Her Voice: Latina Is Not The New Black...
With Black History Month coming to an end, I got to thinking more and more about my own blackness and how often it is questioned. Challenged even.
Everything from my being asked overtly offensive questions like, "What makes you think you're Black?" to the subtle ways that popular television often pits "Latinas" and "Black Girls" against one another as if we cannot be one in the same. It's upsetting.
Even now, when we are seeing an increase of Afro-Latinx representation out there, it somehow still confuses and/or surprises folks. So, I'm hoping to clear some of this up, once and for all:
Latina is not the new Black. We've been here… AND… we've been Black!
To better understand this position, there are a few things we should discuss upfront.
First, Latinidad is not a race.
It is an ethnicity, a pan-ethnicity at that. This means that it is an umbrella under which other ethnic groups are lumped together (some of whom don't have much more in common with one another than who their colonizer was… but that's a point I'll come back to later). In the United States, at least for the purpose of Census identification, Latinos can identify as ethnically Latino, but are still required to choose a race. In fact, the U.S. Census website clearly states that, "People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be of any race."
The racial categories that they offer for choice are as follows: White; Black or African American; American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
So, why choose Black, you ask?
Well, it might help you to understand that I am 38 years of age, born in 1980. So, just think, two years after my birth, the nation dealt with the complicated race questions raised by Susie Guillory Phipps, a self-identified White woman who was told that she was Black because she had 3/32 Negro blood and, well, we know how the U.S. feels about that one-drop rule! In fact, the New York Times article that chronicled the conundrum explained that "the state has traced her geneology back 222 years, to a black slave named Margarita, Mrs. Phipps's great-great-great-great grandmother. The great-great-great-great grandfather was a white planter named John Gregoire Guillory. Louisiana law since 1970 has held that if a person has one thirty-second 'Negro blood,' the person is black. Before 1970, 'a trace' of Negro ancestry made a person black in the eyes of the state."
And, since race tends not to be looked at as state-specific, you can imagine that the same ideology extends across the nation. So, given the mix of European, African, and indigenous blood that makes up Latinos, one might say that the nation chose for me.
Still, if that combined with a picture of my very dark complected Puerto Rican grandmother wasn't enough to give me some clue as to where I came from, I ran my DNA and got the following breakdown: 5% Middle Eastern, 10% Native American, 26% European/Caucasian, 28% Iberian (a descendant of what they once considered Southern Spain and Northern Africa), and 31% African. That means that approximately one-third of my personage is of African descent, far outweighing the Phipps rule.
It's so logically my truth, that I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I didn't always know it.
I mean, let's face it, growing up in NY public schools in the 1980s meant that "people of color" were mentioned almost exclusively in talks of the Civil Rights Movement, MLK, and Jim Crow. There was no mention of Latinos, the African diaspora, or slaughtered indigenous populations. The whole year was largely about European "discoveries" and "Conquistadors," until February came. Then it was Black History, which was basically made synonymous with African American history, with little explanation of who that included, for a short month (with a winter recess in the middle).
Looking back now at pictures of the Jim Crow era, I'm reminded that the signs most often divided the country into "White" and "Colored" or "White" and anyone else. So, I guess it was always pretty clear where we fell. But given how infrequently Latinos were encouraged to embrace their Blackness, I felt almost like I had no right to claim that as my history. So I struggled.
It makes sense when you think of the complicated racial confusion faced by the people of this pan-ethnic group.
Even our description is Eurocentric as illustrated by the creation of the Spanish-influenced "Hispanic" category in the 1970s and now the popular use of the Italian-influenced term "Latino." And, if the verbiage isn't enough to leave you stumped, the category itself encompasses groups from dozens of different countries made up of many different types of people and few scholars can even agree on an exhaustive list of who and where. As previously mentioned, we are united mostly by the fact that we were all, at one time, colonized by Spain. This gives us a common language and the African/Indigenous/Spanish trifecta that has come to define us (though to a differing degree depending on the region).
Isn't that interesting and unique, when you think about it?
Consider Jamaicans and Haitians for a minute. Jamaicans were colonized by the British but we would probably never lump them with the Welsh or the Irish simply because they were all at one time colonies of England, anymore than we would lump Haitians in with French Indonesians, because they once "belonged" to France. Yet, somehow, it made sense for Latinos to be lumped together under the umbrella of who colonized our islands and countries. I'm not complaining about it, but it is certainly curious, don't you think?
Add to that the complexity of my parents, in particular, being from Puerto Rico. PR is a commonwealth, as are Kentucky, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. However, in exchange for a few tax breaks, Puerto Rico was kept from the right to vote for president and is not considered a state but its people are citizens. Okay, I admit that this is a bit of an oversimplification, but you have to admit that this whole thing is also just a bit of a mess. Puerto Ricans are Americans with African ancestry but not African Americans? Right, because we speak Spanish so we are Latinos which somehow makes more sense. Got it (sarcasm).
Now please, don't get me wrong. Just because I know that race and ethnicity are somewhat messy, socially constructed labels do not mean that I don't wear each of mine with pride. I am so very proud of being a Latina in the same way that I am proud to be a woman while fully recognizing that gender is another messy, socially constructed label with many limitations that don't make a lot of sense. I embrace them all because there is a pride that comes from the culture and triumphs of the groups through which we identify. And the hormones and genes that we carry and share and the legacy and unity of strength with which they infuse me.
I just refuse to subscribe to the idea that my claiming my Blackness is somehow synonymous with my denouncing my Latinidad.
I will feel free to celebrate every aspect of me in all of its glory. I am a spiritual and creative manifestation of God, incarnated as a strong, Black Latina, a Nuyorican woman proud of every piece of who she is and what she brings.
*Article originally published on Life Coach Dr. Dee
xoNecole is always looking for new voices and empowering stories to add to our platform. If you have an interesting story or personal essay that you'd love to share, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us at submissons@xonecole.com
Dinorah Nieves has a PhD in Sociology and is a certified life coach. She is a creative and spiritual being who helps others identify and address thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that may be getting in their way.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Stress Awareness Month: Sneaky Workplace Triggers Affecting Black Women, And How To Cope
We all know about the major stress triggers of everyday life, from relationship woes to monthly bills to unexpected emergencies, but there are small, subtle triggers that impact Black women in a big way, especially when it comes to work. It’s good to be aware of these sneaky stressors in order to maximize your day and find ways to incorporate solutions into your self-care routines.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables. And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
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How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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Featured image by Charday Penn/Getty Images