Growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas was hard for me. I never felt like I belonged and to this day it has never felt like home to me. I was born in Panama, and my mother is Panamanian. We immigrated here when I was young. Nobody understood why we were Black and spoke Spanish. Or they would ask me to speak on command like some kind of parlor trick. People would often ask me “what are you?” or “where are you from?” It was a lot for a child to have to process. Especially since I didn’t have any easy answers. Even now in the year 2020 I still have to educate people on a regular basis about what it means to be Afro-Latino. So how am I raising my own kids to be proud Afro-Latinos?
Teaching Them About Our Family
I am making sure my boys know about our family. Social media and video calls have made it easier for us to be able to connect with them even when we can’t travel. I want them to know about the people who came before them and the sacrifices that were made so that we could be here. This includes our traditions, food, music, and holidays that we celebrate.
Making Sure They Use Their Voice
Being bilingual has so many benefits and it gives them a connection to so many more of their family members. We are teaching our kids Spanish. However, they will know if they decide they don’t want to speak Spanish it doesn’t make them any less Latinx. People have so many ideas of what Latinxs are supposed to look and sound like. Just because they are Afro-Latino it doesn’t mean they have to prove their Latinidad to anyone.
Educating Them On Racial Identity
This was always so hard for me growing up because I didn’t understand it. There is a difference between race, nationality, ethnicity. I don’t want them to be ashamed of who they are or to struggle with identity. To let people know that it is possible to be BOTH Black and Latino. They won’t feel the need to go through our entire family tree to prove who we are or that we belong here.
Our culture is the essence of who we are. I want my kids to always have a sense of pride in being Afro-Latino. And hopefully one day they can continue to pass on the knowledge to their own families.
What do you want to pass down to your children?
bookishowlette says
That is a wonderful thing ur doing. It’s very important to carry down ur traditions and respect ur culture, regardless of where u are. Your son is very lucky to have a mother such as urself!
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