Dear Latinos: Dark is Beautiful!
By: Mildred Waxman
Many Latinos use their ethnicity to justify racism, stating, “I am LatinX; it is impossible for me to be a racist.” As a Latina, hearing this non-valid excuse disappoints me. Coming from a minority group that faces oppression does not give one the “pass” to be discriminatory within one’s community or towards other minority groups. With that being said, let me get something clear here, Latinos can be racist, and there is no justification for any racism whatsoever! Unfortunately, not everybody sees it that way. In order to understand the commonality of prejudice amongst Latinos, we must start at the root cause of racism.
In the mid-1400s, the concept of race was established to group slaves and create a hierarchy. After the colonization of the Americas, the concept of “race” was used to put all Indigenous people into a category the “Indians” and the Africans as “Blacks.” Creating these races allowed colonizers to accept the slavery and genocide that occurred towards these groups. In 1735, a Swedish botanist named Carl Linneaus created a ranking system for races. Black folks were placed at the bottom and described as, “Sluggish, lazy. Black kinky hair. Silky skin. Flat nose. Thick lips. Female with genital flap and elongated breasts. Crafty, slow, careless. Covered by grease. Ruled by caprice.” As colonization expanded, it became established that in Latin America, the whiter you were, the more “elite” you were.
Latin Americans come in different colors, ranging from blonde and blue-eyed to having brown and black skin. Our beautiful distinctions still give us the recognition as Latinos. However, with so many differences at hand, there is more room for maltreatment and unfairness. Being a LatinX minority is different from being a Black minority. As a white Latina, I am lucky enough to say that I have never been discriminated against, and will most likely never be. However, some of my relatives cannot say the same, including my mother. Growing up in Argentina, a country with one of the highest white populations in South America, my mother faced discrimination for having tan skin. In high school, she was always seen as lesser than her peers, especially because her best friend was blonde. This continued throughout her life in Argentina, and when she came to the United States, the prejudice followed. During my time in elementary school, a group of mothers formed a parent group, when my mother wanted to become involved, they would come up with excuses to not let her in. This always made me angry, was it because my mother was Latina and they were all white? I didn’t get it, especially because she was MY parent, and I never had trouble fitting in with the white kids. On the other hand, all Black folks have experienced some sort of oppression because of their skin color, which is something that not every Latino has faced.
Due to all our differences, there is a prevalence of colorism *prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group*, and it is marked everywhere within our culture. As a child, I grew up hearing words like “la Negra” to describe someone who is “lower class.” The telenovelas I watched starred light-skinned actors and only included dark-skinned actors to play the help or the villain. Being tan was seen as sexy, but god forbid you overdo it and look “too dark.” All of these are examples of microaggressions towards Brown and Black folks that are perpetuated by Latinos. However, this was my upbringing, and I was so used to it that nothing seemed wrong with it, until I was able to educate myself with online resources and conversations. Unfortunately, not many Latinos are resourced enough to learn about the damaging racist impact our “mainstream culture” can make and how it can spread to other minority groups. This is where we need to improve.
As a group of people who face systemic struggles, we need to be a better accomplice for the Black community as we would want them to be for us. When we say Black Lives Matter, we aren’t neglecting Latinos; because yes, Latino Lives Matter! However, right now, we need to amplify Black voices because they are the ones being disproportionately targeted by cops, and they could use our help in this fight. The only way we can do that is if we end the racism that goes on within our very own community. We need to stop the oppression of Afro-Latinos, especially in Central America and Brazil. We need to acknowledge the beauty of dark skin. We need to stop using slurs like “La Negra,” which may seem so minuscule but can make a positive impact in the long run. We need to speak up and scream from the top of our lungs that TODOS LOS COLORES SON HERMOSOS. Then, we will learn what it truly means to be united.
So well expressed and you also demonstrate your beliefs in the way you live your life. I am a very proud grandmom who took you to your first march. Know you and your friends give us boomers hope for the future
The injustice of Colorism is a very important conversation to have. We can be better allies if we recognize what we can do in our own cultures to move the conversation forward. We, as people, have the responsibility to be more ethical then the generations before us. Having conversations with family and friends about the injustices we see is a good start. Looking within ourselves to challenge our own bias is the first step to dismantling racism. Hold yourself and your society accountable to make this world a better place. Microaggressions should be called out and not accepted. It maybe be something small for you yet huge for someone else. I hope you continue having those tough conversations!
Milly, your voice is already making a difference!!! Keep fighting for what you believe, to make this world a better place takes a village and a great leader, you’re that leader!!!! Your parents must be proud, and I’m lucky to call your mommy one of my dearest friends!!! Love you boo
Wow! I love this. I am Dominican and within my culture there is also colorism. Growing up I didn’t experience it because I, too, am light skinned. But every time I heard a comment about “so and so is so pretty because she’s light skin” I would cringe. After marrying the love of my life, a black man, I learned so much. It has broken my heart when kids (under 5) don’t want to play with my children. A lot of people are ignorant towards racism and don’t understand the “black lives matter.” Thank you so much for using your amazing writing skills spread the word. Such an easy read yet so powerful.
what a thoughtful and meaningful presentation of your observations, experiences and history! i hope you continue to utilize your amazing talent for writing and would look forward to reading more!! Joan Toborowsky
Love it Mil. I am also a white Latina and my mom’s side is white but a lot of my dad’s side isn’t and I grew up also seeing the differences between the treatment to each side of my family. Many Latinxs are racist and we try to use us being a minority as a card to say that we can’t be. I have tried educating my family on this because it is really ingrained into Latino culture, like you said I didn’t even think there was anything wrong with a lot of things when I was younger. Hopefully we can end this culture eventually by spreading awareness and educating the people in our communities and outside of them. Todos los colores son hermosos :))