Searching for the Afro-Latinx Community Identity
Zihui Lei | Mario Giraldo | California State University Northridge
Who Are Afro-Latinxs?
Afro-Latinxs are Latin Americans of African descent.
This definition seems clear and easy, however, for how long has identity been considered from the people of U.S.?
It was not until 2000 that the U.S. Census Bureau allowed people to identify themselves with more than one race/ethnicity.
Nevertheless, only 4.7% of Californians marked more than one race.
Pew Research Center reported in 2016 that only 18% of Afro-Latinxs identified their race or one of their races as black. In fact, 39% of Afro-Latinxs identified themselves as white, 24% volunteered that their race was Hispanic, and 9% identified as mixed race.
What makes it hard for Afro-Latinxs to identify themselves?
- The U.S. Census Bureau’s classification of Hispanic identity: census survey forms have described “Hispanic” as an ethnic origin, not a race.
- Until recently, most Latin American countries did not collect official statistics on ethnicity or race, especially from populations with African origins.
- Unawareness of racial affirmation from families, communities, or schools.
- The colorism system that allots privileges or disadvantages on the basis of the lightness and darkness of skin color.
"To be Afro-Latine, in America, is to feel like you don’t fit in anywhere. You’re not black enough, you’re not Puerto Rican enough. To be Afro-Latine is to be salsa and hip-hop, bachata and reggae, rice and beans and collard greens, papito and homeboy. Afro-Latine is important because we exist. It is what we are and our identities rest in reflecting on who we come from, especially in the United States, where we are never represented." -- Victor (Puerto Rican/Guatemalan)
Origins of the Mix-identity
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
The trans-Atlantic slave trade was the largest long-distance forced movement of people in recorded history. Over 12 million African people were enslaved from the sixteenth to the late nineteenth century.
Embarkation Regions
Most enslaved Africans were acquired along the Atlantic African coast. European traders kidnapped African or developed slave trade partnerships with African leaders along the West and Central African coast and claimed a monopoly over these relationships.
Disembarkation Regions
Estimated 10% to 19% of the enslaved Africans forced into the Middle Passage across the Atlantic died due to rough conditions on slave ships.
Those who survived were transported to the Americas and bought and sold primarily by European and Euro-American slaveholders as private property used for their labor and skills.
Number of Traded Slaves, by Ship Nationality
The Portuguese dominated the early trans-Atlantic slave trade on the African coast in the sixteenth century. Other European nations first gained access to enslaved Africans through privateering Portuguese ships rather than through direct trade.
Privateering generated a market interest in the trans-Atlantic slave trade across European colonies in the Americas. Spanish, Dutch, British, and French eventually started their direct slave trade. By the eighteenth century, the trans-Atlantic slave trade reached its trafficking peak.
Hierarchically Racial System
Palenque
"Palenque" is a wooden structure and walled community of only runaway enslaved Africans.
Palenque Communities in Colombia during 1500s, 1600s, and 1700s
The most well-known Palenque is San Basilio de Palenque. It is the first official "free town" for Africans in the Americas.
Benkos Biohó was the founder of San Basilio de Palenque.
In 1599, Benkos Biohó escaped from his captor, along with his family and several of his peers. They took refuge in a community with a palisade. During the following years, they resisted armed attacks by the Spanish and freed enslaved Africans from Cartagena and the passing boats.
However, Benkos was seized in 1619; and two years later, on March 16, 1621, he was hanged on charges of contempt for authority and of continuation to raising slaves.
In 1714, the community obtained recognition of its autonomy and claimed Benkos Biohó as its founder: San Basilio de Palenque.
Photographer Richard Cross captured images of living conditions in San Basilio de Palenque in 1970s. These images illustrated laborious life in San Basilio de Palenque, alongside the resilience of its residents.
Life in San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia (1975-1978)
A Journey for a New Identity
Changó, el gran putas (1983)
Construction of the African diaspora that spans more than five hundred years of history while simultaneously upending Western worldviews as they apply to space and time can be found in the novel of the Afro-Latin Colombian writer Manuel Zapata Olivella. His most remarkable historical novel, Changó, el gran putas, can be read as the journey of Africans to Americas through which Afro-Latinx identity is built.
Manuel Zapata Olivella (1920-2004) is known as the “Dean of Black Literature” and is considered one of the most important Afro-Hispanic novelists in 20th century.
Manuel's Own Afro-Latinx Literally Journey
Manuel Zapata Olivella was born in Lorica in 1920 and raised up in Cartagena.
In 1939, Manuel moved to the capital to pursue medical studies at the Universidad de Bogotá.
During the hiatus of medical school, Manuel traveled extensively throughout Latin America, the United States, and Europe. During these explorations, he developed an anthropological eye and became aware of issues that would later provide material for many of his works. Traveling in the United States in 1946 was a particularly relevant influence; because he witnessed racial segregation and discrimination, which raised his interest in the study of race relations in the Americas.
Literature Achievements
Manuel created 19 works of literature in his life, some of which won literary awards around the world. France named Manuel as the "Gentleman of the Order of Arts and Letters" in 1995.
Three of his works were published in English, including Chambacú: Black Slum (1989) and Changó, The Biggest Baddass (2010) translated by Jonathan Tittler, and A Saint is Born in Chimá (1991) translated by Thomas E. Kooreman.
From Mythology to Reality
Changó, el gran putas tells stories
Afro-Latinx identity has a mythological origin in Africa.
The inhuman sufferings of enslaved Africans in Northern South America was a punishment from Chango, the God of thunder, but also an opportunity for spiritual self discovery.
From Mythology to Reality
The wars of independence to achieve freedom
From Mythology to Reality
Political independence make us slaves once more, until the new heroes fight for civil rights.
Afro-Latinx Mix-identity in 21st Century
Population of Afro-Latinx In Latin Americas
Afro-descendants in Latin America, in thousands
Population of Afro-Latinx In the U.S.
According to Pew Research Center:
In 2016, one-quarter of all U.S. Latinxs self-identify as Afro-Latinx.
65% of Afro-Latinxs are concentrated on the East Coast and in the South, while only 48% of other Latinxs live in those regions.
Currently, most recent Afro-Latinxs in the U.S. are immigrants from Latin American countries from the mid-1970s. 70% of Afro-Latinxs are foreign born, while 52% are among other Latinxs.
Living with One's Own Culture
Historical and Cultural Contributions
Afro-Latino Travels with Kim Haas is a cultural travel series that celebrates the cultural achievements of Afro-Latinxs. Kim Haas explores history, art, music, dance, cuisine education, sports, and environmental conservation that African descendants brought to Latin America.
The latest episode to Limón told historical story that Jamaicans, Afro-Latinxs, and other Caribbean islanders played in the construction of the country’s railroad more than a century ago. The railroad was used for the fruit trade, which was integral to Limon’s early economy. Cultural stories in Limón include a Jamaican inspired seafood stew called "rondón," an Afro-Caribbean music style called "Calypso," and dancing styles from African tribes that inspires young Costa Ricans.
Music as a Form of Identity
Kombilesa Mí is a Colombian hip hop group from San Basilio de Palenque, who sought solidarity, resistance, struggle and preservation of their traditions as people of Palenque.
The sound of Kombilesa Mí is based on traditional rhythms such as the Sexteto, the Mapale, the bulleregue, and the chalusonga fusing them with Hip Hop creating new sonorities and contemporary musical expressions. The lyrics are in both Palenque Language and Spanish.
Can this form of identity inform SoCal Afro-Latinx?
Food as a Form of Identity
Desserts are my identity!
Everlinda Salgado Herrera is proud to be a Palenquera from San Basilio de Palenque. Like her mother and grandmother, she sells several sugary delights, such as cocadas, alegría, and caballitos.
Legend has it that, after abolition, residents named a delicious, coconut-laden treat “alegría” to honor the sweet taste of freedom.
Palenque In SoCal
There is an opportunity to use SCAG collected data to understand Afro-Latinx identity in SoCal.
Challenges and Discrimination
According to Pew Research Center, those who identify as Afro-Latinx are more likely to have lower household incomes and at the same time are less likely to have some college education compared to other Latinx.
"I have been told to stay out of the sun so that I don’t get darker (although I’m pretty light most of the time in NY, I can get very golden bronze). I’ve been told to straighten my hair to look more white and also to not wear bright lipstick because my lips are too big." -- An Afro-Latina conveyed how her racial features were monitored by her family members.
The current U.S. Census Bureau fails to record demographic data for Afro-Latinx due to their race/ethnic classification. There is no way for us to point out Afro-Latinx communities with absolute confidence.
What about considering both Black-Majority communities and Latino-Majority communities as possible Palenque (Afro-Latinx communities) in Southern California? Let's take a closer look.
Black-Majority Communities
Communities consist of more than 50% of Black population.
Latino-Majority Communities
Communities consist of more than 50% of Latino population
Possible Palenque
Communities consist of more than 50% of Black or Latino population. Most of these communities are located within Los Angeles County.
Median Household Income in Possible Palenque
The average median household income in possible Palenque was $46,972 in 2016, which was significantly lower than the median household income of the entire state of California ($67,739) or the U.S. ($57,617) in the same year.
Possible Palenque (Left)
SB 535 Disadvantaged Areas (Right)
“Disadvantaged communities” was designated by CalEPA for the purpose of SB 535. These have been designated using the CalEnviroScreen 3.0 screening methodology, which helps identify California communities that are disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution.
Possible Palenque located within Disadvantaged Areas
89% of residents in possible Palenque are living within SB 535 Disadvantaged Areas, which places them at serious risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease.
Healthy Place Index in Possible Palenque
Healthy Place Index (HPI) is composed of diverse non-medical economic, social, political and environmental factors that influence physical and cognitive function, behavior and disease. Higher the HPI better the living environment.
The average HPI across possible Palenque is only 23.68. Only three communities are ranked more than 75 among possible Palenque.
Food Access in Possible Palenque
Food access includes the percentage of the urban population residing less than 1/2 mile or the percentage of the rural population living less than 1 mile from a supermarket/large grocery store.
The average food accessibility across possible Palenque is 60%. Without good food accessibility, households would face the challenge of not getting enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members.
Park Access in Possible Palenque
Park accessibility includes a percentage of population living within a half-mile of a park, open space, or beach.
The average park accessibility across possible Palenque is 69%. Higher park accessibility can benefit health conditions for residents.
Tree Coverage in Possible Palenque
Tree coverage includes population-weighted percentage of census tract area with tree canopy coverage.
The average tree coverage across possible Palenque is only 4%, compared to California’s urban tree canopy covers 19% of the state's urban areas.
Where can the SCAG data help address social issues in SoCal?
Based on Census data, "Black" is African Americans without other race/ethnicity backgrounds.
"Latino" includes all Latinx of different races.
