What Does It Mean To Be “Afro Latina?” 5 Latinx Women Discuss Embracing Their Black Identity
Maria Aponte
Poet, Founder and President of Latina 50 Plus
Culture. History. Legacy. Language. These are some of the words that come to me when I think of the term Afro-Latina. I grew up in a time where the term Afro-Latina didn’t exist, but over the decades as I got involved with community arts and started out as poet at the Nuyorican Poets Café, identity and culture became my soul. It was what centered me. I am a Brown/Black Puerto Rican woman who had to learn how to navigate racial injustice and stereotypes about Latinas. I will always embrace the term Afro-Latina in honor of our ancestors — those who opened many doors for our younger generations today.