En una esfuerza para comprender mejor las experiencias del grupo etnico, afrolatinos, abrimos una serie de preguntas dirigidas a nuestra comunidad local de afrolatinos para que puedan hablar sobre sus pensamientos y experiencias como miembros de la comunidad de primera mano. Estas son las respuestas que obtuvimos:
Q: As someone who is Afro-Latino (of both Black and Latin American heritage), how do you feel your culture has shaped you?
A(1): Ali’yana Carreon: I feel like it has shaped me to be more comfortable with myself. The mix of both cultures in my life has made me want to be more expressive and proud of myself! It has made me curious about my history, and more educated on it. It’s a way of life for me.
A(2): Amaya Allen: I’ve been given a wider scope of the world and have more perspectives about cultures than others do. Given that I live in San Antonio, I’ve definitely taken shape with my hispanic side more even though I am Panamanian and not Mexican. But that doesn’t cancel out my blackness that only makes me more unique among my peers.
A(3): Janelle Patterson: Having different cultures definitely expands my views on the world. Being both black and Mexican, you see examples of how very different types of people can come together in similar ways. Especially for me being in high school, my culture has helped me too meet many different people and connect with them on different levels. My culture has also set me up with many life skills that can help to benefit my future, as well as others around me that may feel they cannot express themselves the way I am fortunately able to.
Q: What do you love most about your heritage?
A(1): Ali’yana Carreon: I love the closeness of family, and values. Both cultures are so intent on kin and high moral value, which has impacted my life positively.
A(2): Amaya Allen: Mainly I can laugh at both Hispanic AND black memes 😎
But in all reality, I love that I have so much more to discover about myself from music, dance, and traditional wear; I can mix and match to express myself as me.
A(3): Janelle Patterson: I love the creative aspect of my heritage. I am a person who is very fond of music and the arts, so the ability to be apart of and learn about something so complex and intricate is the thing I love most.
Q: What is something you wish more people knew about your heritage?
A(1): Ali’yana Carreon: I wish more people knew our history. There’s so much that’s left out or not even talked about, and I think that more people should be educated on our heritage, since it’s such a beautiful thing.
A(2): Amaya Allen: That I am not solely one or the other, but I am all of both. To bar me from one heritage, you bar me from my family and lineage.
A(3): Janelle Patterson: I wish more people knew about the Origins of my heritage. I definitely wish more people would dive deeper into the roots of where my culture and different cultures come from. This could also give deeper connection and feelings to different cultures.
Para concluir, aunque el Mes de la Historia Negra ya ha pasado, es importante reconocer y respetar los complejos antecedentes culturales de todos. Mientras el linaje de alguien puede ser único para usted, la complejidad es una parte hermosa y maravillosa de todos.