imo, most afro-latinos (some more than others) ignore or disassociate themselves from their african ancestry as much as african americans do the same with their euro-ancestry. african americans in general are very afro-centric and consider their white ancestry "rape blood".
whereas afro-latinos like all latin americans are conditioned to identify with and glorify their european ancestry.
what you have is really a clash of racial orientation. btw, being 'light' doesn't necessarily mean you have more 'white blood'. there are many unmixed light skinned blacks in west africa. if you ever checked out the dna tests on the george lopez show charles barkley has a higher african admixture than snoop dog, as an example.

i think the real problem here is with the latino community, who want to separate themselves from their african roots as much as possible. the image that many latinos have of blackness = primitive, stupid, and ugly. so even if afro-latinos understand that they have a significant % of african blood, their general attitude is to sweep it under the rug, and only promote their euro-roots.
the way you fix this warped attitude is to teach afro-latinos about who they really are on the african side.
when afro-latinos know about the greatness of the hausa and igbo, and mandinka, and ashanti, and fulani and yoruba, they might have a different attitude about what it means to be african.

Here we go again, I keep hearing the same story repeated, "Latinos need to have a change of attitude about what it means to be African." I don't think even you know what it means to be African.

Before you push an Afro-centrist agenda, please define what exactly is meant by "African." But it really does not matter, because what ever you come up with is probably wrong. But I assume you refer to the black racial component of the ancestry. Unfortunately, race alone is not sufficient enough to force us to suddenly embrace and identify with a culture that is practically foreign for most. Sadly, those bonds were broken centuries ago and what ever was left was unable to stand the test of time. To do so is to expect an orphaned child who is now an adult to feel love and affection for parents he/she never knew or just met.

First there is no such thing as a homogeneous African identity and therefore are starting off on a false postulate. Africa has many different ethnic and racial groups, with wide-ranging phenotypical traits, both indigenous and foreign to the continent. The vast majority of Africans have diverse origins, with differing cultural, linguistic and social traits.

Secondly, Latinos do not have a true concept of "race." There is not a sense of awareness until it is pointed out to us upon arrival as immigrants in the states, where racial identity is considered an issue of major concern. When we attempt to classify who or what we are as group or individual, it is nationality and culture which comes to mind. We are not black, white or indian, but rather an amalgamation of races in which any one of the three can at any one time individually stand out from among each other. If the manisfestation of who we are happens to be European, Taino or black African or a combination of all three then so be it.

However, our deepest cultural roots happens to be with Spain, where we continue to speak the language and practice inherited Spanish cultural traditions. Why? Because Spain was the mother land who raised us and who we identify with most. However, the black African cultural identity is most pronounce in our music and the racial phenotype of the population. Other then that, as mixed-race, culturally hispanic people, there is not much else which we can take hold of and make claim to deep African roots.

You can't expect Dominicans/Latino to all of a sudden begin to learn one of the thousands of African dialects that were spoken by the slaves, dress in jungle garb and adopt one of the many ancient African religions. Nevertheless, the option is open. As an individual and out of personal choice, any Latino can head on and adopt any identify he/she wishes. It is available for the taking. Dominicans can head to Villa Mella or San Pedro de Macorix where a significant Afro-Dominican ancestral cultural expression is alive and well represented as a cultural identity. However, you can not impose upon and demand that we must become more African just because there is a certain percentage, a genetic strain of afro-negroid blood running throuh our veins.

However, the modern contemporary trend of today is for identity to become mainstream and standardized. Not because we reject whole or part of our backgrounds, but rather because that is the way the world is heading. Have you noticed how everywhere you go, everything is almost the same, things are repeated over and over again. Everything is generic no name brand and homogeneous. Little by little cultures are gradually losing their unique identity and adopting foreign influences. Unless you live in a close society, an isolated country where the respective governments do not allow or want outside influences, the world will eventually merge as one where we will no longer be able to tell each other apart.

guillermone, this really isn't what i'm saying at all. i always thought it was stupid for african americans to go around calling themselves african and trying to identify with a generic concept of a people they know nothing about and a continent they're never been to. i'm american because i was born and raised here. but as a person with african ancestry i thought it was important to learn about my african roots - and i'm glad i did.

i can tell from your post that you're never done that "jungle garb", " hundreds of languages", etc. 85% of your african blood comes from half dozen related tribes - yoruba, hausa, mandinka, igbo, fulani, and ashanti. these are all afro-asiatic/non-bantu niger-chadic (related to the nilo-saharan) cultures, and are considered part of the "afro-asiatic dominion".

you may think that your african ancestry involves primitive hunter gatherer pigmies and san bushmen, but it doesn't. your (those of us in the islands and the u.s., south american afro-latinos have a little more south east african admixture) african roots breakdown to about 86% afro-asiatic / 14% bantu (another substantial people related to the zulus).

afro-asiaics like the mandinka, hausa, yoruba and igdo, fula, and ashanti, were responsible for the yoruba-ife and dogon kingdoms and building the great mali, ghana, and songhay empires that included walled city-states with road systems, written language and proverbs, technology, and fine art that included sculptures of brass and gold, trade based economies, and monotheistic priesthood with possible connections to abraham and enoch (an estimated 1/3rd of west africans involved in the slave trade were muslims before losing their religion).
some researchers link these same people to the great pyramid builders of egypt, the sumerians and other ancient people in the middle east and east africa. you should look up 'afro-asiatic dominion'.

of course there are primitive hunter-gatherer africans running around naked with lip-plates, but you (and i) have nothing to do with that. the africans involved in the slave trade were empire builders who had/have rich and ancient cultures that would make you very proud if *you* knew about them.

this is a little clip of the dogon's connection to ancient egyptians. the dogon practiced the same cosmology-spirituality based on the sirus star system that we find in ancient sumeria, egypt and nubia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGPDfJj5MFQ&feature=related

checkout some ancient yoruba-ife brass sculptures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS-59lMs03s&feature=related

and some traditional hausa music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOWsu8ePrbE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_k1wmKLuRA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERdC171eEzs&feature=related

my only suggestion is that afro-latinos take a greater interest in learning bout the african tribes that make up part of what and who you are.

As a US black American, I am moved to see how you identify with African history, the enthusiasm and pride to learn about the ancient cultures of the dark continent. What you feel is understandable, but you can not expect the majority of Dominicans to feel the same way no matter how much they read about it
other then perhaps a sense of admiration for past accomplishments and achievements. We simply view it from a totally different perspective.

The main cause or principal reason for this is because of how the socio-cultural dynamics developed between the slave and master. It was just not the same but completely the opposite. While the DR had a more harmonious relationship, the treatment of slaves in the US was one of animosity, cruelty, brutality and abuse. The mixed race offsprings in most cases was a result of rape, but in the DR it was not at all unusual for masters to have open, but informal marital relationship and multiple children with their female slaves. This was totally unheard of in the US. On the contrary, the inhabitants of the eastern side of Hispaniola freely intermarried with the Taino who mixed with the Europeans and further mixed with Asians who later arrived during the turn of last century and whose people continue to mix with who ever shows up and want to become part of our true, most unique melting pot of races.

Although Dominican slaves lost their identity, they were allowed to embrace a new one. Blacks in the US were never permitted to do that and had no choice but to hold on to what ever Africanism they could salvage. Whereas in the DR few slaves preserved much of anything from their past. With a few exceptions, what ever self-identity that remain were further diluted until it disappeared and no longer traceable to what it was from its original form. These former slaves became the modern day Dominicans who are culturally no different then anybody else. Every Dominican speaks the same way, eats the same food, listens and dances to the same music, practices the same religion and follows the same cultural traditions and customs.

It was not the same for the United States where blacks were never accepted, but rather segregated and considered to be subhuman with a subculture within mainstream American society. Former US slaves were treated as if abandoned children who never found loving parents but were left to fend for themselves as unadoptable orphans who aged out state run facilities or institutional homes.

Therefore, I can see why you as predominately Black individual and likely representative of African Americans, will be and should be very interested in learning about your past. We can describe it as way to fill a void left on the empty soul of the slave who was robed of its dignity, by force pulled from its roots away from the mother land and sent in chains to perform hard labor in a strange place. Dominicans do not have or need a void to fill. It is already full to the brim. We are too mixed-up to make claim to any one single cultural identity other then to the Dominican Republic.

Perhaps for informational purposes, as Dominicans can read and study all about the history of Africa, its people and different cultures, but not to feel pride or to identify with it, unless of course one wishes to make that choice out of a personal decision. We already have our culture, identity and a nation that fully accepted us and that we feel proud about. Unfortunately, I doubt and do not think the present day descendants of slaves in the US have the ability to state the same thing.

your assessment is for the most part very accurate. though the american slave had very little understanding of anything african. in fact afro-latinos arguably preserved more african culture than did americans slaves. as the nature of american slavery in the south was a form of total physical and mental subjugation, the only thing american slaves knew was how to be a slave.

when the spanish and portuguese arrived in the new world they rarely brought their women. this wasn't the case with anglos, so latin men tended to have more 'normal' relationships with african and indigeous women. though legally, the children of slaves were still considered slaves, it was unheard of for latin slave masters to enslave their own children. however children of southern slaveholders were usually treated no differently than other slaves, and were often sold off to other plantations.
this tendency on the part of white southerners to selloff their own flesh and blood represents, probably more than anything else, the level of contempt and hatred whites had for anything 'black' - there obviously wouldn't be any assimilating into that culture.

african americans didn't really start to connect with africa until two pan-africanist came along. w.e.b. dubois and marcus garvey excited in the minds of african americans an image of a utopic motherland. considering african americans were still being killed and severely oppressed in the jim crow south, this image represented hope for what were essentially a hopeless people.
this is really when the afrocentric mindset and 'black consciousness' began to take off in the african american community. african americans identified so strongly with this mythical africa that when italy invaded ethiopia, african americans attacked italian americans all over the streets of nyc, and demanded to be sent to ethiopia in order to defend the motherland. you can be sure that african americans would never do that, today.

african americans for the most part, just consider themselves americans. only delusional african americans will go around calling themselves africans. i know i'm american, that's my culture my country, and the only thing i know how to be. but i like to explore african history and culture because that represents a significant part of my ancestry. what i find with many dominicans and other afro-latinos ( i live on the east coast where there are a lot of afro-latinos), is that they seem to have a hatred for all things black, and try to separate themselves from their african roots as much as possible. you might even hear a dominican use the n-word to an african american, in the same way a white person would use it, when both look like they could literally be brothers.

so what i really see coming from the afro-latino community, in which dominicans represent the largest group, is not so much a love for dominican culture and identity, but a hostility for their african roots. i think you usually get that kind of attitude from a people who were made to devalue their connection with africa.
i can only speculate, but i'd be willing to bet that if i asked the average dominican what their general understanding of africa is, their response would likely be full of negative stereotypes. and i'm sure if i asked them the same question about their spanish ancestry their response would be totally different.
what's regrettable, assuming i'm right, is that their african ancestry is actually deeper, richer, and more glorious than their european ancestry. imo, dominicans should be proud of both.

I see your point and will agree but only to the extent that when afro-Dominicans or afro-hispanics reject or show disdain for certain aspects associated to black America, it is due to a lack of cultural connection rather than hate. People are receptive to things they are more familiar with, while tend to distance themselves from that which is unknown. Nevertheless, I think the "hate" word is being used rather losely here and we must be careful when employed in blanket form to describe certain anti-social behavior by segments of the Dominican community. I do not believe that your perception accurately reflects the general, true consensus of a diaspora made up of well over 1+million people.

This "hostile" attitude which you talk about, simply mirrors the negative social environment which surrounds immigrants, characteristics acquired as they assimilate to mainstream society. It is learned behavior to mimick ignorance based bigotry, most commonly and openly portrayed within blue collar white America although not at all unusual among professional circles as well. In other words if they show and act out in a discriminatory manner, it is not necessarily because they feel it, but rather mindlessly copy it. You must understand that US culture remains a powerful force –for better or worse – it influences people both here and around the world in countless ways.

When some obviously black Dominicans ironically uses the "N" word clearly shows how strong it is and hard it can be to resist the process of Americanization. Nevertheless, just as odd as it may be, we have repeatedly seen blacks call each other the "N" word as being acceptable among their own kind, but not OK if a white or non-black outsider does it. Perhaps this may be what Dominicans are mimicking, don't you think? Nevertheless, I feel confident to state that in spite of any so called alleged "racism" it is not an inherent or a naturally occuring trait among our people regardless of whether they are black, white or mix.

One thing which puzzles me though, I don't really understand what is meant when you state that Dominicans seem "to have a hatred for all things black, and try to separate themselves from their African roots as much as possible." You must better define what exactly you refer to and point out how do they "separate themselves from their African roots." If that is truely your opinion, I don't think you intimately understand our idiosyncrasies and have misinterpreted much of what you perceive to be our "hatred" for those things African.

Nevertheless, I am happy to read that you and most African Americans in general overwhelmingly consider themselves to be Americans first and foremost and American second to none. But you know quite well that thanks to the civil rights movement and affirmative action this is relatively a recent historical phenomena. These transcedental rulings, paved the way for desegregation and equal opportunity for all regardless of race, creed and national origin, which would subsequently allow black Americans to proudly claim themselves to be rightful American citizens.

I am pleased to see that you understand the "afrocentric mindset" and 'black consciousness' started by Garvey and Dubois as a socio-political movement is not something afro-hispanics and even people from predominately black anglo-phone nations outside of the US can easily relate. However, conversely true, just as there are Dominicans who acquire and practice racist type ideologies as a result of assimilation, it is equally true there are also many afro-dominicans who have adopted a US 'black consciousness' and "afrocentric mindset" and identify with the black-American experience.

Finally, I do not necessarily agree or believe Latin America preserved African cultural roots more than their black American counterparts. Latin America overall had a racial/cultural fusion in spite of any Afro subcultural pockets preserved within the realms of mainstream society. Whereas in the US, African-American culture developed independently and never really was part of the whole. This was mainly due to slavery and the persistence of racial discrimination, as well as African-American slave descendants' desire to create and maintain their own traditions.

Today it is somewhat a totally different matter. African-American culture has become a significant part of US culture and remains a distinct yet separate cultural body most definitely well accepted and now part of the whole.

There is not such a thing as a pure white or pure black Dominican! It is ridiculus to think in those terms. Doing so implies the ignorance of an overwhelming amount of information provided by the indelible history of our country. In the other hand, blood tests can confirm what history screams and continues to be unheard.

Note: Geneticaly speaking not all genes are manifested in a phenotype, when there is only one allele of a recesive gene, it will not be manifested, but it will still be part of the genetic make up. Please define to me what white and black is, and do some research!

There is not such a thing as a pure white or pure black Dominican! It is ridiculus to think in those terms. Doing so implies the ignorance of an overwhelming amount of information provided by the indelible history of our country. In the other hand, blood tests can confirm what history screams and continues to be unheard.

Note: Geneticaly speaking not all genes are manifested in a phenotype, when there is only one allele of a recesive gene, it will not be manifested, but it will still be part of the genetic make up. Please define to me what white and black is, and do some research!

While yes true, it is unlikely for any Dominican who can truely call or identify themselves as pure white or black, however that also happens to be true for most of the population of the world. When you get down on all four knees, right down to the nitty gritty, you find that perhaps only 20% of the world's popluation is of pure anything.

However, although I agree that with most Dominicans we cant think in terms of black or white, but we can surely think in terms of "predominately white, black and Taino." Unfortunately, I don't believe there is any such thing for anyone of us to have an equally balanced percentages of race genes in their blood stream. There is always one of the three which stands out and takes precedence over and above and among all the others.

guillermone I must say you're a smart individual, you handle many of these ignorante comments in a very educated way