King to her credit does go on to explain that women of color can indeed be racist. However, Ponsetto’s behavior speaks to a larger elephant in the room regarding white-passing Latinas: there is a legitimate issue with anti-Black sentiment in the Latinx community. While younger members of the Latinx community are putting in the work to make space for the traditionally marginalized voices of their Afro-Latinx friends, there is still a segment of the community that perpetuates the harmful anti-Black sentiments passed down to them.
White Latinas can be racist. People of color can be racist. It is a known fact that anti-Black sentiment is passed down in the Latinx community, something that originated in colonialism and exists today in many forms: from Latinas straightening their hair to avoid “pelo malo” to not wanting to have children with darker skinned people to not “dañar la raza”. Yes, this is reality, and a common one at that.
So what do we do about it?
We would first do well to acknowledge that Afro-Latinos have always existed in our communities. They are not new, but rather historically marginalized in favor of white-passing Latinos. We must unlearn generations' worth of anti-Black behaviors, particularly in shutting down family members that deny Black lineage in their bloodlines, members who reject having Black family members or romantic partners, shaming people over their natural hair texture, and favoring eurocentric beauty standards. If anything, this highly publicized incident should be a call to action for white-passing and identifying Latinas to shut this hateful behavior down, since it is nothing but a disgrace. Ponsetto’s behavior only serves to underscore division in marginalized communities in a time where we should have shared unity.
Related Articles Around the Web
Keep ReadingShow less
