Race – Juani Manzo

Race Babies

Great! That wasn’t complicated at all, next step and I know they are going to call me. Personal information.. I can do that.

“Ethnicity, Are you Hispanic or Latino? (A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture origin, regardless of race)”

Regarless of race? Wait. What does it mean? Hispanic is one thing and Latino is another. The first one is related to ancient Hispania (Iberian Peninsula) and now it relates to Spain, its history and culture. Latino, on the other hand, refers more exclusively to persons of Latin American origin.

Next question: “Race, please select: 1-American Indian or Alaska Native, 2-Asian, 3-Black or African American, 4-Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 5-White, 6-Two or More Races”

Which race should I choose then? I know I am from Argentina, South America, but does it mean that I don’t have a race or we Argentinians and the rest of South America have too many races?

Continue reading “Race Doesn’t Want Me On Its Team”

… as a Person of Color

My hair is black, my eyes are brown and my skin…

brown?, red?, hispanic/latin?

Coming-out

Like I said in “Who Am I?”, my decision to start a website was after I read Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. That is why I will post quotes from the book and ideas that she mentioned there. I am not trying to copy her. I just want to share my experience and I know there are a lot of people like me and I would love to hear their stories.

While eagerly reading every page I started to develop a new passion, a new appreciation of a concept that I have never took the time to analyze: Race.

Race is defined as a group of people identified as distinct from other groups because of supposed physical or genetic traits shared by the group. A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographic distribution.

In my country we are all the same. Argentina was colonized in the 16th century by Spain, and later there was also a big Italian immigration. They were white, so I never had the idea of considering myself as someone non-white. I thought there were only two races: the antagonism between black&white was the only thing I could think about.

Continue reading “I’m Coming Out”