This library guide is designed in association with the exhibition, "AfroLatines in Los Angeles: Unveiling Voices, Empowering Communities," co-curated by Nicole Murph (Reference & Instruction Librarian), Daphnie Sicre (Assistant Professor, Theatre), and Jennifer Williams (Assistant Professor, African-American Studies) and co-sponsored by the William H. Hannon Library, College of Communication & Fine Arts (CFA), Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA), and Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Alliance (TRHT). Although the exhibition will be from October 6-30, 2023 at the William H. Hannon Library (1st floor), the guide will continue to provide information and resources on learning more about the social and cultural histories of AfroLatines.
“AfroLatines in Los Angeles: Unveiling Voices, Empowering Communities” focuses on Afro-Mexicans in Los Angeles and the United States and Mexico. At its core, through the Afro-Mexican experiences, the exhibit will touch on broader themes of the AfroLatine experiences, achievements, and struggles not only in Los Angeles but in the United States and its relationship to Central and South America and the Caribbean. The library guide will expand upon these themes.
To view the virtual exhibition: "AfroLatines in Los Angeles: Unveiling Voices, Empowering Communities"
Centering Black Latinidad: A Profile of the U.S. Afro-Latinx Population and Complex Inequalities (UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute, April 20, 2023)
"UCLA report paints complex picture of inequality among growing Afro-Latino population in U.S.
Key takeaways:
‘Am I Latino? Am I Black?’ Growing Up Biracial In Los Angeles (L.A. Taco, February 16, 2022)
"I have learned that Black History Month is not just to celebrate the sacrifices and the culture. It’s a time to open up oneself and truly reflect on who I am and what being Afro-Latino means to me. I am both Black and Latino—not just one or the other, and both ethnicities should be celebrated."
"As conversations on Afro-Latinidad in the U.S. often center on affirming one’s identity, we asked attendees about pushing the movement towards future cultural, socio-economic, and political growth. Here’s what they had to say."
OP-ED Just Like Blackness and Latindad, AfroLatinidad is Not a Monolith (AFROPUNK, May 5, 2022)
"Since the early 2000s, the Afro-Latinx community has taken great strides to assert its presence within the American melting pot. The push came after years of many feeling forced to choose between their Blackness and their Latinidad; when they knew that both their cultural heritage and their experiences as people of African descent had informed who they were. But even after nearly 20 years of discussions about Afro-Latinidad and conversations surrounding racism, colorism, and cultural appropriation, the concept still seems to lack nuance. At least in conversations geared towards those outside of this community."
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, one of The New York Public Library’s renowned research libraries, is a world-leading cultural institution devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences.
https://www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg
Exhibition: Visibility & Resistance: New Acquisitions, Contemporary Afro-Mexican Photography
The exhibition, curated by Dr. Dalila Scruggs, highlights the Schomburg Center's recent acquisition of contemporary Afro-Mexican photography by Hugo Arellanes Antonio (Costa Chica), Toumani Camara (Mexico City), Koral Carballo (Veracruz) and Dolores Medel (Veracruz). Historically shaped by photographers of European descent, this exhibition foregrounds the voices and vision of a multiplicity of afro-descendent identities as the photographers examine self-representation, highlight the presence of African cultural traditions, meditate on the (dis)connection to place, and critique the ongoing effects of slavery and systemic racism.
