‘We Are Black First!’

‘We can’t let where the boat dropped us off define who we are,’ Laz Alonso (@lazofficial) powerfully reminded us on the Hollywood Unlocked (@hollywoodunlockedUL) entertainment news platform.

The actor, known for roles including in the film ‘Fast and Furious’ (2009), referred to how the European Slave Trade sold kidnapped Africans in various parts of the Americas. Yet, modern Black people identify more with the countries they now find themselves in rather than recognising our shared African heritage. This mindset is crucial because, in the eyes of the oppressors, we’re African first.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Video credit: @hollywoodunlockedUL (X)

Sources:

1. https://time.com/6213368/afro-latino-history/

2. https://hispanicwealthproject.org/features/celebrating-afro-latinos-cultural-richness

3. https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/legacy-slavery-caribbean-and-journey-towards-justice#:~:text=Some%2040%20per%20cent%20of,principal%20market%20for%20enslaved%20labour.

4. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/05/02/about-6-million-u-s-adults-identify-as-afro-latino/

5. https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/26/us/black-latinos-afro-latinos-experience/index.html

6. https://www.kqed.org/news/11905454/we-are-black-we-just-speak-spanish-why-some-afro-latinos-want-more-visibility-during-black-history-month