This week we are talking about Afrolatinos and latinos in the U.S. We talk about how the afrolatinidad isn’t report. We’re also sharing a report produced by Retro Report on immigration. On this, we cover how the narrative of immigration has being used over and over in the State of California to promote radical policy.
Transcript: Hello everyone, welcome to Afrosaya. I’m Alex and today in our program we will talk about immigration and how it is reflected when it comes to understand afrolatinos.
We have an audio produced by Retro Report a non-profit organization. The audio which is also a video available to you for free at retroreport.org so this audio is about immigration. The documentary is calledTrump’s immigration Rhetoric Echoes and Bitter fight in the 90’s.
Now just to point out about afrolatinos, there is a huge gap in different reports. For example, when it comes to understand Latino immigrant in this country for many people is very easy to say “oh Mexicans or Central Americans”, but I always wonder what characteristics people use to refer an immigrant from either Mexico or Central America. I wonder if people just think oh he or she looks brown or his or her indigenous characteristic, but as an afrolatino immigrant what does that even mean? The Mexican community is very diverse and to understand Latinos coming to the USA we have to start looking from a difference lens.
As a black Latino I don’t have a change to report my ethnic background. The news and the big news corporation don’t even talk about us. Now immigration is a very sensitive topic in this country and I am trying to learn and trying to understand both sides. One side that opposes to undocumented immigrants and their rights and the other side that supports undocumented immigrant in this country.
So, backing up a little bit on the Afro Latinos. In the U.S. if you speak Spanish or if you are coming from a Latin American country for the system you are either Latino, Hispanic or non-white Hispanic. I have troubles trying to understand those categories. I could say, well if I am Latino what does that mean? Latino means that I have the right to claim my indigenous routs? If I am Hispanic that means that I am descendant from the Spanish people. What about my Afrolatinidad? My mother routs had no connection with indigenous blood as a result I can’t be Latino…? If my mother or my dad didn’t have any connection with the Spanish colonization that means I am not Hispanic right? So, what am I.
The afrolatino terms is complex, but somehow, I am better with that label than just being Latino or Hispanic.
The report that you could access throughout the internet will show you Latinos, brown people but not black Latinos. And that’s a misrepresentation of the Latino community. So, I am looking forward to continuing learning and exploring more about the term, because as you could be confused I am as well. However, we both could learn something.
Now changing a little bit of the topic over here. I want to make emphasis on the documentary produced by Retro Report. Retro Report is a non-profit organization and they cover different topics and as they cover different areas I found an interesting documentary about immigration and the new narrative about immigrant in this country. As you all know, we have a president that is very vocal about undocumented immigrant and recently about documented immigrants or Green Card holders. But I want to share with you all this documentary. It is only 6 minutes and we will come back to make some final analysis.
