Chavez high and dry?
Depending upon your political perspective, you probably either believe that Chavez fully intends to follow through on his election promises, albiet slowly, or, you likely believe that he is a total fraud. What is clear is that its hard to find anyone who has a neutral opinion of Hugo Chavez. For me, the jury is still out. I can totally support a politician who has risen from humble origins, promises to use his power to combat corruption, discrimination and poverty, and who is embraced by the people as one of their own. I also totally support the efforts of Afro-descendentes to serve as leaders in their countries. I don't understand, however, how the President of Venezuela can justify spending so much time traveling around the world picking fights with other world leaders, when he seemingly spends so little time doing the work that his people elected him to do such as cleaning up the crime in Venezuela.
Unfortunetly, this is a pattern that is often repeated when Black/Afro-descendentes are elected to high office, this seems to be especially true when they emerge from military backgrounds. They seem to be blinded by the glare of the spotlight of celebrity and the attention that goes along with the power they've attained. As their notoriety grows, the plight of their people often gets shunted to the back burner. They devote fewer and fewer hours to the work that has to be done to solve their domestic problems. The work they promised to do when they were campaigning for office.
There are so few Black and Afro-descendente heads of state that I hate to be critical. There is unquestionable value to having leaders who can use their positions to speak out on important issues and enhance Afro-latino visibility.. Having said that, however, the hard work that needs to be done to advance the cause can't be done in front of the tv cameras. Life is not a perpertual party nor is it a continual photo op, not if Chavez is really committed to building a better society for the disadvantaged of Venezuela. Hugo, sometimes you have to leave the party behind, go home, clean your room, eat your spinach and deal with the serious issues of life. It appears that President Chavez hasn't yet learned this lesson. hopefully the spanking that he received in today's election will be the wake-up call he needs.
While planning my trip to South America earlier this year, I had intended to include a brief stop in Caracas because I wanted to see the city with my son since we have family who emigrated from there to the US. I had to cancel my plans to visit Caracas, however, due to reports, from a variety of credible sources, of the extremely high crime rates and danger to tourists. Although I would be willing to risk the chance of going there if I were going alone, I could not justify endangering my son in that way. It is absolute insanity that in Chavez hasn't found a workable solution to this problem yet. There is no reason that people should be hijacked traveling from the airport into Caracas as apparently happens every day. What's the use of having power if the power is not going to be used to serve the people? I am very well aware that Hugo Chavez can't solve all of Venezuela's problems alone, but he's had power for nearly a decade now. If not now, WHEN can the Venezuelan people expect to see some real and practical results from president Chavez?
Well, some say Chavez has secured the interests of the disadvantaged in Venezuela by embracing socialism. I honestly can't name one socialist country where Blacks and Afro-descendentes are thriving. While things aren't perfect for Blacks in the US, we at least have political power. For this reason, I don't think that socialism is a wise choice for Afro-descendentes, irrespective upon which continent we find ourselves. Life has shown me that any political structure that consolidates power in the hands of a few elites who are given power to act in the "best interests of all" will eventually become corrupt and that such systems invariably keep Blacks at the bottom of the society.
Even Cuba, the socialist's model country, is pervasively racist. While it may be true that Black Cubans have more rights today than they had under the Batista regime (an Afro-descendente, by the way), they don't have a visible presence, other than in sports, and are relatively poweress in Cuba... 50 years after the revolution.
During my recent trip to Salvador, Bahia, Brasil this summer for a conference, I met Carlos Moore, an Afro-Cuban of Jamaican origin, who relayed to me a harrowing tale of his life as a Black man in Cuba who sought to claim his rights he was told the revolution secured for himself and other Afro-Cubans. As I recall the conversation, Carlos asserted that he and several other Blacks requested a meeting with Castro to discuss the plight of Blacks in their neighborhood. They believed that they were entitled to a better quality of life and more of a say in how they were governed. According to Carlos, the Cuban authorities were very offended that Black people dared to question the failure of the "revolution" to live up to its promises of equality. He says that he faced much persecution. He says that he had to flee the country in secrecy, and spent numerous years living in limbo in France. All the while, Moore claims that the Cuban government continued its efforts to silence him through the revocation of his passport, the imposition of diplomatic pressure on France to deport him, plots to kidnap him, assassination attempts and the like.
While I fully support the right of the Cuban people to select any form of government they choose, I've always found it interesting that in Castro's Cuba, the public face of the government is nearly always a White one. Black Cubans are reportedly not permitted to work at tourist hotels because the European tourists don't want to have to deal with them. I was shocked to learn recently that Cuba had a level of Jim Crow like racial segregation inits history that rivaled our own.
So, should Afro-Venezuelans support Chavez's movement toward Socialism? Only they can decide. Somehow I think, however, that by today's vote, the people have spoken loudly and clearly.
To Read More about the Venezuelan Elections visit USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-12-02-venezuela-consitution_N.htm
Chavez has stated that the election results were close, and has now conceded defeat. Fortunately, no tyrannical acts on the part of the Venezuelan government, such as declaring the election void, etc., have been reported in the wake of Chavez's electorial defeat. Chavez, for his part, was very conciliatory and stated his willingness to respect the results of the election, saying that his acceptance of defeat stand as proof of his commitment to democratic ideals. He was quoted as saying: "There is no dictatorship here."
Chavez, of whom it is said claims both Afro-Latino and Indigenous descent, was elected as President of Venezuela due to overwhelming support among the poor, among whom large numbers of Afro-Venezuelans are included. Chavez had been a member of the military before he emerged as a political leader, following a coup that dislodged the former regime. Election promises offered by Chavez during his two presidential bids included a commitment to improve the quality of life for the poor of Venezuela through the redistribution of oil revenues to the people.
Though the poor, the Brown and the Black swept Chavez into office, it appears that many of them could not bring themselves to support his initiatives this time around. Chavez is reported to have acknowledged that his supporters did not turn out in the numbers he needed to win today's election. Why did the Afro-descendentes of Venezuela, and other Chavez supporters, sit out this election and leave Chavez high and dry?
Depending upon your political perspective, you probably either believe that Chavez fully intends to follow through on his election promises, albiet slowly, or, you likely believe that he is a total fraud. What is clear is that its hard to find anyone who has a neutral opinion of Hugo Chavez. For me, the jury is still out. I can totally support a politician who has risen from humble origins, promises to use his power to combat corruption, discrimination and poverty, and who is embraced by the people as one of their own. I also totally support the efforts of Afro-descendentes to serve as leaders in their countries. I don't understand, however, how the President of Venezuela can justify spending so much time traveling around the world picking fights with other world leaders, when he seemingly spends so little time doing the work that his people elected him to do such as cleaning up the crime in Venezuela.
Unfortunetly, this is a pattern that is often repeated when Black/Afro-descendentes are elected to high office, this seems to be especially true when they emerge from military backgrounds. They seem to be blinded by the glare of the spotlight of celebrity and the attention that goes along with the power they've attained. As their notoriety grows, the plight of their people often gets shunted to the back burner. They devote fewer and fewer hours to the work that has to be done to solve their domestic problems. The work they promised to do when they were campaigning for office.
There are so few Black and Afro-descendente heads of state that I hate to be critical. There is unquestionable value to having leaders who can use their positions to speak out on important issues and enhance Afro-latino visibility.. Having said that, however, the hard work that needs to be done to advance the cause can't be done in front of the tv cameras. Life is not a perpertual party nor is it a continual photo op, not if Chavez is really committed to building a better society for the disadvantaged of Venezuela. Hugo, sometimes you have to leave the party behind, go home, clean your room, eat your spinach and deal with the serious issues of life. It appears that President Chavez hasn't yet learned this lesson. hopefully the spanking that he received in today's election will be the wake-up call he needs.
While planning my trip to South America earlier this year, I had intended to include a brief stop in Caracas because I wanted to see the city with my son since we have family who emigrated from there to the US. I had to cancel my plans to visit Caracas, however, due to reports, from a variety of credible sources, of the extremely high crime rates and danger to tourists. Although I would be willing to risk the chance of going there if I were going alone, I could not justify endangering my son in that way. It is absolute insanity that in Chavez hasn't found a workable solution to this problem yet. There is no reason that people should be hijacked traveling from the airport into Caracas as apparently happens every day. What's the use of having power if the power is not going to be used to serve the people? I am very well aware that Hugo Chavez can't solve all of Venezuela's problems alone, but he's had power for nearly a decade now. If not now, WHEN can the Venezuelan people expect to see some real and practical results from president Chavez?
Well, some say Chavez has secured the interests of the disadvantaged in Venezuela by embracing socialism. I honestly can't name one socialist country where Blacks and Afro-descendentes are thriving. While things aren't perfect for Blacks in the US, we at least have political power. For this reason, I don't think that socialism is a wise choice for Afro-descendentes, irrespective upon which continent we find ourselves. Life has shown me that any political structure that consolidates power in the hands of a few elites who are given power to act in the "best interests of all" will eventually become corrupt and that such systems invariably keep Blacks at the bottom of the society.
Even Cuba, the socialist's model country, is pervasively racist. While it may be true that Black Cubans have more rights today than they had under the Batista regime (an Afro-descendente, by the way), they don't have a visible presence, other than in sports, and are relatively poweress in Cuba... 50 years after the revolution.
During my recent trip to Salvador, Bahia, Brasil this summer for a conference, I met Carlos Moore, an Afro-Cuban of Jamaican origin, who relayed to me a harrowing tale of his life as a Black man in Cuba who sought to claim his rights he was told the revolution secured for himself and other Afro-Cubans. As I recall the conversation, Carlos asserted that he and several other Blacks requested a meeting with Castro to discuss the plight of Blacks in their neighborhood. They believed that they were entitled to a better quality of life and more of a say in how they were governed. According to Carlos, the Cuban authorities were very offended that Black people dared to question the failure of the "revolution" to live up to its promises of equality. He says that he faced much persecution. He says that he had to flee the country in secrecy, and spent numerous years living in limbo in France. All the while, Moore claims that the Cuban government continued its efforts to silence him through the revocation of his passport, the imposition of diplomatic pressure on France to deport him, plots to kidnap him, assassination attempts and the like.
While I fully support the right of the Cuban people to select any form of government they choose, I've always found it interesting that in Castro's Cuba, the public face of the government is nearly always a White one. Black Cubans are reportedly not permitted to work at tourist hotels because the European tourists don't want to have to deal with them. I was shocked to learn recently that Cuba had a level of Jim Crow like racial segregation inits history that rivaled our own.
So, should Afro-Venezuelans support Chavez's movement toward Socialism? Only they can decide. Somehow I think, however, that by today's vote, the people have spoken loudly and clearly.
To Read More about the Venezuelan Elections visit USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-12-02-venezuela-consitution_N.htm
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