As a Black Latina, Where Do I Count?
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When the U.S. Census recently reported that Latinos had replaced African Americans as the largest minority in the United States, I wondered, "How can I replace myself?"
I'm a Black Latina. My mother is a Black Nicaraguan and my father is African American. Where do these demographic shifts leave me, when at times I see myself as Black and at other times I feel more Latina?
I have many relatives who are just like me, Black and Nicaraguan. My cousins and I grew up in a Black neighborhood in East Palo Alto, Calif., playing with Black and Mexican kids. At the same time, we kept our Nicoyan (Nicaraguan) customs in our homes. From the stereo there were always sounds of Soca music -- a fast-paced style similar to reggae -- inter-mixed with old country music artists like Charlie Pride and Patsy Cline. Nicaraguans love old country music.
Even the food was saturated in my mother's culture. We ate rice and beans cooked in coconut milk, and Rundown -- a soup made with fried fish, cassava and green banana. We spoke Creole -- a dialect of English and French, created from a mix of British and Black Caribbean influences. It sounds the same way a Jamaican person would talk, but without the heavy accent.
There were always two cultural roles we had to play. While my family defined me as Latina, my friends kept me Black. When our Black friends came over, my cousins and I would talk slang with them, saying "hey, whass up rouge," or, "Girl, yo man look hurt!" My mom would make fun of us, mimicking the greeting "Whass up blood!" with her Nicoyan accent.
Racism from a fellow immigrant feels even worse than from a white American. | ||||
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