– Afro-Panamanians are Panamanians of African descent, and constitute 15% of the population. The Afro-Panamanian population can be broken into the “Afro-Colonial”, Afro-Panamanians descended from slaves brought to Panama during the colonial period and the “Afro-Antillean“, West Indian immigrants from Trinidad, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Grenada, Barbados and Jamaica, brought in to build the Panama Canal.-…
EL PALO
-Yazmerlin Rodriguez- “Ay qué palo mama, que palito. Ay qué palo mama, que palito. A mi me gusta bailar pegaito, a mi me gusta bailar pegaito.” Mama Africa although it seems your children have forgotten you, tonight we feel your spirit in the hypnotizing melody of your song. Let every beat of drums bring us…
LandishaBeauty: Discussing the LGBTQ & the Afro-Latina identity
“I drive to represent anyone like me, anyone who has ever felt not accepted or felt like an outcast because of who they are, or how they dress, or who they choose to love. And I also strive to show not only people like me but everyone that it’s okay to be different and it’s…
Afro-Peruvian Vibes: La Sangre Llama
By Cindy Aguilar – These were the terms of endearment my family has for me; Negrita, morena, morenetus (made up word by my favorite aunt). How could you ever think you are something different with nicknames like these?! I grew up to these names. The best part is that every single word is…
Brown Sugar & Canela
By Keyanna Gotay- Growing up as a young girl, I never thought of myself any different from others. That changed when my family and I moved down south from New York. Besides people constantly asking where I was from because of my then New York accent, people couldn’t seem to wrap their mind around the…
AM I AFRO-LATINA ENOUGH?
Afro- Latina speaks community of empowering individuals. It represents a culture of those who Celebrate traditions that deeply root back to the motherland. It signifies the rich Sounds of our ancestors who carried the musical rhythms of Africa with them. It preserves our expression of dance, songs, religion and literature with a Latin twist without neglecting our African roots. It crosses barriers from SudaAmerica to Centroamerica along to the coast of Puerto Rico. It flows through all facets…
Fetishizing My Heritage Isn’t Okay, It’s Offensive
By Kayla B —It caught me off guard, but just like the numerous times before, the story ended the same. Girl meets boy, boy finds out girl is part Latina, boy sexualizes girl, girl kicks boy to the curb. Back when I was single (during my college years) I loved to date. As a woman…
The Hangout with HarmoniCurls: Afro-Latina Beauty Vlogger
The creative project AfroinSanJuan documents some of the most unique, organic and refreshing women living in Puerto Rico. Each Afro beauty has her own story or voice behind her image. The photography is so creatively intriguing you want to know more. When Afro-Latina Vlogger Harmonicurls was featured I automatically clicked to her content because it was…
Not Just A Label; Paola Aragon Brown
It was during my college career that I officially heard the term Afro Latina, weird right? I guess I was a late bloomer. Born to Afro Colombian parents, they never quite emphasized on the fact that we were Afro Colombians, we were just Colombian. It has been my observation, as I have dissected…
My Afrolatinidad; Angeline Alcalá
#IAmEnough asked me to write about my “Afro-Latinidad“; once I started, every-thing started to flow out of me in parts and it became a collection of sorts, like a sacred project. I said of course, because this is sort of newly discovered /confirmed and a huge part of who I am. This is so empowering…
Reclaiming My Identity; Jenay Wright
I look at beautiful brown people as they walk pass me as they talk and laugh, they look just like me. Shopping in soho, with their beautiful brown skin and bright smiles while the sun shinned so bright on their melanated color. They wear blackness so bold and so confident. I looked back at my reflection…
A Cultural Fusion: From Colombia to Ghana
In the shoes of a wanderlust traveler, stepping onto new grounds is a life-changing experience. It’s a new chapter unfolding in front of you. This expedition opens doors to new people, deep explorations , new concepts, tasting new cuisines and adapting to a new culture and environment. For people like me who sometimes can’t always travel to these places by thereselves we…
