Latinos are people with ancestors from across the world 💃🏻 so this Black History Month, we’re talking about race!

Fat Joe recently said, “all Latinos are Black.” He was trying to highlight the fact that Latinos have a mixed culture that often traces us to Africa, but he confused the Latino ethnicity with race. 

He’s not alone in this mix-up. We often forget that not all Latinos have the same roots, and that we experience life differently based on how we look. 

The Americas are made up of many different races, so there’s confusion around if Latinos are Black, White or Indigenous. 

So then, why is it that Black, White, Indigenous and Mestizo people are all considered Hispanic? The U.S. Census has contributed to this mix-up. 

For example, the Garifunas (descendants of Africans and indigenous people) are considered “Hispanic” according to the U.S. Census Bureau, simply because they’re from Central America.

… and therefore they are put in the same category as white Latinos, like rapper Pitbull, and those with darker skin like actress Rosario Dawson. 

At the end of the day, we identify how we want, but it’s empowering to celebrate our peoples’ unique histories from around the world! 

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