There is something very magical that happens when there is more than one Black person in a predominantly white space. I may never have met any of them before, but, as soon as a particularly white™ transgression occurs, I’ve witnessed the room’s Black population collectively enter a higher plane of existence through a single look. It is a very classic “look”. It’s like we all switch our brains to a different wavelength and have a silent forum discussion, all while the white population remains unaware. (The discussion usually starts with, Are y’all seeing this, too? What the f*ck...)
Oh, how the ever-familiar plight of Afro-Latinx folk has flared up yet again. We’re here, we’re Black, and we built (and dearly love) Latin-American pop, rap, and reggaeton. Similar to our fellow Black-American feminists or womanists who are conflicted as they twerk to misogynistic rap lyrics, the recent 2020 global “Fed-Up” reckoning has had a couple of us morenitas looking sideways at our white-washed Spotify Perreo playlists. And it’s definitely got many reconsidering their loyalties to Latinx musicians who have responded poorly, or worse not at all, to the Black Lives Matter movement on their social media.
Camille Gomera-Tavarez
Camille is a Afro-Dominican Graphic Designer working in NYC with a BFA in Design & Creative Writing from the Maryland Institute College of Art.
