The REAL reason Dominicans are so good at straightening hair...

[Lovelylocs]

Are dominicans latino or black or both. The article confuses me.



I want to say that the author of this article should not necessarily be considered the spokes person for all Dominicans everywhere. That just wouldn't be fair.

I know quite a few Domincans that are proud of their african american lineage and their latin lineage.

But, just like AA's there are some who would prefer that their roots go back to Norway instead of Senegal.

I don't think this article is that much difference from what we experience on US soil.

No doubt the British influence was similar there as it was here.

Many Dominicans are black latinos. The problem is that many people do not make distinctions btwn race, nationality, and ethnicity. Latino is not a race. It is an ethnicity. It's referring to a culture. So, black is their race (for many Dominicans), Dominican is their nationality, and latino is their ethnicity.

There are people in latin America who would be considered indigenous. There are people who would be considered black. People who would be considered white. There are even people of Chinese and Japanese decent in latin America. Are they all the same race? No. Sammy Sosa is not the same race as Tupac Amaru was or as Vicente Fox is. And in Latin America u can hear that. If u know Spanish, u will even notice that when many Spanish speakers talk in Spanish they will make racial distinctions btwn the different latinos. When they speak English however, many times they talk about latinos like they are one race regardless of what everyone's race actually is and they will talk about AAs, Africans, Hatians, Jamaicans, etc. by lumping them under the category of "black".

 

[Lovelylocs]

Another thing to take into account is that, Dominicans define race differently. If u have a drop of blood that is not black, then u are not black. Also, a mulato , as the "mixed race" people call themselves, are not necessarily first generation mixed race people (ie. a black parent and a white parent).

There is a long history behind this all. I could post for days about it and u guys still may not have a complete picture. There are a lot of things to consider when u talk about the racial and cultural identities of many dominicans. I find it very interesting.

Things are changing in the DR. More Dominicans are identifying themselves as black and having more black pride.

 

[Serenity_Peace]

Are dominicans latino or black or both. The article confuses me.



I want to say that the author of this article should not necessarily be considered the spokes person for all Dominicans everywhere. That just wouldn't be fair.

I know quite a few Domincans that are proud of their african american lineage and their latin lineage.

But, just like AA's there are some who would prefer that their roots go back to Norway instead of Senegal.

I don't think this article is that much difference from what we experience on US soil.

No doubt the British influence was similar there as it was here.

I'm right there with you, Adequate!! I think you pretty much nailed it!!

 

[gone_fishing]

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=181137

I should have just posted it here but I wanted errbody to read it.

It's long too...you know me.

 

[Serenity_Peace]

Many Dominicans are black latinos. The problem is that many people do not make distinctions btwn race, nationality, and ethnicity. Latino is not a race. It is an ethnicity. It's referring to a culture. So, black is their race (for many Dominicans), Dominican is their nationality, and latino is their ethnicity.

There are people in latin America who would be considered indigenous. There are people who would be considered black. People who would be considered white. There are even people of Chinese and Japanese decent in latin America. Are they all the same race? No. Sammy Sosa is not the same race as Tupac Amaru was or as Vicente Fox is. And in Latin America u can hear that. If u know Spanish, u will even notice that when many Spanish speakers talk in Spanish they will make racial distinctions btwn the different latinos. When they speak English however, many times they talk about latinos like they are one race regardless of what everyone's race actually is and they will talk about AAs, Africans, Hatians, Jamaicans, etc. by lumping them under the category of "black".

Thank you for breaking this down. I think it's really difficult for many black Americans to understand.

 

[Lovelylocs]

No doubt the British influence was similar there as it was here.

I'm assuming that u mean European influence here and not British inflence. I agree that the Spanish influence in the DR and the white influence in the US had some similarities, but I think that it was the differences btwn these two influences that led to the differences in the way that Dominicans and AAs self-identify.

 

[Lovelylocs]

Also, u MUST take into account taht Dominican history has been written in a way that would make the dominicans believe that they are not black or that they descend from the indigenous people. If u were told from the time that u were born, that u were smthg other than black, then that is what u would believe until u learned otherwise.

 

[Lovelylocs]

Thank you for breaking this down. I think it's really difficult for many black Americans to understand.

Your welcome. I agree w/u. I also think that it is smthg that is very important for black Americans to learn and understand. Then, they take what they have learned and self-reflect.

 

[gone_fishing]

I'm assuming that u mean European influence here and not British inflence. I agree that the Spanish influence in the DR and the white influence in the US had some similarities, but I think that it was the differences btwn these two influences that led to the differences in the way that Dominicans and AAs self-identify.

Yep, thanks. I was having a co-thought. When I went to Barbuda and Antigua (reverse), I went to a seminar they tought on the island about the British, slavery, and the way they shaped their culture. That co-thought made me type British, but yes, I did mean Europe.

Questions, Spain and Italy are in Europe.

Spain had control over a lot of these places countries at one point.

Do we consider Spaniards white? I know Italian used to be argued.

 

[Lovelylocs]

Yep, thanks. I was having a co-thought. When I went to Barbuda and Antigua (reverse), I went to a seminar they tought on the island about the British, slavery, and the way they shaped their culture. That co-thought made me type British, but yes, I did mean Europe.

Questions, Spain and Italy are in Europe.

Spain had control over a lot of these places countries at one point.

Do we consider Spaniards white? I know Italian used to be argued.

In this country (the US), yes, Spaniards and Italians are considered white.

 

[Wildchild453]

Spaniards are considered white

I'm so sick of this topic as a whole. Yes Dominicans have to same issues as every other group of Black ppl due to COLONIZATION, whether they are Cuban, Dominica, NIgerian, Jamaican, etc. They have the whole good hair/bad here that repeated around the world. Yes they think white is write like blacks around the world..I got it


Sidenote: I am using general terms, I know everyone does not think that way

 

[AfroKink]

Many of these points below could have been pulled out of an article on African American hairstyling and racial identification. So a lot of self hatred and lack of pride is in African American populations as well?

Naw, according to this article I see alot of self hatred going on and not much pride

From the article:

-Purdue University professor Dawn Stinchcomb, who is African American, said that when she came here in 1999 to study African influences in literature, people insulted her in the street. Waiters refused to serve her. People wouldn't help Stinchcomb with her research, saying if she wanted to study Africans, she'd have to go to Haiti

-There are schools where braids and natural hair are prohibited."
Wasn't there an HBCU that banned certain natural hair styles? There seems to be several spaces and institutions (police stations...in ) American that ban natural black hairstyles, and these prohibitions are endorsed if not implemented by an African American.

-Using the word Indian to describe dark-skinned people is an attempt to distance Dominicans from any African roots,
most estimates say that 90 percent of Dominicans are black or of mixed race. Yet census figures say only 11 percent of the country's nine million people are black.
We already know how this works, people pointing to their "Indian" great great grand cousin and calling themselves Indian well before referring to themselves as African.

-Asked if a black Dominican woman can be considered beautiful in her country, Hernández leapt to her feet.

"You should see how they come in here with their big asses!'' she said, shuffling across her office with her arms extended behind her back, simulating an enormous rear-end. "They come in here thinking they are all that, and I think, 'doesn't she know she's not really pretty?' "

Black women especially those with darker skin, kinkier hair, broader noses... are no where near the standard of beauty here in America.

-Here, as in much of Latin America -- the "one drop rule'' works in reverse: One drop of white blood allows even very dark-skinned people to be considered white.

Like I said above, black people in America point to that "one drop" from a Dutch great grandfather, or a Cherokee great great grandmother and use this to "prove" the aren't black/African.

 

[Blessed_Angel]

Well, to keep it real, that is what white people say about us...that Blacks are tryin to be like whites.

Dominicans are not the only group of Afro-Latinos who shares the same ancestors that we do (i.e. Panama, Guatemala & Puerto Rico), who does not want to associate themselves with being Black. Eventhough, with their caramel and dark complexions and kinky roots, they can't even deny it...nor can they deny their ancestorial history. And how is it so much different, when Blacks feel like they have to "brag" that they have some Indian in their family (most of us, even most white people have Indian ancestors, I mean, they originated from this land...despite the fact that most of us have hair just like people in Africa. Too many fall prey to "not wanna be ALL Black". It's like, it's ok to be Black as long you are mixed with something. Black is beautiful whether you are from Africa, Jamaica or Panama. When it comes down to it, we're all in the same boat (and the white man don't care if u are mixed or not, you're still Black, baby...so just simply accept and love it).

 

[Blessed_Angel]

Spaniards are considered whites (or rather European) if they come from Spain only. But if they are from PR or DR, they are considered a minority, just like us...

 

[stinastina]

I think moreso that it is an issue of nationality with them, as in they don't want to be considered an African-American and find pride in being Dominican. At least that is why I've experienced and for that I don't blame them.

That's what I always thought. I agree with adequate, though, every country has issues. So very sad.