The racial identity of people born in Latin American countries seems to be a mystery to everyone, even to Latin Americans. The entire concept of race is completely constructed by humans, however, when trying to palace members of the Latinx community in these racial boxes things can get confusing. Since leaving my hair natural, my racial background has always seemed to confuse people. This can be due to the way Latinx media favors those of lighter complections and it completely disregards the diversity in the Latinx community. This alters the world’s perception of what the Latinx community should and shouldn’t look like, giving the world an inaccurate idea of what it is like being Latinx.
This racial ambiguity was caused by the act of colonization by Christopher Colombus. He came into La Hispaniola, present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and took over the land. He mass murdered many of the native people called Taínos. They were murdered so quickly, that very few Dominicans have traces of DNA that connect to their Taíno ancestry. After wipping out the native people, the Spanirds found themselves in need of free labor, this was the start of the African Slave Trade. This tragic trade caused the mixing of various groups of people to take place which is why members of the Latinx community look extremely diverse. The answer lies in history.
The truth is that Latin American countries are filled with people that look like they could be from all over the world. This diversity in the Latinx community stems from a history of pain and abuse of power. It is important to acknowledge how we got here and the tragic history that has led to present time. All over the world, there is such a massive spread and mix of races and cultures, that we have all started to become one. This diversity can be seen in the ceramic dolls made in the Domninican Republic titled “Muneca Sin Rostro”, which means “Doll Without a Face”. The fact that the doll is without a face represents that Dominican culture is extremely diverse. From straight hair, to kinky curls, Latin American countries have it all. That is the beauty in being Latinx.
Works Cited:
Rivera, Salvador Lopez. “My Racial Ambiguity Taught Me About People And Privilege In The South.” HuffPost , HuffPost, 11 Oct. 2017, www.huffpost.com/entry/on-being-racially-ambiguous-in-the-south_b_59d546bee4b085c51090ad2a.
The truth is that Latin American countries are filled with people that look like they could be from all over the world. This diversity in the Latinx community stems from a history of pain and abuse of power.