Hispanic Heritage Month, which occurs from October 15 to September 15, correlates with the celebration of Independence throughout different Latin American Countries. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we would like to acknowledge Afro-Latinas, often underrepresented in Latin and Hispanic communities. Due to confusion between race and ethnicity, people often assume Afro-Latinx or Black Hispanics are not part of the community. That’s why it’s so important to know the difference between the two and highlight influential Afro-Latina celebrities who are also Hispanic.
Race vs. Ethnicity
Race is a social construct that classifies people based on shared physical features, while ethnicity classifies people based on shared cultural practices. When it comes to Afro-Latinx people, they would be considered Black racially but Latin ethnically. Hispanic and Latinx are used interchangeably, but they have different definitions: the former describes people from Spanish-speaking countries, while the latter describes people from Latin America, which includes most of the Caribbean islands. Countries that do not speak Spanish, such as Brazil, Haiti, Guyana, or Martinique, would not be considered Hispanic but are part of Latin America. The rest of the Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, such as Chile, Panama, and Cuba, would be considered Hispanic, with Spain being the exception to the rule since it is the only Hispanic country not part of Latin America.
When celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, it is important to note that there is an overlap between Hispanic and Latinx, but that they ultimately have different definitions. When race is added to the conversation, things become more complex because of the intentional erasure of Afro-Latinx people in the Latin community. For example, it wasn’t until 2015 that the official government recognition of Afro-Mexicans occurred as part of the census category. This is rooted in anti-Blackness, the collective and systemic discrimination of people who are racialized as Black. To combat this anti-black erasure, we would like to highlight the accomplishments of Afro-Latina celebrities who have been vocal about their race and ethnicity.
Gina Torres
Gina Torres is an American Afro-Cubana actress whose parents were both native to Cuba. She has been on television since 1992, with some of her notable features in shows such as Alias, Firefly, 24, Westworld, and The Catch. She is most known for her award-winning role as Jessica Pearson on the hit series Suits, which afforded her a spin-off show called Pearson. With this accomplishment, she became the first Afro-Latina to create, produce, and star in her show in 2019.
Torres has been vocal about her Afro-Latina identity and the challenges of not being viewed as Latina enough for specific Hollywood roles. During a past interview with The Washington Post, she expressed what Hispanic Heritage Month meant to her. “What is so special and really essential about Hispanic Heritage Month is, more than ever, I will say, we are really in a place to experience and do a deep dive into what Latinidad is, what Hispanic heritage means, and what it encompasses,” she said. “We are so very diverse, and we are seeing the Afro-Latino community really come out and express their beauty in the first time in my lifetime, where we have such a voice, and we are being recognized in such a different way. And that, for me, in particular, is exciting.”
Be sure to keep up with her current work on the 911: Lone Star series currently on Hulu.
Tessa Thompson
Tessa Thompson is an American Afro-Latina actress whose father is Afro-Panamanian and whose mother is half British and Mexican. She has been acting since 2002, with notable features in TV shows such as Veronica Mars, Hidden Palms, Copper, and Westworld. Thompson gained mainstream popularity with her recurring roles in the Creed movie franchise in addition to Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder. Other prominent movies in her filmography include Dear White People, Selma, Sorry to Bother You, Sylvie’s Love, and Passing. Thompson has publicly spoken about her struggles with racism growing up as a Black woman, and despite looking different from her mother, she expressed how her mom always affirmed her hair texture, features, and skin tone. During the 11th annual Essence festival, she said, “My mom is a woman of color even though she might not be readily identified as such and I feel like because of that, she always gave me space to explore my identity; get in touch with who I am. She understood the void of not having enough guidance, in that. Even though she is not a Black woman, throughout my life, she filled me with such pride of being one.”
Amara La Negra
I’m willing to take that responsibility to open doors and opportunities for other women like myself, other children like myself that have been ignored for so long.”
Amara La Negra
Amara La Negra is an American Afro-Dominicana singer, actress, writer, dancer, and TV host whose parents are both from the Dominican Republic. Starting her musical career at the age of 4, La Negra became a cast member on the Spanish language TV show Sabado Gigante, where she was the only Black girl to appear in over 50 years. After her time on the show, she became a backup dancer for the iconic and trailblazing Afro-Cubana artist dubbed “the queen of salsa” Celia Cruz. La Negra’s 2013 single “Ayy” was a hit in the Latin market, but her dark skin and afro created challenges in her acceptance by the industry in the Dominican Republic. This was evident when she experienced anti-Blackness by being parodied in Blackface on a Dominican variety show.
She is most known for her recurring role as a cast member of the reality show Love and Hip-Hop Miami, where she also experienced anti-Blackness surrounding the validity of her Afro-Latina identity. La Negra is known for pushing back against what a Latina is supposed to look like by embracing her Afro and affirming that Black Latinx people exist. During an interview with the Recording Academy, she said: “A lot of people want to see change and they just want to sit back and wait for someone to go through the struggles and go through it and make the change happen. In my case, I’m willing to stand up, because I do get bashed all the time, I’m willing to take that responsibility to open doors and opportunities for other women like myself, other children like myself that have been ignored for so long.”
This Hispanic Heritage Month is an important time to learn about the erasure of Black people in the Latin community because the idea of Latin unity is rooted in anti-Blackness. The privilege of being able to claim Latinx as an ethnicity without being questioned or receiving pushback is exactly why race must be centered in the conversation. Racism ensures that White Latinx people or anyone in proximity to Whiteness is granted more access to power at the expense of Black and Indigenous people from Latin America. As a result, questioning how your Latinx communities contribute to anti-Blackness is a great step to promoting inclusivity this Hispanic Heritage Month.
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