Black Thoughts (The Unplublished Papers)

[Knowledge As Supreme]

BLACK THOUGHTS: A Political Ideological Perspective for Afro Latinos
Part IV: Voice of the Voiceless

By: Kevin Alberto Sabio

I had recently gone out to a Latino heritage festival out
here in my new home state of Virginia. Being that this is
Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month, I had decided to come out and
represent my Honduran heritage at this festival; one of the few
opportunities that I have to not be the quintessential `angry black
male', and get to relax and let my hair down, so to speak. I wore my
paraphernalia (hat and wristbands) promoting my Honduran heritage,
even buying a jersey with the Honduran flag on it at the festival
when I finally arrived. The festival itself was quite nice; not
really being on the scale that I'm used to being from New York, but
it was still entertaining and enjoyable. The only downer was getting
asked the same stupid question from those who dared to ask…

Are you really from Honduras?

No…I'm wearing all of this blue-and-white because it brings out the
color of my eyes…

It was quite troubling for me to experience this (yet again).
Another Latino festival has come and gone…and yet another missed
opportunity for Latinos' African roots to be shown and celebrated.
It was funny because even the vendor who had sold me the jersey (who
also happened to be Honduran) questioned me as to where I was from.
Many assumed that I was African American, and was wearing the stuff
just to fit in at the festival. I do remember receiving a few dirty
looks from a few Indigenous-looking Latinos at the festival. Being
the Brooklyn native that I am, I mean-mugged them back, letting them
know that I wasn't intimidated by them. I'm not some interloper
trying to crash `their' festival. I belonged at that festival just
as much as they did. Later that weekend, I had called a friend from
back home to tell her about my experiences. She was proud of me for
going, and felt that my presence at that festival was much needed,
despite my reservations and experiences after the fact. Now looking
back on it…I agree with her.

The Internet
Afro Latinos are rarely seen, and never heard. Even at Latino
cultural celebrations, our voices and experiences are seldom heard.
The mainstream media, Latino or otherwise, doesn't provide us with
any representation at all. In order for us to have our voices heard
we pretty much have to do for self. In recent years, there have been
a number of publications, albeit online publications, that have
sprouted up and are providing an outlet for issues affecting Afro
Latinos to be heard. They speak on our political issues, explore our
various cultures, and some even provide news from the respective
countries that we come from. Some have even become interactive,
providing streaming videos or audio podcasts. Many of these sites
have been started and are run by activists, journalists, and scholars
who are heavily involved in Afro Latino affairs. Were it not for
these brave souls, who is to say that these outlets would ever exist
otherwise?

There are several sites out there for you to choose from, depending
on what it is that you want to know. Sites such as AfroCubaWeb.com,
Afrocolombians.com, and Afrovenezuelanos.com are more culture-
specific, dealing with issues affecting the African population of
those respective countries. Other sites such as VidaAfroLatina.com,
[e-mail], and Afropresencia.com are more universal in
their approach, dealing with issues that affect Afro Latinos in
general. Sites like these also have links to other Afro Latino
websites and organizations. Though some of these sites might be
written in Spanish, certain sites do carry a bilingual feature,
allowing their content to be translated into English if your literacy
in Spanish isn't very up to par.

Music
Now, more than ever, there seems to be a new level of racial
consciousness rising up from Afro Latinos, specifically from the
younger generation. You may hear some deep political thoughts being
broadcasted by artists such as Immortal Technique, a Hip Hop MC, or
Tego Calderon, a popular Reggeton artist. I remember in my younger
days listening to Hip Hop artists/groups such as the Orishas from
Cuba, or the Arsonists who were based out of my hometown of New
York. You also have independent artists out there speaking on their
roots, or expressing political thoughts in their music, such as Viva
Fidel based out of Milwaukee, or Willie Villainova and Rebel Diaz
from New York City. There are probably many more that I can't name
at this time, only because I have yet to know of them. The elder
Salseros, Merengueros, and Latin Jazz musicians started it back in
the `old country'; it's now time for the next generation to pick up
the baton, and carry on.

And lastly, there's me. I don't claim to be any type of leader or
mouthpiece, but I will do what I can to let others know about our
issues, and that we exist. There is much ignorance that needs to be
combated from Black and Brown alike. There is limited acceptance, if
any, from within `mainstream' Latino culture and society. Race is
still considered a taboo subject; sometimes considered specifically
an `American' issue. That couldn't be further from the truth. At
the same time, I have also butted heads with, not just regular
African Americans, but with so-called `conscious' revolutionaries
within the Black Community. The ignorance is abundant, and the
silence is deafening. It's time for our voices to be heard. Now,
SCREAM!!!!!!

Author's Note: The following article is the fourth part of a currently five-part article series dedicated to the afrocentric consciousness of Latinos of African descent. It is meant as a way to provide solutions, and bring together all peoples of African descent.