Afro-Latinos and The Power of And - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

Afro-Latinos and The Power of And - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson:

Afro-Latinos and The Power of And

by JOSE VILSON on AUGUST 5, 2013

Maxwell

Today, I had a conversation with Amilcar Priestly of the Proyecto Afro-Latin@ about Afro-Latino identity and what it meant for me as an educator and writer. As we started talking, I came to a harsh realization about my background: I tried too hard to belong.

I taught myself how to read in Spanish, and probably should have worked harder at writing and speaking Spanish, too. I also found ways to incorporate merengue and bachata into my music playlist, and inquired about every single artist that blasted out of my stepfather’s stereo. I ate all the foods, familiarized myself with the latest “Dominican” terms and even added a few extra steps into my dancing.

While a part of me thought I was just trying to have fun and show my pride for my

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