Rally for Afro-Latino representation.

The Dominican Republic and Haiti share an island in the Caribbean, and there are many racial, ethnic, and cultural similarities between the two nations. Though most Dominicans in the DR identify as mixed-race, the overwhelming majority of Dominicans, like Haitians, are Black by American racial standards (Black Excellence). About half of the population of the gentrifying neighborhood of Washington Heights, Manhattan, where In the Heights is set, is Dominican (U.S. Census Bureau). Washington Heights comprises one of the largest immigrant communities from the Dominican Republic within the U.S. (Furman Center). Unfortunately, In the Heights wildly misrepresents the Dominicans living in this culturally significant neighborhood, continuing a trend where Afro-Latinos are ignored on screen.

Happy Wednesday and welcome back! The film adaptation of the musical "In The Heights," was released earlier this month and received swift criticism for its lack of representation for darker-skinned Afro-Latino actors. Today Michelle joins us to share more about the movie and the history of colorism in media.

Thank you for your support! This daily, free, independent newsletter is made possible by your support. If you can, consider making a donation to support our team. You can start a monthly subscription on Patreon or our website, or give one-time using our website, PayPal, or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

– Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Watch “Negro: A Docu-Series about Latino Identity” by Dash Harris on YouTube.
Learn from Afro-Latino-centered media, like Revista étnica or “Afro-Latino Travels with Kim Haas.”
Consider: How has the media shaped your perception of various communities? What other shows/movies have you watched that fail to represent the full spectrum of the Latinx community?

GET EDUCATED

By Michelle Swinea (she/her)

When Lin-Manuel Miranda’s film In the Heights was released last week, it drew justifiable criticism for erasing the largely Dominican Afro-Latino population of the real-life neighborhood in which it takes place (NPR).

There is a long history of anti-Blackness and colorism within Latinx cultures. Status coming from proximity to whiteness via lighter skin promotes the harmful ideology of a caste system of power and desirability that is present in almost every ethnic culture around the world. This speaks to the global ramifications of white supremacy and colonialism. The beauty of Afro-Latinos in every hue and skin tone should be seen throughout In the Heights.

Felice León, a producer for The Root who’s an Afro-Cuban New Yorker, confronted the director of In the Heights about casting only light-skinned actors for the principal roles (The Root). Though Washington Heights, in actuality features many dark-skinned and Afro-Latino people with roots in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, the only Afro-Latinos in the film are background dancers. “I was just like, wow, dancers - right. So background dancers, so they do not have lines. They are relegated to the background. They are, you know, sort of like a decoration. They are entertainment in that way, but they do not have a substantive storyline. And that very much felt like, you know, where - how we've seen Black and darker Latinx people, you know, as maids in telenovelas, as we've seen. And in this film also, there were, you know, Black women in the hair salon,” she said (NPR).

Darker-skinned people have been excluded from leading roles by production companies around the globe (Time). This homogeneous depiction of people has global ramifications, such as promoting harmful skin bleaching products sold to women and denying the basic humanity of darker-skinned people. Children learn empathy for others and a greater sense of self-identity by seeing diversity portrayed in shows and films from characters with dignified roles. As globalization increases with social media and the internet, the audiences have the power to shape media to be both inclusive and entertaining. At the same time, filmmakers hold a responsibility to accurately reflect the people they are portraying within their films, in this case, the Dominican population within Washington Heights, NY.

Audiences are tired of seeing their art whitewashed, their collective voices signaling the need for accountability and change. One of the most powerful tools that we have at our disposal is social media. Marginalized communities can speak out and make their voices heard when projects such as “In The Heights” do not accurately portray the racial makeup of the neighborhood that it claims to represent.

Lin-Manuel Miranda acknowledged his error in the erasure of Afro-Latinos from leading roles within his film, saying, “I promise to do better in my future projects, and I’m dedicated to the learning and evolving we all have to do to make sure we are honoring our diverse and vibrant community” (Twitter).

But as León later told NPR, “I am, at this point, really tired of having to wait and having to sort of be in line. And I'm saying this, again, from the perspective of a Black woman of Cuban descent. Yes, he must do better - period. At this point, you know, this is a $55 million project."

The ownership of harm and commitment to growth as an artist is an important step in making cultural shifts. I look forward to seeing future films from filmmakers of color that are holistic and authentic in their cultural representation, and I am grateful to the audiences for providing critical feedback that challenges notions of anti-Blackness and erasure in 2021.

Michelle Swinea is a creative writer and academic. Currently, she is writing her first novel in honor of her grandparents. You can find her on Twitter at @walkbyfaithlife.

Key Takeaways

“In The Heights” failed to accurately represent the constituents living in the Washington Heights neighborhood due to the film’s erasure of Afro-Latinos.
Historically, Afro-Latinos and other darker-skinned people have been discriminated against and excluded from films because of anti-Blackness and colonialism throughout the world.
Social media provides a platform for marginalized communities to come together and demand representation.

RELATED ISSUES

8/31/2021 | Condemn colorism.

3/10/2021 | Believe Black women.

1/4/2021 | Tackle anti-Blackness in South Asian communities.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza

Nicole Cardoza 3/10/21 Nicole Cardoza 3/10/21

Believe Black women.

Last Sunday, March 7, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a tell-all interview on stepping down as senior members of the royal family. In that interview, Meghan Markle named that the stress and anxiety from the defamatory press led her to suicidal ideation, but she received no mental health support from the palace. She also details the racism that she and her child, Archie, experienced directly, including that the Crown would not provide her son titles or protections and that someone in the family questioned how dark his skin would be (Vulture).

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. I'm still sitting with the "Harry and Meghan" interview with Oprah. Two of the most powerful Black women on Earth sat and discussed racism, oppression and mental health live on television. But you don't need to be in positions of power to experience the harm and rejection that Meghan Markle named. Today's newsletter unpacks some of this, along with links to great content to dive deeper.

This newsletter is a free resource made possible by our paying subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website, PayPal, or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). You can also support us by joining our curated digital community. Thank you to all those that have contributed!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Donate to the Loveland Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Rachel Cargle that provides therapy resources to Black women and girls (which is supported by Meghan Markle’s foundation). Black women: apply for support here.
One way to prioritize racism allegations is to de-prioritize those that gaslight or diminish those that speak out. Actively seek to use your privilege to address those like Piers Morgan who aim to discredit serious claims.
Believe Black women when they say they have been harmed.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

This post references suicidal ideation. If you are in need of support, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

This interview only reaffirmed what became quickly apparent after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry began dating in 2016: that the tabloids, and perhaps even members of the royal family themselves, treated Markle differently because of her racial identity. There are countless examples of the disparities of headlines for Markle vs. Kate Middleton and headlines making unfair accusations based on her race, referencing her (false) “gang-scarred” upbringing and “exotic DNA.”

These only escalated after the couple announced their departure in early 2020. The tabloids blasted their departure as a “Megexit,” using a term that was already a popular hashtag online where users would post racist and sexist comments about Meghan Markle (Vanity Fair). As the couple said in their interview, they decided to move to the U.S. to escape the abuse they experienced in the U.K.

Because Meghan is Black, she experienced a particular form of misogyny: misogynoir. Coined by queer black feminist Moya Bailey, this term explains the misogyny directed towards black women where both race and gender influence the bias and discrimination that one may experience.

But we didn’t need to wait for Meghan Markle to analyze the anti-Blackness of the British monarchy. Since its start, it’s been deeply invested in the enslavement and control of Black people. By investing in English trade with West Africa, the Crown hoped to find financial independence from Parliament. Between 1690 and 1807, European enslavers brought over 6 million enslaved African people to the Americas. Half of that trafficking was protected and funded by the Crown and Parliament (Slate). Although the Crown first publicly supported anti-slavery efforts in 1838, they have still yet to address their contributions to the system or the harm they’ve created, even after the past year’s racial reckoning. We can also look to the impact of British colonial rule on the destruction and disparagement of African culture, community, and heritage, an effect that persists to this day (Quartz).

There’s a lot of criticism against Meghan Markle for participating in this system. If she knew about colonialism and anti-Blackness in the institution, why would she even marry into it, to begin with? Why didn’t she expect to deal with racism all along? And quite frankly, that’s no one’s business but hers. We need to continue to question why these systems continue to perpetuate violence instead of chastizing how marginalized folks choose to navigate through them. What do we gain from punishing the victim? What do we lose when we fail to hold our institutions accountable? Why is it up to one woman to protect herself from a legacy of harm?

We also need to emphasize the light skin privilege on display here. Meghan Markle is a very light-skinned Black woman with a Black mother and white father. Colorism is the reason why Meghan Markle was likely even able to marry Prince Harry and be considered a part of the family to begin with. She experienced this violence because she was “white enough” to be included and still “too Black” to be loved, respected, and protected. Darker-skinned Black women experience more misogynoir than their lighter-skinned peers (Change Cadet). But light-skinned women are often more privileged to have a platform to share their experiences. So as you follow stories of misogynoir, always look for what you don’t see, too. Colorism is especially insidious in British culture. Learn more in this comprehensive article by Seun Matiluko (Glamour UK).

We don’t have to wait for breaking news to find examples of racism against Black women, though. Meghan Markle bravely named the same kind of fear, guilt, and shame that many Black people have experienced at their offices or dinner parties or while buying groceries or meeting their significant other’s family. 17.1 million people tuned in to this conversation last night on CBS, but how many of us are listening when we have a front-row seat to this violence happening in real life? Her statements came as no surprise to many Black Britons who have experienced the same racism and discrimination themselves (AP News).

Many people have reflected on how damaging the interview is to the monarchy. But how much has the monarchy hurt us? And this goes beyond its legacy of colonialism and oppression. We have to recognize its complicity of normalizing and perpetuating misogynoir on a global platform through its treatment of Meghan Markle. We must recognize the harm inflicted on Meghan Markle, her son Archie, and her daughter.

And most urgently, we must recognize how it harms the Black women in our community. Listen to what we say. Believe us. Platform our voices, not those of white men committed to disparaging us (Washington Post). Ensure we have the tools we need for our well-being. And, for all of this, prioritize the safety and wellbeing of dark-skinned Black women.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The "Harry and Meghan" interview with Oprah was the first time the couple publicly addressed why they stepped down as senior members of the royal family and named the racism and harm they experienced from the tabloids and members of the royal family.
Meghan Markle is subject to misogynoir, a specific form of misogyny where race and gender both play a part.
Meghan is a light-skinned Black woman, which gives her a particular set of privileges that also fail to protect her from harm.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 2/3/21 Nicole Cardoza 2/3/21

Understand the white-presenting experience.

My mother has always taught me that I was a Black woman. My fair skin and blue eyes were, in her words, simply a product of centuries of violence on Black people and the effects of colonization. Had I been born in another era, my appearance would not have freed me from slavery, nor would it have offered me much more privelege in a world where people looked to expose “white-passing negroes.” In fact, one of my passing ancestors was hired by Macy’s and was unceremoniously dismissed when they discovered that she was Black.

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. I was excited to see that Passing, a 1929 novel on the white-presenting experience by Nella Larsen, had been adapted into a movie that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this past weekend (LA Times). Nia joins us today to chat first-hand about the white-presenting experience.

Are you signed up for our 28 Days of Black HIstory exhibition yet? Camille Bethune-Brown and Shanaé Burch have curated an incredible series, and I've had the privilege to enjoy it alone for the past month. I can't wait for ya'll to see it unfold: 28daysofblackhistory.com.

Thank you all for your support. This newsletter is made possible by our subscribers. Consider subscribing for $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Shift your language to say “white presenting” instead of “white passing” when referring to Black people that physically look white.
Learn about the history of the “one drop rule” that allowed for the disenfranchisement and continued enslavement of Black people in America with white ancestry.
Read books like “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett and “Passing” by Nella Larsen.

GET EDUCATED

By Nia Norris (she/her)

This story has been told over and over again in pop culture since the 19th century. Initially introduced by Lydia Maria Child, the “tragic mulatto” is a character that has been explored repeatedly in literature and film. Child told the story of the light-skinned descendant of a slave-owner and a slave whose identity was discovered. She lost her white lover and her status and was subsequently enslaved (Ferris). This trope was replicated over and over again in pop culture, painting mulatto women as sexual objects, and often ending with the tortured mulatto committing suicide or losing everything due to the discovery of their “Blackness” (ThoughtCo).

We can’t talk about the “tragic mulatto” without also discussing the “one drop rule” of slavery and the Jim Crow era. In American history, Blackness was defined as having “one Black ancestor.” This rule effectively enabled America to keep the mixed-race descendants of slaves and slave owners enslaved, and to disenfranchise mixed-raced Americans from suffrage and opportunities. Whiteness is something that has largely been forced upon us through rape and colonization (PBS).

So my mother taught me to appreciate my Blackness from a very young age, in spite of me being under the illusion that it was mostly irrelevant. I have joked that she named me Imani Nia (both Swahili names and principles of Kwanzaa) so that I would have to explain to everyone upon introduction that I was biracial, despite these baby blues. However, my Blackness is, has always been, and always will be a major part of my identity. My entire family is Black and has many trailblazers in our lineage. My grandfather was a legal clerk on Brown v. The Board of Education and my grandmother was the first Black woman in Western Pennsylvania to head a major charitable organization. My great-grandmother was a union organizer.

Another problematic facet of being white-passing is society’s desire to separate us into a binary, or force us to identify one way or another. There is a pressure to identify with one group or another (NPR). White people have often told me that I am “white” because of my skin tone, and have been told that my children (who have a white father) are also white. It has been suggested to me that I raise my children as white, which I find problematic because this would require me to effectively cancel their ancestors. Instead, I will teach my children that Blackness can be found in all spectrums.

So what does white-passing look like in America today? I have largely switched to saying white-presenting as opposed to white-passing. The historical context of white-passing is rooted in violence and disenfranchisement of fair-skinned Black Americans. However, we also cannot acknowledge this without also mentioning colorism, when light-skinned Black people (and white Americans) tend to turn their internalized racism towards darker-skinned Black people. For example, there was a higher monetary value set for light-skinned slaves, and even historically Black sororities and fraternities have been known to show colorism in member selection. (Nova Southeastern University). Even today, light-skinned Black Americans are less likely to run into the same barriers as their darker-skinned counterparts (Time).

To say “white-passing” has the implication that I have the desire to pass, which is one I have never had. What’s more interesting is the desire of white Americans to claim Black ancestry, as shown by Jessica Krug and Rachel Dolezal (NBC). These women used their false claims of Black ancestry to take up spaces and procure funding that could have otherwise been for people of color, provoking a national dialogue

When examining my own identity, I have largely decided that the only identity that I need to claim is my Black identity. For a long time, I said mixed or biracial, but another Black woman explained to me, we are all mixed due the violent history of our country. This made sense to me, so I shifted my language to Black. In America, we have never been asked or expected to claim our whiteness, instead it is something that has been inflicted upon us without allowing us the opportunity to claim the benefits.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Blackness in America comes in all colors, and most Black Americans are mixed to some degree.
Historically, the term “white-passing” was used to disenfranchise Black Americans with white ancestry.
In recent years, white Americans such as Jessica Krug and Rachel Dolezal have tried to capitalize on a Black ancestry that was not theirs to claim.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 8/31/20 Nicole Cardoza 8/31/20

Condemn colorism.

Happy Monday! And welcome to day 88 of the Anti-Racism Daily newsletter! For the new faces here, I started this newsletter June 3. We publish one article a day, every day without fail, analyzing current events and providing tangible ways to dismantle white supremacy in your community. Whether we sign petitions, call our senators, hold brands accountable, or spark tough conversations at schools or workplaces, we commit to doing more than yesterday to change the system.

I'm incredibly grateful to have Daphni's perspective in today's article on colorism and its impact on the South Asian community. Understanding light skin privilege is critical to this work, and we'll continue to cover this topic as the weeks unfold.

As always, your support is greatly appreciated. Give one-time on our website, PayPal or via Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). Or, subscribe monthly to our Patreon to contribute regularly.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Call out colorism when you see it, holding people, brands, and corporations accountable.
For a deeper dive into why Indian Matchmaking is harmful and regressive, read Indian Matchmaking- A Lesson in How Not to Make Shows About India by Seema Hari, Naomi Joshi & Kanika Karvinkop here.
Reflect: How may you have participated or perpetuated colorist beliefs in your dating life and beyond?

GET EDUCATED

By Daphni Edwards

In July, Netflix premiered Indian Matchmaking, a dating show about a matchmaker from Mumbai and her single clients in India and the United States, giving viewers a glimpse of what the arranged marriage process looks like in today’s world. If you watched the show, you might’ve noticed the amount of times “fair” skin was casually deemed a must-have, desirable trait in a partner by both the matchmaker and singles alike.

Being Indian myself, I can tell you that for South Asians, this is commonplace. Light skin has been associated with power, status, and desirability for centuries, ever since white invaders taught us to hate our skin and prefer theirs (HuffPost). We grow up hearing and consuming messages that tell us fair, light skin = beauty. This has been accepted for generations, regarded as fact instead of harmful myth – one that not only affects marriageability and job opportunities but destroys self-esteem. We see it reflected in Bollywood and other major film industries where dark-skinned women are never the lead actresses- even going as far as painting light-skinned actresses in brownface over casting talent with dark complexions (CNN). We see it on popular matrimonial sites like Shaadi.com, where, until very recently, skin tone was a filter alongside age and location (BBC). We see it in our families when they treat the fair-skinned relative like a prized possession. And we see it reflected in the economy, where the estimated market value for skin lightening products in India—which includes creams, face washes, deodorants, and vaginal whiteners, is $4 billion (Fashion Network).

This is colorism.

Colorism is defined as “the differential treatment based on skin color, especially favoritism toward those with a lighter skin tone and mistreatment or exclusion of those with a darker skin tone, typically among those of the same racial group or ethnicity.” (Dictionary.com) Since the release of Indian Matchmaking, the deeply ingrained colorism that exists within the Indian community became visible to anyone around the world who has access to Netflix. The show was immediately criticized by Indian nationals and the diaspora alike –not for showcasing this problem, but for failing to address it, considering the large platform Netflix has to do so. It was a giant, awkward elephant in the room, causing harm to those who have been traumatized, dehumanized, and marginalized by colorist and casteist thinking. The obsession with fair skin seen on the show also undoubtedly left a bitter taste in the mouths of those who, just the month prior, were mourning and protesting the murder of George Floyd and countless other Black men, women, and children who were killed due to the color of their skin.

In the wake of the ongoing protests against systemic racism in America, the topic of colorism has been revitalized by many South Asians worldwide, this time emphasizing the role it plays in anti-Blackness and racist rhetoric. The denunciation of skin-tone prejudice was severe enough for Unilever to change the name of Fair and Lovely, India’s leading skin-lightening cream, to “Glow and Lovely”- also pulling the words “white,” “light,” and “fair” from all product packaging (Forbes). This move was performative at best, as the contents inside are still designed to lighten one’s skin, thus still promoting harmful beauty ideals. Many other brands (Olay, Neutrogena, Garnier) also showed support online for BLM while continuing to literally sell and profit off of the idea that white skin is “better” (Buzzfeed News).

Now let’s do some introspection and ask ourselves this: Do we, on an individual level, outwardly support the Black Lives Matter movement, rally against systemic racism, denounce police brutality, yet still uphold and perpetuate colorism in our daily lives? And in what ways?

The question posed goes for everyone, as colorism isn’t exclusive to the Indian community and certainly doesn’t discriminate on geography. Lori L. Tharps, author of the book Same Family, Different Colors: Confronting Colorism in America’s Diverse Families, once wrote: “Colorism is a societal ill felt in many places all around the world, including Latin America, East, and Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. Here in the U.S., because we are such a diverse population with citizens hailing from all corners of the earth, our brand of colorism is both homegrown and imported. And make no mistake, white Americans are just as ‘colorist’ as their brown brothers and sisters.” (TIME)

Skin tone plays a critical role in who gets ahead in our society and who does not, affecting media, politics, healthcare, business, and the criminal justice system. For example, a study done last year by Harvard sociology professor Ellis Monk found that a person’s lifetime chance of being arrested in America is directly proportional to their skin’s darkness. This is especially true among African Americans, and those with darker complexions tend to face harsher treatment when it comes to the law (QZ).

So what do we do? How do we address this problem? We can start by examining ourselves and identifying any biases we may have and to what degree. Reflect on how we view and speak about people with darker skin tones (POC- this includes how you treat yourself too!). Evaluate our beauty standards and dating preferences- are they inclusive? Avoid using “Black” as a negative connotation and call out those that do. Identify the ways we can uplift and celebrate dark skin. If you have kids, teach them at an early age that white skin is not superior to dark skin and that Black is most definitely beautiful.

Colorism and racism go hand in hand. You cannot be anti-racist while simultaneously being anti-Black. We must be committed to ending colorism, with our words, thoughts, and actions, because treating a person differently depending on their skin’s proximity to whiteness is just another tool that upholds white supremacy.

key takeaways

Even within the same race, the darkness of a person’s skin brings on different life experiences.
People profit from anti-blackness- the estimated market value for skin lightening products in India alone is $4 billion.
In the U.S., a person’s chance of being arrested is directly proportional to their skin’s darkness, especially among African Americans. The latter are already incarcerated at a higher rate than the rest of the population.