Afro-Latin Americans, sometimes referred to as Afro-Latinos, are Latin Americans of full or mainly sub-Saharan African ancestry1. The term Afro-Latin American is not widely used in Latin America outside academic circles1. Normally Afro-Latin Americans are called Black (Spanish: negro; Portuguese: negro or preto; French: noir) and are seen as part of the general Latin demographic, especially in countries where they have a considerable presence1.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, many people of African origin were brought to the Americas by the Spanish and Portuguese, while some arrived as part of exploratory groups1. Those who were directly from West Africa mostly arrived in Latin America as part of the Atlantic slave trade, as agricultural, domestic, and menial laborers and as mineworkers1. They were also employed in mapping and exploration (for example, Estevanico) and were even involved in conquest (for example, Juan Valiente)1.
Countries with significant African, Mulatto, or Zambo populations today include Brazil (54 million), Haiti (8.7 million), Dominican Republic (8.5 million), Cuba (7 million), Colombia (5 million), Venezuela (4 million), Puerto Rico (1.8 million), and Ecuador (1.1 million)1.
The term Afro-Latino is personal and can be subjective. They have dark and lighter skin, they are fully bilingual or only speak some Spanish and their families are linked to more than a dozen countries2. The term acknowledges that Black Latinos face different struggles than other Latinos, especially those with lighter skin2.
Learn more: 1. en.wikipedia.org 2. cnn.com 3. en.wikipedia.org 4. wikiwand.com
The African diaspora in the Americas refers to the people born in the Americas with partial, predominant, or complete sub-Saharan African ancestry1. Many are descendants of persons enslaved in Africa and transferred to the Americas by Europeans, then forced to work mostly in European-owned mines and plantations, between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries1. The total population of African diaspora in the Americas is 92,860,0731. Some countries with significant populations include:
The African diaspora in the Americas speaks languages such as English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Haitian Creole among others. They follow religions like Christianity and Rastafari among others. They are also related to ethnic groups like Maroons among others1.
The African diaspora has a rich history. After the United States achieved independence came the independence of Haiti. Haiti is a country populated almost entirely by people of African descent and was the second American colony to win its independence from European colonial powers. After the process of independence in many countries have encouraged European immigration to America thus reducing the proportion of black and mulatto population throughout the country. Brazil is one such country that has seen a reduction in black population due to miscegenation and more flexible concepts of race. In contrast to this trend in Latin America where race is more fluidly defined than in the United States where the one-drop rule has had an opposite effect. The African diaspora still faces discrimination in most parts of the continent. According to David D.E. Ferrari vice president of the World Bank for the Region of Latin America and the Caribbean black people have lower life expectancy higher infant mortality more frequent and more widespread diseases higher rates of illiteracy and lower income than Americans of different ethnic origin. Women also suffer worse living conditions due to gender discrimination 1.
The African diaspora has made significant contributions to America’s growth and prosperity. The African Diaspora—i.e., people of native African origin living outside the continent—has been described as the sixth region of African Union 2.
Learn more: 1. en.wikipedia.org 2. whitehouse.gov 3. en.wikipedia.org 4. history.com 5. en.wikipedia.org
This film covers conflicts between the British and Spanish colonial systems as Manifest Destiny pushed the U.S into the Mexican territories of the South West, and the Mexican American War. By exploring the Spanish Mission System, California rancheros, the Gold Rush, and Las Gorras Blancas (The White Caps), learn how conquest, shifting borders and dispossession shaped Hispano culture and identity in former Mexican territories of the Southwestern United States. Part of PBS series The Latino Americans. (52 minutes)
Review the decades after World War II through the early 1960s, as swelling numbers of immigrants from Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic seek economic opportunities. 54 minutes