Tag / BlackLinda

by lkamateh

Obama’s Cuba Visit: Addressing the Myth of a Post-Racial Cuba

I was 16 years old when I first returned to Cuba and met my large extended family. It was exhilarating to see so many people who looked just like me and to see so many beautiful Afro Cubans everywhere.

I swear that Diahann Carroll’s twin is living in my mother’s small town of Alquizar and the unsung diva rides a bicycle to work.

Even at that young age I couldn’t reconcile the dichotomy between the racial makeup of the Cuban population on the island versus the population in the United States.

Why aren’t there more Afro Cubans in America? I asked my mother.  Continue reading →

by lkamateh

Afro-Latinas Stand Up!!!!!

Afro-Dominican photographer Suhaly Bautista-Carolina, aka The Earth Warrior is creating a book of 100 portraits of Afro-Latinas in New York City.

Each portrait included in the final series will be paired with a brief write-up that delves into that woman’s black identity, Afrocentric traditions and hopes for future generations of Afro-Latinas.

The open call runs through March 31. If you are interested you should send the following information to theearthwarrior@gmail.com:

  • 1-3 photos of yourself
  • Neighborhood & Borough (i.e. Inwood, Manhattan,)
  • 3-5 sentences on how you identify

To find out more about the artist and the series go to the UptownCollective.com.

by lkamateh

Me Gritaron Negra!/ They Screamed “Black” at Me

Me Gritaron Negra/ They Screamed “Black” at Me

By Victoria Eugenia Santa Cruz

 Victoria Eugenia Santa Cruz was known as the mother of Afro Peruvian dance and theater.

She passed away in 2014 at the age of 91 but her legacy lives on. Check out this video of a toddler reciting this poem.

Her poetry speaks for itself. The power of her words reverberate in your heart and soul and you don’t have to understand Spanish to feel it, but it’s important that we all understand this so I’ve written out the translation below. I’m going to watch this every time I need to go into battle. You all know what I’m talking about. The struggle continues.

Continue reading →

by lkamateh

International Woman’s Day- Thank you

On International Woman’s Day I want to shout out all the enlightened and empowered women I met last week at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz cultural center in New York City.

Dominican Independence Event

This group of about 50 proud Dominican women (and some men) gathered last Saturday, February 27 to commemorate their national Independence Day.

Dominicans celebrate their Independence from Haiti not Spain and this group questioned not only the racism embedded in that celebration but also the racism that remains pervasive within the Dominican community, on the island and abroad.  Continue reading →

by lkamateh

American Crime- Who is Elvis Nolasco?

Elvis Nolascopic

If you are a fan of “American Crime” the ABC crime drama that airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. eastern/9 p.m. central than you probably know the man pictured above as Chris Dixon, the principal of Thurgood Marshall High school. Continue reading →

by lkamateh

Allow me to Reintroduce Myself. . .

BlackLinda Profile Pic

You ever wonder what the hell am I doing with my life and why can’t I be “that girl”? I’ve been trying to be “that girl” for more years than I care to admit (still not revealing my age). Continue reading →

by lkamateh

14 People Afro-Latinos Meet in the United States

14 People Afro-Latinos Meet in the United States

Que??

That waitress at the Spanish-food restaurant who speaks to you in English even though you are ordering in Spanish (she continues to speak to everyone else in Spanish) Read on

by lkamateh

Images of Afro Cuba

Oh But You Don’t Look Cuban.  . . 

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All of the people in this slideshow are Cuban!

Now that you have viewed this the next time you meet a black person who tells you he or she is from Cuba, you cannot say “you don’t look Cuban or Latino.” Read on