Black Latinidad, Latinx Problematization and Gateways 

Throughout history, there has been a subjugation of various differences in a culture that augment the reality of a “classic Mexican” or “classic American”, etc.. These ideologies, known more commonly as stereotypes, set harmful precedents for people who “do not fit the mold”, and encourage shame and disdain for our particularities as individuals. In “The X in Latinx is a Wound, Not a Trend” Alan Palaez Lopez problematizes the inclusivity in the “X” in Latinx as it brings forth people who are often subjugated in this manner and shamed or even attempted to be erased for existing. In other words, Lopez suggests that the blanket term does not bring inclusivity, however, it brings forth that same blanket and silences those who may not fit the role of a “typical Latino”. For this piece, we will highlight anti-blackness in the Latino community. 

In “X is a Wound…”, Lopez discusses the various issues revolving around the usage of the word in common colloquialism. He notes, “I am proposing that we think of the ‘X’ as a scar that exposes four wounds signified by each corner of the ‘X’, an image that Nigerian storyteller, Kemi Bello, has helped me patch out in recent conversation when she inquired about the ‘X’ in Latinx. The four wounds that I propose are settlement, anti-Blackness, femicides, and inarticulate” (Lopez). Lopez above discusses the sentiment expressed in his title and explains that while this X was meant to provide a sense of inclusivity, it has, however, been a signal to the erasure of difference and a symbol for those often marginalized groups. In other words, he proposes the ideology that perhaps in having a symbol like such, it is not only erasing the

multiplicity in identity for various Latin people by name, but also functions as a symbol thus signifying the pains and sorrow the Latin community has encountered due to racist, homophobic, and/or bigoted ideologies. Particularly, he mentions that each edge of the “X” functions as a wound, creating four big wounds, and as such, he highlights the anti-blackness evoked from the culture. 

Lopez later describes how this sentiment has been embodied throughout culture in Latin America. He explains, “For me, the ‘X’ in Latinx marks the spot in which my African ancestors arrived after they were kidnapped, chained, transported and enslaved throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The ‘X’ is an everyday reminder of the historical ‘thingification’ of Black 

people during the process of slavery. To be enslaved meant to not be human, so the ‘X’ in Latinx literally serves as a reminder of the erasure of Black Latinxs” (Lopez). In a very vivid representation, Lopez defines “X” as a direct depiction again of many Black people’s dehumanization through slavery and other inhumane practices, but also, describes that assimilatory depiction in a great part of Latin America that hones into the ideology of representing the community a specific way. It is in this manner that by using Latinx, such augments a hiding of differences in culture and erases Black Latinos from having a voice or a label to their identity. Furthermore, he continues by mentioning that, “Racism necessitates anti-Blackness, as Blackness was marked ‘unhuman’ during slavery. This mark of unhuman facilitates racism and colorism, which people of color experience. However, non-Black people of color do not experience anti-Blackness. In fact, they may perpetuate anti-Blackness, which maintains the controlled image of Blackness and melanin as ‘bad.’ Because people of color have melanin and live as racialized subjects, an investment in anti-Blackness is an investment in the very root of why they experience racism and colorism. Therefore, the liberation of all Latinx

people of color necessitates the liberation of Black Latinxs. If this does not happen, systems of racism, colorism, and anti-Blackness will prevail in the Latinx community” (Lopez). In other words, Lopez is signifying that in liberating and allowing for inclusivity of all cultures, we as a society ought to develop acknowledgment and a voice for people who have been harmed through these ideologies. Especially by mentioning “ the liberation of all Latinx people of color necessitates the liberation of Black Latinxs” (Lopez) Lopez develops a proposed solution that when liberating and allowing for identity, you must understand what identities are being subjugated, you must come to terms with the horrid history, and you must come to terms that to fix something you have to admit that it is broken, to begin with. 

Throughout Lopez’s piece, he overall seeks to problematize Latinidad and inclusivity by mentioning how the X in Latinx functions as a medium that hides true cultural identity for those who may not fit the mold, and in addition, isn’t directly solving the issue of the discriminatory practices and the ignoring of various Latine culture’s destruction for not fitting the standard set. As noted above, until there is proper identification of Black Latinxs and/or any of the other marginalized groups such as the LGBTQIA+, the femicide, and the inarticulate, it is incredibly difficult to allow for the expression of these groups to surface in the community safely. Yet, there have been many people who have been able to develop a voice, and despite infringing odds that may attempt to silence or belittle, many people of color have been able to speak out and voice their pains through beautiful literary pieces. 

In an edited piece by Alan Palaez Lopez named “When Languages Broke Open”, they compile various poems depicting the sentiments of many Black Latinos in the community. Particularly, Where is Home by Ivanova Veras de Jesus, describes the colonial sentiments regarding their ancestry and how that same sentiment still is present, and yet they show pride in

being Black and Latine. They note, “The colonizers say she [narrator’s mother] was born dirty, She never forgets, She’s never allowed to, They don’t get the majesty of her Black skin…” (Veras de Jesus, 67). Veras de Jesus not only understands the colonial sentiments as she explains that her mother is never allowed to forget the way colonizers made her feel dirty, but at the same time, we note that Veras shows a sign of pride and understanding in who she is and pride in her mother’s identity. In simply mentioning “the majesty of her Black skin” we note that again Veras de Jesus is directly contradicting what colonizers have said about her mother and is directly depicting her mother as majestic, pure –human. Further throughout the poem, she depicts however, “ Our knees are hurting, And so are our souls. I wonder: Who were you before they told you who to be? Which parts of you are missing?” (Veras de Jesus, 68). Again highlighting the loss of identity that is often a problem for many Black Latinxs, Veras de Jesus is inquisitive of the person her mother could’ve been and how perhaps she could have acted, felt, and thought, beyond the scope of the harmful titles given to her by colonizers. In addition, even mentioning the wonder of knowing who her mother was, such is indicative of again the erasure of culture that Lopez depicts as it suggests the inability to connect back with your roots as a Black Latinx and unable to understand their heritage. This is crucial for healing because although this poem highlights many topics of discussion for the Black Latinx community, it is through this poetry that we see an enablement of voice for these marginalized communities. It is through poetry and other works of art that those who have been denied a voice are now able to express themselves and express the issues that our cultural community faces. The first step toward the betterment of a problem is identifying it and through such, it is imperative to acknowledge these pieces of poetry and also other pieces like novels.

Particularly in the novel “The Compton Cowboys”, Walter Thomspon-Hernandez, a half-African-American and Mexican author, describes in the prologue the pains of being mixed in the culture. He notes, “As a son of an African-American father whom I didn’t really meet until my early twenties, hearing these slurs directed at black people forced me to reckon with the idea that a part of my heritage could be supported while the other parts could be weaponized” (Thompson-Hernandez, 3). Here, he notes again the pains of his culture consistently depicted as malignant due to internalized and harmful beliefs. He depicts a displacement in his identity and developed a cognition of having perhaps fear, or shame for half of his identity simply for existing. However, his novel focuses on the Compton Cowboys, or a group of Black cowboys who have found themselves healing from dangerous environments both physically and socially and have found a healthy coping mechanism to heal not just as an individual but as a culture. Thompson-Hernandez is providing that space for healing because as he directly depicts that same mentality through the cowboys, he is also opening a form of pride in being mixed and pride in learning about the beauty in the complexity of his culture. 

Again, we note the importance of having these voices because it enables the strengthening of having Blackness in our community. Instead of erasure, these voices function as a gateway between a marginalized group and the rest of the community. In addition, it allows us to step away from what is considered “standard” and instead reinforces that not being the “standard” is something to acknowledge and appreciate. As professor Richard Jackson from the University of Otago describes in one of his journals, “Black writers in Latin America today are willing to participate as blacks “‘without feeling that to do so, makes them any less Latin American, nationalist, revolutionary human, or redefined’” (Jackson, 7).

As Jackson depicts, it is imperative to highlight these voices because it is through these pieces of literature that the Black Latine community can express themselves unapologetically and once again identify themselves as not the standard, not because they don’t fit, but because there is no standard, to begin with. In addition, Latin culture is filled with various differences and that is what augments its beauty and richness in culture. One ought to not stem away from these issues that marginalize various communities, but rather open a discussion and propose solutions to uplift those who have been shunned for existing. There is beauty in diversity and we should not shackle ourselves to labels that centralize and erase our individual culture and communities.

 

Works Cited 

Jackson, Richard. “The Emergence of Afro-Hispanic Literature.” Afro-Hispanic Review, 1991, www.afrohispanicreview.com/. 

Lopez, Alan Palaez. “The X in Latinx Is a Wound, Not a Trend.” Color Bloq’s X Collection, 2018, www.colorbloq.org/article/the-x-in-latinx-is-a-wound-not-a-trend. 

Thompson-Hernandez, Walter. The Compton Cowboys. QUILL TREE BOOKS, 2021. 

Veras de Jesus , Ivanova. “When Languages Broke Open .” Edited by Alan Lopez, UAPress, 18 Mar. 2024, uapress.arizona.edu/book/when-language-broke-open.