Afro descendants in Americas at Congressional Black Caucus 2009 Conference: Panel "Unheard Voices in Latin America: The Plight of Afro Latinos" VIDEOS

There are more than 150 million Afro descendants in Latin America, which is about 17% of the population of all the American continent.

Unfortunately most Black populations in Latin America are still among the most marginalized, living in poverty and at the bottom of societies, as a result of centuries of racial discrimination, economic and political exclusion and lack of equal opportunities.

U.S. Congressman Donald M. Payne hosted the panel "Unheard Voices in Latin America: The Plight of Afro Latinos" during the recent Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Conference, on September 24, 2009.

I spoke to Rep. Payne briefly after the panel:

The impact of African cultures in our communities is present in every aspect of our lives today, in almost every country of the Americas. For centuries, such important contribution has been hidden by the Hispanics and other European descendant communities, but that is changing today thanks to the struggle of Afro descendant communities in the Americas.

Afro Latinos or Afro descendants in the Americas are an important component of our communities and who we are as people. We have coexisted with Indigenous Native peoples in the continent for centuries, and some even say that happened before the European contact.

"Unheard Voices in Latin America: The Plight of Afro Latinos" was moderated by Dr. Eva T. Thorne, Meyer and W. Walter Jaffe Assistant Professor of Politics at Brandeis University.

Panelists:

Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-NJ 10); Mr. Gilberto Amaya, Central American Black Organization (CABO, ONECA); Mr. Leonardo Reales, Afro Colombian Movemente CIMARRON and Consultant for Creador Pictures; Dr. Maria Moreno Vega, Global Afro Latino & Caribbean Initiative; Dr. Shelton Davis, Consultant formerly with the World Bank; Ms. Juliet Hooker, Assistant Professor at University of Texas Austin.

VIDEO OF THE PANEL (2ND PART):

Click To Play

Equality and respect for our diversity

The mixture of cultures of Native, African, Asian and European peoples in the Americas has shaped many traditions and customs we have today, the strong prescense of several heritages that mixed with the Indigenous peoples is what define us.

Therefore, we are not one single community, but we are a range of diverse and multicultural groups that share a land in many countries. In order to create better societies where all communities are equal, we must promote policies that include all of us with respect for our rights and identities.

We must look forward to the day the color when the color of our skin and our common history will become bridges to connect us and not to divide us. Until then, there is so much work to do now.

Photos

Note: the video of the first part of this panel will be posted this week.

.