Must-Watch: A Needed Conversation Among Afro-Latinx and African Americans on Anti-Blackness

Feb 21, 2019
4:42 PM

The Grapevine, an independent YouTube panel style discussion show, focused its most recent episode on the relationship between the Black and Latinx community. Because of the show’s “fresh and innovative” approach which allows for more intimate discussions, the panel gave room for a rich and open dialogue that pushed the envelope.

“This is not a new conversation, and many people have died in our respective countries to affirm blackness, to fight against what’s happening,” said Janel Martinez, founder of Ain’t I Latina, during the discussion. “We also need to be realistic in that this is over 30 countries.”

With over 10 panelists sitting in a long table, facing one another, the conversation focused on diverse topics from the tensions between the Latinx and Black American community, denial of blackness within the Afro-Latinx community, anti-blackness against Afro-Latinx from white Latinx, and past and present solidarity. The panelists also spoke about Cardi B, Amara La Negra, and some nuances within different Latin American and Caribbean countries.

“Cuba is the preservation of so many black things and culture, and everybody there is very proud to be black, but who gets the attention nationally? Who gets the international attention, it’s only those white people,” said TaDeo Asojano, a dancer born in Venezuela to Dominican parents.

Towards the end, the show’s host Ashley Akunna said “we gotta have a part two” that she said should look at the prevalent influence of African culture in Latin America

We’re certainly looking forward to it.

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Amanda Alcántara is the Digital Media Editor at Futuro Media. She tweets from @YoSoy_Amanda.