Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issues!

[amina kamal]

I have family from both Dominican republic and Puerto Rico and this kind of attitude is very common. In dominican republic the people DO NOT absolutely do not accept their African roots at all. They say that Haitians are african and that they are mixed with indian and spanish. They don't call themselves black. For example, a dark skinned dominican will call him/herself Indio oscuro or dark indian rather than black.

Alot of this had to do with the propaganda campaign enforced on them by President Trujillo who massacred thousands of Haitians and dark Dominicans that were taken as Haitian.

 

[YoungWavey]

Wow.....

 

[Supergirl]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

How sad

 

[BAP28]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

Dominican ppl have always had issues with their culture/race/ethnicity..this article is no surprise to me..hopefully one day we can all learn to love ourselves

 

[Crissi]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

I saw this article on blackvoices. The title read Black denial in Dominican or Latin Countries. I ALWAYS wanted to travel to Central America or Spain. I've heard some things here and there about Latin America and their racism but this just made me extremely sad.

I really wanted to visit Central America and Spain. Now I'm not too sure. this has really painted a bad picture of latin american culture for me....

Spain isn't that bad, there are some racists there (but you get that everywhere) I sent my auntie out to Zaragosa and she loved it, she was going to see her husband (a black gambian), and she said that if she didn't know better she would of thought she was in The Gambia because there were so many black Gambians and other black people there, and she said they were the nicest people, she likes it so much she is going to start frequenting there

 

[FeelinIt]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

I mean I love the latin culture. I love the diversity and richness in it like I like my own culture. But when I turn on the TV and see spanish television with NO blacks in them at all or that I just found out THIS YEAR that there are black Mexicans, to me that is sad and it says a WHOLE LOT about these countries.

I'm not that excited about traveling there anymore.

 

[SilkyandSmooth]

that's a damn shame! but i say F*&k them! and people who think like them! that is TRUE IGNORANCE right there! that old European mentality of "love me, hate yourself". i hate it...

That sums up exactly how I feel.

 

[Crissi]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

I mean I love the latin culture. I love the diversity and richness in it like I like my own culture. But when I turn on the TV and see spanish television with NO blacks in them at all or that I just found out THIS YEAR that there are black Mexicans, to me that is sad and it says a WHOLE LOT about these countries.

I'm not that excited about traveling there anymore.

What, thats news to me, i didn't know either, it would make sense that there are black mexicans...but damn ive never seen one (in regards to TV and what not). Man it really makes you think about what this whole slavery thing has done to us, we reject all things associated with africa/blackness


Here's my reading for a a while:
http://smithsonianeducation.org/migrations/legacy/almmx.html
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/ethnic/bv/brief.htm
http://www.mfacmchicago.org/current

 

[FeelinIt]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

Here's a website with photos of afro-mexicans

http://www.afromexico.com/album/

 

[deltagyrl]

It's really sad that black is considered vile by so many. Moving to the northeast really opened my eyes to what was going on in the latin community.

I had an ex co-worker who is dominican and we became really close. She is dark and we have the same head of hair. Needless to say, for her, growing up was NOT fun. She hipped me to all of the dominican spots and salons in my area. That was my GIRL.

It's really interesting because light (white) skinned puerto ricans are considered the most beautiful. Brainwashing 101.


ETA- How in the hell do you brainwash millions and millions of people to hate themselves?????

 

[ClassicBeauty]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

Your not lying. If you ask if they are black, some of them seem clearly offended and tell you that they are Dominican. Its really ashame.

Not only that...I had a Dominican guy try to tell me that I wasn't black. He said that I just couldn't be really black and asked if I was mixed. I said no (my grandfather on my father's side is white and my mother's father was light enough to pass, but I don't really acknowledge that I am mixed. I'm just black). He said that if he was as light as I was, there's no way he would consider himself black. He told me that he wasn't black, he was Dominican and we basically argued about his blackness at the bar for like 30 min. I tried to tell him that if he was walking down the street or applying for a job, they would think he was black, no matter what he thinks. I told him that in his country, he may be whatever he wants to be, but in this country he was black. (That's my opinion, and we were in the south so that's most people's opinion down here.) Needless to say, i did not give him the number. I thought that he had issues, but it seems to be a part of his culture!

 

[sxyhairfetish]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

I have family from both Dominican republic and Puerto Rico and this kind of attitude is very common. In dominican republic the people DO NOT absolutely do not accept their African roots at all. They say that Haitians are african and that they are mixed with indian and spanish. They don't call themselves black. For example, a dark skinned dominican will call him/herself Indio oscuro or dark indian rather than black.

Alot of this had to do with the propaganda campaign enforced on them by President Trujillo who massacred thousands of Haitians and dark Dominicans that were taken as Haitian.

go figure... this is too sad. Nothing but nationwide self hate and indenial. It all seems a bit more clear to me. I always wondered why I felt like some of them did not like me, (some were immediately nice) I would always ask, did i do something to you? But now i know. My dark skin is what it was. I feel bad for them. It happens everywhere but I had NO i dea the measures that entire nations would take to not be called black. I love my dark skin. If you don't like it its not my problem.

 

[deltagyrl]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

Your not lying. If you ask if they are black, some of them seem clearly offended and tell you that they are Dominican. Its really ashame.

ITA. They are HIGHLY offended if mistaken for black.

I used to work with children and this beautiful, little dominican girl (whose hair was relaxed and colored at age 4) would always call me mommy. She was terrified of her white teachers and would cling to me whenever I visited her room. She was like Halle Berry's color.

Fast forward and one day I go into her classroom. She yells "mommy" and runs to me. As I was hugging her in walks her real mommy, a GORGEOUS dominican woman who was a little darker than me. I repeated the story and her mom explains that her daughter associates dark skin with family and warmth. She explains that because she is so dark her daughter often mistakes black women for her. Apparently her daughter's father and his family are light (white) and they pretty much have ostracized her.

I was sad for the rest of the day.

 

[queenspence]

This was really interesting. I never knew this because I'm not too familar with the Dominican blowouts. There seems to be some universal mistruths and idealserplexed

 

[senimoni]

Awww delta...that makes me so sad.

 

[Desert Skye]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

ITA. They are HIGHLY offended if mistaken for black.

I used to work with children and this beautiful, little dominican girl (whose hair was relaxed and colored at age 4) would always call me mommy. She was terrified of her white teachers and would cling to me whenever I visited her room. She was like Halle Berry's color.

Fast forward and one day I go into her classroom. She yells "mommy" and runs to me. As I was hugging her in walks her real mommy, a GORGEOUS dominican woman who was a little darker than me. I repeated the story and her mom explains that her daughter associates dark skin with family and warmth. She explains that because she is so dark her daughter often mistakes black women for her. Apparently her daughter's father and his family are light (white) and they pretty much have ostracized her.

I was sad for the rest of the day.

That is so depressing. I wonder what was done to her by her father's family. How terrible it is for a girl so young to experience something like that.

 

[MeccaMedinah]

Here's an old thread on the issues that they have with dark skin, "pelo malo", etc.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=33278

 

[deltagyrl]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

That is so depressing. I wonder what was done to her by her father's family. How terrible it is for a girl so young to experience something like that.

I'm sure she'd been called all the things mentioned in those articles. Truly sad because she really is a beautiful little girl. She has has those thick dark eyebrows (like Lauryn Hill) that will arch beautifully. It was troubling and her mom seemed apologetic that she was dark. I could tell that she had endured a lot b/c of her color and I felt for her.

 

[deltagyrl]

Awww delta...that makes me so sad.

I'm pretty sure that's why they left the DR. It's sad that a child would be ostracized by family for something totally out of their control.

 

[Tamrin]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

Yep. To further add to your comment, DR shares the exact same island as Haiti, called Hispaniola. DR has two thirds of the island and Haiti makes up the rest. The only thing seperating the two nations is a river called the Massacre River. During the slave trade, blacks were dropped off at some of the hottest and toughest lands, (The Caribbean Islands: Jamaica, Trinidad, Hispaniola (Haiti/DR, all throughout the islands). The islands were a great place to "break in the slaves". The strongest ones, and those who produced well, were sold at higher rates to the more prosperous American slave owners. The reason why there is different rates of mixed races such as DR is because the Spanards had control of that side of Hispaniola. Other islands were controlled by the British, the Dutch, and so on...and that is why the make up of Carribbean folk is so widespread across the color line.

But at the end of the day, their problems are our problems. They have been ingrained to hate their hair, noses, lips, etc...I was not surprised at all to hear this and I always knew why they are all obsessed with straight hair...but things are slowly changing...I hope

Also they have a heavy Arab mix. The reason was Arabs were brought in from poor areas of Arab countries during the Truillio Era to mix in with the black population therefore producing the somewhat different features on some dominicans, if you ask a lot of Domicans about family names you will fine an Arabic name in there somewhere. Its sad that people are not proud of who they are. My friend Julio who is a Darch Chocolate complexion once told me he was not black.. I looked at him like

 

[Chyna Red]

One of my girlfriends is Dominican with 4 sisters. Their hair runs the gamut from straight to nappy and the sis with the "nappy" hair (I'd say it's a 3C gets teased to no end. She relaxes her hair every other month and truthfully, I think the issues that she has today stem from that. She also has the darkest complexion out of the 5 of them( the brother is dark with 3C hair as well). They take after her dad who is a darker skinned Dominican.

 

[nurseN98]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

ETA- How in the hell do you brainwash millions and millions of people to hate themselves?????

That's really what I'm trying to figure out. I mean, I know how it starts but at some point you are faced with the truth but many ppl just keep going on with the lie...like that makes anything (their circumstances, jobs, love life, etc...) any better

I don't get it. As far as I'm concerned, there are too many powerful & wonderful sources of blackness & black love for me to be stuck on this mess. These ppl are that way because they choose to be. That's why you will never, ever catch me or mines in those salons.

 

[bravenewgirl87]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

I am not supprised by this article at all. I am a dark skinned black American that has suffered this ignorance all of my life in America and as I traveled in the military.

and i bet you are sexy i as don't know what....lemme holla holla holla!
I don't want to offend any of my latina sisters here, but this is no surprise to me. Growing up in South Florida, i went to a prodominately latin school. I'm sorry, but latino people sometimes make me nervous because of all the things they say to blacks and about blacks. The DR salon i went to to get a blow out, the lady kept saying in spanish that i was pretty, but my hair... she didn't know what she wasn going to do with my hair.
To be honest, my mother (surprisingly) has the same issues with color and hair texture and refuses to change. One day, she really embarrassed me in front of my haitian bf by saying I had "bad hair". I went off on her just like i went of in her today for that garbage. Can you believe she was happy that i relaxed my hair? WTF?
I already told her when i have babies, i don't want her no where near them unsupervised. Her ignorance is rubbing off on my sister and she is only four with deep racial issues. She is rediculously attached to a fake ponytail, and calls her hair "nappy", likes its a disease. She says things like she is not pretty, and I told my mom. "Well, what I am supposed to do? She's not my child (she is really my godsister), i can't stop what they teach her. Her hair is nappy."

 

[Kayluv]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

I'm not surprised by any of this. This kind of stuff is rampant in the islands. I knew a girl from Barbados who claimed her race was brown not black.

I once dated a Hatian guy whose mother did not like me because I wasn't light enough and did not have long curly hair. Here is the kicker.....her son was much darker than me and her! Go figure.....

 

[Empress Yahudah]

It's really sad that black is considered vile by so many. Moving to the northeast really opened my eyes to what was going on in the latin community.

I had an ex co-worker who is dominican and we became really close. She is dark and we have the same head of hair. Needless to say, for her, growing up was NOT fun. She hipped me to all of the dominican spots and salons in my area. That was my GIRL.

It's really interesting because light (white) skinned puerto ricans are considered the most beautiful. Brainwashing 101.


ETA- How in the hell do you brainwash millions and millions of people to hate themselves?????

I can see back during slavery and colonizing how they did it ...By enslaving them and massacre to the point that people of color try and lighten or europeanize them selves out of fear and to survive....but now I would think that u would want to rise up against that mentality and know right from wrong....but just as there is evil in the world amongst people so there is ignorance too erplexed

 

[PinkPeony]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

No b/c its really no different than AA salons. I've gotten so many "rough, course, nappy, wooly" comments from AA salons to last me a life time.

Regarding the article...I didn't "KNOW" this specifically but in *my* experience the Dominicans/PR I have met that appeared black made sure to tell you they weren't so I'm not surprised. I understand that if you are one of those things you may not want to be confused for AA...but that is not what I'm referring too. So I'm not surprised by this article in the least bit....sounds just like many of us.

I made the same experience.I'm not the least bit surprised.I try to avoid this subject b/c I just don't want to deal with this mess anymore
erplexed

blue flower wrote
I just went to the Miami Heralds website and there's going to be an entire series on Afro-Latin Americans throughout Latin America. The article on the Dominicans "Black Denial" is part 2 of the series. Other countries included are Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Brazil.

That sounds very interesting.I would be very interested in Cuba and Brazil,IMO they will be very similar to this one.

 

[silvergirl]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

interesting read

 

[chayil0427]

wow...this article was so poignant...really makes you think. Thanks for sharing this. I look forward to reading the comments from you gals when I get home.

Chayil

 

[shocol]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

I just went to the Miami Heralds website and there's going to be an entire series on Afro-Latin Americans throughout Latin America. The article on the Dominicans "Black Denial" is part 2 of the series. Other countries included are Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Brazil.

I bookmarked the site so I can read the rest of the series. The article on the Dominicans is saddening, but the series overall seems to be one of hope and maybe the beginning of a civil rights movement for Afro-Latinos. The website is www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/news/afrolatin/ and there are email links for the journalists in case you would like to comment.

 

[SunnyDelight]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

ITA. They are HIGHLY offended if mistaken for black.

I used to work with children and this beautiful, little dominican girl (whose hair was relaxed and colored at age 4) would always call me mommy. She was terrified of her white teachers and would cling to me whenever I visited her room. She was like Halle Berry's color.

Fast forward and one day I go into her classroom. She yells "mommy" and runs to me. As I was hugging her in walks her real mommy, a GORGEOUS dominican woman who was a little darker than me. I repeated the story and her mom explains that her daughter associates dark skin with family and warmth. She explains that because she is so dark her daughter often mistakes black women for her. Apparently her daughter's father and his family are light (white) and they pretty much have ostracized her.

I was sad for the rest of the day.

This saddens me.

I don't know much about Dominicans or their culture so reading this article was a real eye opener. Thank God for parents who loved my dark skin and nappy head and made sure that I knew and understood my worth and beauty!!!

La Flaca - I do feel for the Dominicans who are suffering and will pray for them - as well as those who struggle with the demons of racism and place so little value in God's blessings.