Over the past few years I observed that people have numerous definitions of what black is. There are those that feel only people on the continent of Africa and their descendants in the United States are Black. There are some that believe people of African descent that live in English speaking countries are the real Blacks. I don't understand how people have such an abundance of absurd definitions of blackness. There are dodos (no disrespect) that feel that Afro-Hispanics are not Black because they SPEAK SPANISH regardless of their skin complexion.
If one was to really analyze the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries and other non English-speaking countries in the western hemisphere, one would see that they have retained many aspects of African culture which can be observed through religious practices, music, and speech. The instruments that are used such as the "congas" originated from Africa. In many English-speaking countries one may not see such. Also I believe blacks= persons of African descent should not separate themselves over language and national origin differences because that furthers the stereotypes and keep us behind.
Moreover, I believe some of us could actually learn something from the slave traders that participated in the Atlantic Slave Trade(1490-1870). They derived from numerous European countries where many languages were spoken and practiced different cultures but that didn't divide them as it does the black man today, it united them. I highly doubt they argued over their whiteness either.
Hi HL
15 years ago