I do agree that in some islands, the racial issue has more complexity to it. In Martinique for instance, I found the racial lines and roles were a lot more blurred – the races mixed a lot more and there seemed to be less hang ups about black, brown or white. Though of course, I know enough to know they are still there. But it’s less…sharp than in other places.

Trinidad is another example partly because the racial/racist dynamic is different there- brown vs. black and they are such a rainbow nation it makes no sense.

Jamaica …being half-Jamaican and having lived there to do uni, I would NEVER list Jamaicans as people who are not colour-conscious. Jamaicans are so colour-conscious it’s painful.

I think it may be wrong to necessarily judge Caribbean racial attitudes by your friends and family since they sound more middle class and bourgeois and are not necessarily representative of normal attitudes.

Not hitting at you – it’s just like how I have tons of Indo-Trinidadian friends who are not ‘racial’ in the least but I know they do not neccesarily represent the norm.

To anon 7:52 – yes it is a stupid, racist concept but it has also created enormous good in that blacks in the Western hemisphere are more welcoming than probably any other group of people. Not that we don’t have our issues of colourism and shadism but by comparison, we are much more willing to accept someone as being ‘one of us’ than other people are – often where others would reject.
So if you’re light-skinned and wavy-haired like Rihanna or Alicia Keys? Sure, you’re black. Welcome.
If you’re dark-skinned and curly-haired like me? You’re black and you’re welcome.
If you’re part Syrian, part Portuguese, Part Chinese and part black with freckles and a big bamsy like my Trini best friend – you too can identify as black and you’re welcome. Our concept of black is very wide and diverse. I happen to like that. Gives me lots of folks to claim. :)

It’s like Nas said…:p “Y’all my n***as too.

Negro please.

Ha!Exactly. I experienced that too and thats the reason for most of their shock! Ha!

___________________________________

There is discrimination and issues in much of Latin America and its visible and I have experienced it first hand. There are BLACK latinos who face this. Many, many, many in Latin America have African roots!! More slaves went to those parts than here in the U.S. There very culture has extremely visible African inspiration. The constant denial of these colorism and race issues are killing me. I grew up in the BX. To get some of this out of the mouths of my Latino friends is like pulling teeth. I’m suprise that many still dont know about this.

The Clinton campaign did not make this up! They exploited it for their own political purposes.

Here is an article that I continue to hand out to people when we discuss this topic:

Its from the New York Post. Its with Tego Calderon who is a reggaeton artist. He speaks about race…colorism and Latin America with a focus on Puerto Rico, his homeland from the perspective of a black Latino:

Black Pride

http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/433071/29441828

When Obama was winning Iowa and inspiring crowds, he was “mixed race.” Many whites couldn’t wait to say he was part white and ask why he claimed himself as black when he was half white.

When Rev. Wright came out, those same people were all too glad to call him “black.”

Just sayin’.

Regarding my previous post, all I am saying is my parents and myself are very dark. My cousins who have a french mom are not. We have the same last name and nobody cares.

I’m going by what I have personally witnessed in my family. Other family members have married Dutch people. Some of their kids married folks who are as dark as me or white folks and everything in between.

Not saying it’s paradise. Just saying each island has it’s own issues. The Jamaicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Trinidadians I know are not color conscious. Their families seem to be more concerned with class. If you look like Halle but “don’t have a pot to piss in” you are not going to trump the brown girl with a pot. I think in the States you would. Or maybe I’m just cynical after living in L.A.

I just moved to Rome from Los Angeles where I lived for 10 years. I feel it was the most color struck place I have ever lived or visited in my life. I cannot even get into some of the crazy comments I rec’d from brothers about my natural hair…in the 21st century!

It wasn’t until I went to college that I faced the whole the lighter you, are the more play you will get thing. This was in the late 80s. Very eye opening.

On the other hand my brother-in-law is jewish and haitian. His father is light and so are many people in that family. Yes in Haiti it does seem like most of the people with money are light, just like in DC. His family did not have an issue with him marrying my sister who is chocolate like me.

I did say on the larger islands it seems to be a bigger issue. Haiti is a much larger island than St. Martin and Anguilla where the majority of my people are from. The rest are in Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, and Guadeloupe.

I forgot to say earlier I agree 100% race is not an obstacle it’s racism. So true.

I’m reminded of that historic day back in 2002 when Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress and there were many who said she wasn’t really Black and that is why she was able to win.

Hardly any of these social critics addressed the merits of Halle’s performance, except to say that Angela Bassett should’ve won for What’s Love Got to Do With It and since she didn’t it proves that Halle’s win had only to do with her complexion and heritage.

This discussion reminds me of that discussion and it’s unfortunate.

One presidential historian thinks Clinton’s loose-lipped reference to assassination raises the danger of someone’s targeting Obama.

KENNEDYS FEEL BOBBY-SOCKED

I can only speak for my family and friends but no one the islands that they are from care about this whole bi-racial or light skinned/dark skin thing. I have many relatives who are mixed and they are treated not better or worse. they are not special because they are light or have “good hair”. It’s more important that your family is not jacked up than what your skin tone is. I do know on some of the much bigger islands that might not be the case but let’s not put our American obsessions on Puerto Rico. The island’s history is very diverse and most of the Puerto Ricans I know define themselves and black and latino.

We’re doing some maintenance. We’ll be back soon.

Also, just as an aside– one of my old friends in New York says that a group has sprouted up, to launch a campaign to recall Hillary Clinton from the New York Senate. This apparently began well before Hillary all but dog-whistled her supporters to pull a Sirhan Sirhan on Obama on Friday, so it’s no doubt intensified. Anyone with the inside scoop on this? Would love to help join the effort!

Where we do not identify as Black, we do not identify as white either- not matter how limiting the census is. The media has done a disservice to the image of Black people, however the experience we have had with white people in the US has amplified the connections we have with Black people in the US. Again, this is not to say that phenotypically some of us are not Black. But in terms of an American Black identity- its different. We don’t have the historical civil war narrative.

That said, many Puerto Ricans have worked with, lived with, and merged families with African Americans. The first wave of Puerto Ricans came through NYC and hey we lived the BX ling enough to be founders of hip hop! Generations older will buy into media hype of Black Americans, generations younger see ourselves and brothers/sisters in the struggle. Many of the people on the island have lived in NYC at least part of their life too.

It would surprise me if the primary was close. I’ll say this again, there is NO ONE in my family on Clinton’s side. I shipped several Obama signs to family in PR. I had several conversations with family elders of other families… don’t dismiss Obama cuz we’re Latino.

The media has often made the mistake of saying Latino but meaning Mexican. Puerto Ricans are not Mexican- we haven’t experienced the segregation they have.

He may get votes because he is NOT white.

I was wondering when this conversation was going to begin.

dNA stated that: As wonderful as it is that PR can look at Obama and see themselves, it reminds you they wouldn’t feel the same way about someone who was darker or didn’t have a white parent.

Why limit this to PR. I don’t think it’s a stretch to think a majority of white people who voted for Obama feel this way too. What does that say about America racism?

There have black people qualified to run before but they were too black (literally and figuratively) for mainstream consumption. Obama doesn’t have that problem. Apparently the right kind of Black American is not only ivy-league educated but mixed.

What message does that send to plain black kids who Obama is supposed to inspire?