Afro Latinidad & Growing up in the LatinX generation

and here is my co host. And today I'm really excited because we're gonna talk about something that really touches my heart, which is La, which is talking about the

Afro Latino community. A lot of people I don't get see a lot of people got to know me in the American side, UM through love and hip hop, and in this platform they heard me talk about, you know, feeling like I didn't fit and feel like, you know, the after Latino community didn't really have a voice UM and a lot of people got to see me on that side and got to see my work as an activist during the protests that happened through George fo I was the first one out there in the front line,

Bailey and not just poor lacoa Negra, but also put La like myself, so it really touches home, and UM, I wanted to dedicate this podcast to the people that support me, to the people that feel that don't have a voice, to all the Latinos out there, even if you may not be directly after Latino, but you may have that um, that cousin, that girlfriend, that boyfriend, that whatever. I feel that overall, as Latinos, we are one community, and the Alfro Latino community amongst us sometimes doesn't really

get represented properly. So there's a lot to talk about this inside. Well, my question to you is, yes, this is perfect because now we're here. Yes, a couple of years later, be in your movement and you know, the movement that you've been advocating. Now here's the thing. Do you still feel like you need to explain the people who you are? Of course, you know it's crazy enough because I feel that it's one and I am still consistently having to explain to people what being after Latino means.

I still have had people that don't believe that you can be black and also be Latino and speak Spanish. I still hear people, you know, speaking a lot, a lot from a place of ignorance. Um, and I just feel like you have social media, you have the Internet, you have YouTube, you have all these other platforms where if you don't know, you can just search it up. You know, we've been here, we've we've we've been Here's

just that no one really spoke about it. Is like that, you know, speaking of people speaking about you or talking about you. Have you ever been to like your local supermarket or wherever now you know, events, industry events or any and people are are they old talking bad about you? Like in Spinish? Probably know this happens all the time. Can you give us like one because I think it's I I find it like I'm using that when people get it twisted and you have that moment after like

very very right. So it happens to me all the time. It used to happen more before. But you know a lot of people already know that I'm Latina, but before and it still happens. But I'll have people talking about me like look at her hair, look at this someone whatever, and then I'll just be there just crankia and I won't say anything until like me so and then but I didn't know you spoke Spanish? Where are you from? Does it matter you got exactly, doesn't matter that Latino

community is so diverse. We all look in so many different shades here, styles, body types, features, everything, so see and I know that it happens to a lot of a lot of other after Latinos as well, where they're you know, they find themselves being questioned where it's just weird or or you get the famous what are you mixed with? Who said that you have to be mixed with any other race or culture or whatever in order to be you know Latino like gas lighting? Totalizing? Oh

I like your hair? Like, how do you feel when people tell you that? But med I think that. First of all, I haven't been rocking my afro for a while now ever since the pandemic, I just wanted to change up. And I went through this you know life experience where I've changed a lot, right, I've grown. I still rock my afro and I love the texture of my hair. And I've had this situation where people being just pick your hands, you know, their hands in your hair or like, oh my god, your hair is fluffy.

What do you do to where they pat me? I'm like me, get your hands off my hair immediately. Um, I don't think that a lot of people understand how uncomfortable it is. You know, you're not an animal, you're not a pet. Is nothing weird because I hate the terminology. And let's talk about this real quick too. I think that racism has been normalized so much amongst even the Latino community, that you don't even know when you're being racist.

You know, there was a song Let's talk about my mom, but like that was an actual song Mommy don't want a black Latino but but I want my black life, like and that song was, like, there's been so much that was okay, Like, there's been so much racial I wouldn't. I don't know what exactly to call it, because I

just feel that it's been normalized. Come when you're being racist, okay, And just because of that, I want this show to not just be a way for me to vent and express my own experiences, but I also want to be able to educate people. But no, Saven, you don't know when you're being racist. Let me give you a perfect example. If you see a black woman or if you see a black men, don't say I for being black. You're very pretty Excuse me, what the hell does that mean?

So you're basically saying black people are ugly, but it just so happens to be that I'm that one person who looks decent. Don't say that. Here's another perfect example. I grew up my whole life saying hearing, oh um, but when we Lina no like, you have really nice features, don't mess it up. You know, getting married to I world, you have to better her. They'll be like, you have to better the race. So you're saying that my race

is not good. Then my race is bad. Then my features are not good, my skin color is not good. I have to better it by marrying or being with someone who is have more European features so that my children could be light skin. So if you didn't know that saying that makes you racist, let me educate you.

You don't say that and like that. I've gone through so many experiences, like even now, there's a lot of after Latinos, there's a lot of black people who were bullied, who were made made fun of for having you know, big lips or having certain features which now have become you know, trendy, and people paid for it. You know, before it was all about the big boots and no no ask with all due respect for those girls that are naturally built like that, and then now women are

buying their butt because they're looking like us. I'm tell oh, but I say when mona, which I've heard that a lot of times, joe Ya Mona. They've called me mona monkeys so many times in my life that I didn't even realize that it was a bad thing. Was just more like, you know, there goes another one when and I feel too that I want to clarify that a lot of people will never understand the experiences a black

person lives. Whether you're going love how they whether you come from Europe, whether you come from Africa, whether you come from Latin America, doesn't matter. If you are born with this color skin, with this melanin that God gave us, you will never understand the experiences that we've been through. The way that people look at us, The way that when you walk in the store, people are always looking

at you like you're gonna steal something. The way that if you walk by someone, people automatically hold their purse because they're scared you're gonna steal from them. The way that people talk about two when whenever anybody wants to say something negative. The first thing they say. People don't understand how humiliating it is and how hurtful it is, because we didn't choose to be born this way, nor would I have wanted to change because I love being negative.

I love my skin color, I love who I am. But I understood at a very early age that in order to live in this world with my skin tone, I was gonna have to work twice as hard. People were always gonna look at me, you know, with a certain you know, they were gonna look at me differently just because I'm black, and a lot of people like, but we're not racist. We don't understand, we don't see if we have evolved a lot, No, we have it. No,

we have not, especially in the Latino community. I'm sorry to say it, and I'm sorry to like pinpoint it, but that we haven't been able to progress. We're the someone and theos. We're the first ones to humiliate us. We're the first ones that if your daughter brings ago to the house, you're like, you don't get us, as

I don't want that, or what are you doing? Let's be honest, Like we keep saying all between Latinos, we're not I don't like to generalize, but there's a big percentage of people that are and you will see it to our faces. But behind behind closed doors, people have feelings about us. So that has made it hard for

a lot of us to get jobs. It's made it hard for a lot of us to be visibly like for example, if they have to pick between someone who is dark skin and someone who is light skined, who both have let's say, who both can do the job, you'll always go for the light skin because black people come up as intimidating or scary or be careful or da da. It's a lot of pressure that people don't

know about. No, it's absolutely right, because, um, I went from my first job interview with my best friend he's that for Latino, and they hired me right away and they hire him. So I didn't take the job, you know what I mean. And at that time, there's always like, oh, don't think like that. You know, people always say, oh, don't think like that, don't think that we knew, Yeah, like you know, I don't know. I don't don't know. He said that's crazy, and I said, but that's all

right because they lost that one. But too But look, at this culturally that we know the soap operas are big things for the Latino community. Novels is something that has been with us for years. We used to watch it with our grandparents La Mamma after work. It's like a moment that you spend with your family. And I remember growing up and watching TV and always wondering, why doesn't anybody look like me. There was only two novelas

that I recall. One it was Chica La Silva and it's the only reason why they were black people in Nuela. It was because it was about slaves and about slaves battle. They never at one point sell a Cruise, which I love her and we'll talk about her in a second,

because they for life. She was also no novela and she was that even got slapped and and it was that was a moment in the history for the Latino community that was so damaging and hurtful because the one icon and idol that we have that we admire, she is ours, the one opportunity that they give us to be on TV, and she's there Sea Cruise and the Sea Eli Act Sprinci. It was so humiliating until this day, how many nobelas or soap operas. There are things that

we see on big screen Latina. Do you see people like us? You don't unless we are the robbers, the rapers, the drug addict. Why And it's that stigma, that prototype that that it's a forto massume that unconsciously makes people be afraid of us. In real life, you'll see so much negativity about us and little positive stuff that people start to believe it. You know how many great attorneys, doctors, producers, great talented Afro Latinos there is that don't get credit

credit for their work. That is a very tough thing. And I think that we need to talk about it, like let's stop trying to hide it and let's really talk about it. These conversations be to how I've been so you did create that awareness on the love and hip hop platform? Correct? Um? Since then, yes, have they offered you any roles or is it still the same situation? Well, I was. I did a movie. Um, I did a movie with Chris Stokes. Shoutouts to him. I love him

so much for supporting me. Fall Girls is actually on Netflix and I I was grateful to the fact that he allowed me to speak some Spanish, but Honestly, whenever I do get offered roles, for the most part, none of them are representing the Afro Latino community has never been Dominican, Latina, Romanian, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Colombiana, and it's never being Latina. And then that continues to bother me.

I'm grateful for the opportunities given, but I would like for all these directors, producers, a and ours, executive whatever, whatever, let me point the finger at YouTube. All of you hypocrites that say that you want to support the Latino Commy, that you want to support the after Latino community, that you want to see more diversity, that you feel that you you know, you were holding our hands and you're supporting us. You're a hypocrite because you have the platform

and you have the possibilities to make a difference. You have the possibilities to change the narrative, and you don't. You continue to get the same actors, the same roles. That nothing has changed. When George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement happened, I tell you, everybody, everybody was there, oh support were so everybody has something to stay on social media. Now that things have somewhat calmed, down. Who do you here talking about it? What has happened? Nothing

has happened. We're going back to the same ship we were doing before. So if you ask me if things have changed, no, I believe that the conversation did get started a lot. I am grateful to the fact that a lot of after Latinos that didn't even know or consider themselves after Latino, after the movement and everything that has happened, and even after hearing me speak, now I feel proud of saying I am Latino, I am after Latino. You know, take they they now accept their their ancestors. Okay,

So I am grateful for that. But do I see a big difference. No. When you look at the charts of artists, artists Latinos, okay, artists Latinos and Latin gram Biana whichever one you can here with one hand, how many after Latinos are in there, and they don't even look like us. We have such shout out to him,

admiring food and moment. We can't obviously forget about the Okay, little and if you want to go all the way back, we're gonna go all the way back to you know, and handed I, who's you know that we're part of the urban they were part of the urban movement in Canadio side that we get those things, but they this new generation, it's very little of us there, and it's

not based off talent. There's a lot of Alfro Latinos that are very talented, but if your complexion and your looks don't match what social media and popularity will accept, you're never gonna make it. Let's let's not get a twisted. There's a lot of Latin talent, and let's talk about

something that bothers me too. When we talk about film, when we talk about novella, soapbapers, when we talk about the commercials, when you talk about all these other things, me there memo, lesta minco molasis in main seeing them everything when I see that, when they talk with all due respect about Mexicans or whatever, they want to choose this prototype, this prototype of the same thing that they use in every novel. Lab right, either your blonde, blue

eyes or labrnet with certain features more European features. No, show me what a real name? Not Colombiana. How does this want of look show many more diversence? Show me the Dominicans when you go to the Dominican Republic and you see all of us, we don't look like that movie. We don't look like that. Everybody is not cookie cutter pretty. No, because that cuts out a lot of opportunities for real good actors. So you're not picking just people based off

how good of actors they are. They have to fit this pretty You know. I don't like that because that's not true diversity. So of course when I was hit up and they were like, oh, we didn't see there was a lack of after Latini dad on the film, of course I felt some type of way because we just finished going through a protest about Black Lives Matter, going through a protest talking about diversities. We just finished telling you guys, hello, we're here Latino. If I'm lucky

knows after Latinos, we're here. Please give us opportunities. They know whom Champ said. We're talented, we're good, we're educated. Please did you did anybody care? No? Because it's still not being done. You know what's the words. The worst part about who did taking consideration? I heart radio because making a difference. They said that. What really got me, Kanya was the at least they're saying well, at least

there's a representation. First of all, sixty years ago West Side Story came out, they didn't even let Maria, she was supposed to be cast. She tried to be the main protaga okay, and the rest of them weren't even like,

you know, the majority. And it was about how you have other people playing Puerto Ricans right in in New York where there's uh tons of you know, the lad xt community that are trying to break out and acting trying to break up, and then they're like so thirsty, like everyone, all the Latinos in the world should go see it during the pandemic because oh, because we don't

support each other. No no no, no, no no no no no no no no no no no no no. When there's movies about Caucasians and there's movies about anybody, we are the consumers and we go watch it. So why is it just our responsibility to go watch? Okay, so and don't said, let's also make ourselves responsible, because yes, we're very good at putting the finger to everybody that is not supporting us, but Latina amongst ourselves, are we being supportive of each other? Are we being supportive of our

own films. Are we being supportive of our own radio stations? Are we being supportive of our own brands? Are we being supportive? No, we're consuming as well. And let me not say no because I don't like to generalize. But we consume from other cultures, We consume from other races. But are we Are we being supportive of ourselves and we don't support each other? How do we expect other people to respect and support us? But think about it,

A lot of of our LATINOX community don't. I mean, they say we are the good the consumers and we just streamers. But to be honest, like, how many times were did your parents bring you to the movies as a kid? Think about it coming from those air urban areas? How many times? How many like? And I understand the support thing? But is it our responsibility? Yes? It is, Yes,

it is. You know why because maybe our parents weren't educated at that moment back then, but the Latin X community we know better about give us better jobs, were not better to be able to give our kids money to go support these things? Do you got? It's deeper than that. It's it's the root of it all is that we now for us, we're like the job. We're the minority everywhere, and then they want us to spend money and support I get, I guess the party. I

get the part of finances. I get the part of finances. I get the part which we definitely to talk about finances and in the Latino community because we have a lot of education to go through. But I get that part to be supportive. Sometimes you know, it's not even about the money. You know, it's not even about the money. It could be a simple post. It could be a simple word of mouth. You know, a word of mouth.

You know what I'm saying, because if you see flos a d J a J, you go automatically go said boo, that was good, But you won't try to go support your own people. Okay, he needs a bread too, No, So that's what I'm saying. We are so good at bring the finger everybody for not supporting us. But let's also be responsible for ourselves. We have to educate ourselves parents.

As parents, and you know, I have my children in my ovaries better as parents, we also have to be make ourselves responsible for educating our children about their own culture, about their own culture. Espoliol not for nothing, shout out to you if you don't know Spanish and you are Latino, or if you do know Spanish or whatever the case may be, and or if you have to polish it. That's part of our culture, the Latin X community. I

want to give you guys that advice. Obviously, in this country, if you know more than one language, you're obviously already winning. But it is so important to not lose our culture, even if we're born in the United States. I was born here in Miami, Okay. I was born here and I didn't even get to go to my parents country, Dominican Republican. I was like eighteen spaddle utez don minicana Latina. And whether you like it or not, here I know you go to school and you learn English and school

you speak Spanish. It's important to still maintain our culture. Our music, lacomida are everything. We don't want to lose that magic and that comes from education and our parents. Parents need to do their part. Two. I just want to find also solutions to the problems, because I know that there's a lot of problem making of supporting our people. Still are they embracing this new term latin X. I think that a lot of people are embracing the new terminology of Latin XI gen um. I think or do

people say I'm a Latino, I'm a Latina. I don't know. Some people like the neutral, you know, the Latin X and just keep it as that. I personally like to say I'm Latina and that's just what it is. You know, I'm part of the Latino community, and I feel proud of saying them. But whatever works for you, as long as you're proud of where you come from and you don't deny your heritage and your ancestors and your culture, I'm down for it. What do you consider yourself to be?

I just learned about the Latin X community and the whole terminology, the term and um. I think that you know, this is perfect. I think that perfecting stuff you know years later, you know we're in a you know, further place. Now. My thing is, I would like to know if our listeners go to exactly amount of page right now, Instagram or any platform and let us know, are you okay with the term latin X or do you still consider

yourself a lot you know or Latina? Well, I know, I mean I do understand the line x um, the line X terminology too for a lot of those Latinos that are born and raised in the United States, where you kind of you know your parents are Latinos, right, but you feel like I'm American. Sometimes it's hard because I remember growing up I didn't necessarily know what to say. I mean, I was born in America. I was born in the Unit States. I go to school and it's

in English, but my mom don't no no English. And like I said, everything is in Spanish and we hear mid ange all day. But what am I? So I understand how maybe just giving that terminology of latin X it kind of makes you feel more comfortable to say that you don't necessarily have to know Spanish, but you you understand that your family maybe Latino or whatever. So I think in the term works for a lot of people. You know, whatever whatever makes you happy, so you know

real quick and brief. Um, I want to have an iconic moment. There's a lot of photos of La Cruz. Yes did she embrace you? Yes she did. I had the opportunity of performing with her in two occasions or three occasions. Um, and that was such an iconic and and just such a when in my career and in my life as a person like I will always be grateful to her, and I don't I wish that she would have been able to be here to see how

much she inspired me. And now thanks to her inspiration, I've been able to inspire other after Latinos and other little girls, um and other you know girls to feel proud of who they are and their color, the texture of their of their hair. As a matter of fact, talking about that, part of that inspiration was my children's books Way, which by the way, you guys can purchase it now at Amazon dot Com or Barnes and Noble or just go to exactly Amada and the information is

right there. My children's book. I did it exactly for that. It is available in Spanish, English and in French. To make you understand at a very young age you have to embrace the color of your skin, the texture of your hair, you know, be proud of who you are, stay focused and determined. And right now I'm working on the second edition about Marita's Way as well. Always inspiring the little ones that that's super important. It's I think it's great. I mean, you've done. I just want to

give you your flowers right here on. I don't think you've done such a great job, you know, you know, just being an advocate, being a voice, you know, really, you know, seeing you on love and hip hop and and seeing you push the whole Afrilatinos that we're not just one color. We're not just you know this Latinos coming all different flavors color like, that's incredible. You created awareness and awesome and so do you. You you also

inspired a lot of Latinos as well. But you know, I dream of one day being able to see uh soap opera, write a movie where they have Afro Latinos in there and they can have good roles where you're not a drug at it there. You're not a killer, you're not a prostitutor, You're not like. I wish that

I could see this. I wish that I could see more magazine covers where they have diversity of the Latino community and then they show you know, what we look like, who we are as a community overall, See more afflat You know, I would love to whind not if no one's doing it and we're all spreading, we're all screaming for it, they hear us, but no one's doing anything about it. I would be willing to do it. The story that someone that has lived, I think it would

be great. And you know what, that's another thing too. In order for a film or something like this to actually work, you need to give opportunities to after latinos to actually produce and be executive producers and be behind the project, not just in front of it. You know what I mean, because you wouldn't understand. But I think that, um, this is just the beginning of many things to change. I believe that the conversation needs to continue happening. I

think that we can't let it die out. We can't give up because if so, I think we definitely need to continue the conversation and see people that really are in power help make a change. I don't want to leave this episode without really tapping into the now. Lemon while put out an apology on Twitter, you know, apologizing for the colorism, Yeah, the lack of the lack of representation. Now was that enough? Was that enough? Or do you think they're just gonna apologize and do it again? You

know what? Apologizing? That's how I feel, with all due respect, maybe he truly didn't have any you know, ill intentions behind it. But I'm so sick of people doing stuff and then it just apologizing and moving forward from it like nothing happened, Like you should have known better. Don't you have like a team? Because the movie wasn't done just with you. There's a whole crew and a whole team and a whole bunch of executives behind these films. You should have known better. And if you didn't know,

why didn't anybody guide you? What was the what's the point of you paying people to help you get a job done if they're not gonna help you get the job done correctly? And among so many Latinos that were on that set, I make them responsible to because even if you don't, I know that you're there for your check and I get it, you're there to do get

the job done. But you could have said something too, like oh yeah, it would be kind of cool we had some morenos in here, because that's things that you'll say with Franca and I'm very fresh, and I say, if you're a producer women, how come there's no black people here and you're talking about they get where Dominicans? What's happening? Come? Okay, we don't really look like this in my family, let's talk about it. So I don't know.

I don't know about an apology. It's almost like he put an African American in there and he was like, that's enough. Find That's the problem right there, is that they always separate. They always say, oh, we have a black actor. That said no, there is a black Latinos as well there. I don't want to take no. I don't look. I don't take no no apologies. You know why, because they get the sea by the apology. If you still didn't give us opportunities, they get the seal with

the apology. If you're still making money, you're still making you're still making bread from our people, from us because we're still consuming your product. They cannot see today that you came and you apologize after your team messed up. Your team should have known. If we're doing a Latin movie based on the Latino community in New York wid Dominicans, why the hell don't we have after Latinos? Why don't we have black people in here? Why don't we so?

And if they do like I said, they'll have them and salone doing hair, they'll have them doing nails, they'll have them doing a thousand things, but never as a main cast. Why not Blanco the better role. Let's give them credit to Leslie Grayson was there too, you know That's how Yeah, this is not discrediting any of the actors that played and did their jobs. This has nothing to do with you. This is about production. This is

about the directors. This is about the team behind closed doors that should have known that this film was gonna be so important to the Latino community that we were waiting, we were anxious, we were excited for this film because that was gonna be about us, And when you talked about us, you missed you missed us, and you only put the people that you saw convenience and attractive for the audience that you wanted to cater to. So do

I want to take the party? I personally don't. Now, if you're doing in the movie and you fix what you messed up on this one, perhaps I'll pile part two right now, because that's exactly what everybody does say. They don't take us in consideration. They put us wherever and whenever they want, and then they're like, oh, sorry, we'll go do it next time, and then they don't. So, right, do we have to conform to this that it's so annoying because there is other movies. Oh, but this is

the first representation in New York and can't booth this. Yeah, I like it, like that. Did anybody watch that one? Because that one was really good? When John said that was a really good one, and you know they're they're like, oh, but this is the first time, and we have to deal with it because this is my thing, is that as as Latinos. First of all, let me say this because I feel it in my experience. I have to say it. I don't have the way I the seen

as as as the Latino community. If we don't say anything and we don't speak up about it, it's going to continue to happen. And just because you may not have my skin complexion and you may not be as dark as I am, doesn't mean that I am not part of the Latino community. Doesn't mean that you shouldn't hurt and suffer with my pain as well. Okay, because we're still all minorities at the end of the day,

they all see us the same. Okay. So even though you may have felt identified in the movie because someone looked like you specifically, what about the Latino community and your sister, you're what about You're not like in a Dominican family. It's not like my sister're not just Dominican, not just Dominican, Puerto Ricanio. We're not called la familia, la familia, familia Colombiana. I need a lot of Colombians that are light skinning. But like, what about the rest

of us? And I'm just so sick of it just keeps happening. Like I've felt that the High Street have known better, Like this film meant so much to it. They didn't put the shut up generation that's over and keep it moving. No, open your mouth, people, open your mouth right now. Let me tell you this is a new world that we're living in days. I feel responsible to a certain extent for the half of Latino community

because I've been the voice for a long time. A lot of people look up to me for it, and I most definitely am not gonna shut my mouth up and not say anything. So therefore, I personally at this moment, I'm saying the actors were great, they did a great job, whatever, But I'm a producer. You're gonna put out a movie and it doesn't matter. You're gonna have critics. That is a part of the industry. You gotta have thick skin.

You're gonna put out a project, you do have to take the critical Well, we have to be like, oh Puerto, how about we have to do better just by helping each other. They're out construct criticism and this is not and this is not us being damaging or anything in any shape, ware or form. As a matter of fact, I want to know your opinion on Exactly a Mata on all our social media platforms, Twitter, Instagram, check us out on YouTube as well. Let us know how you

felt about this film The in the Heights. Let us know how you feel how you feel about this movie to you, you feel that there's a lack of representation in this film, where you hurt by it? Are you okay with it? What are your thoughts and feelings? Let us know. But with that being said, guys, you know what, thank you so much for listening to Exactly a Mata. Remember to share and subscribe always. Thank you for showing us love and support. You know that will be here.

We do what no one else is willing to do. We tell you the truth. Um you can find us on Instagram, Twitter. Like I said, before an and also at exactly a Mata and you can find Stev at s b e y e w N easy. That's right. Also, go follow at Michael Podcast for more information and for more programming. This show is super late. You can miss our next episode next week. We'll get a deal as

we go on with these episodes. It just okay. And by the way, just in case you didn't know, this is a production of I Heart Radio and micro Podcast. With that being said, we love you guys seyon next