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Racism in Hispanic and Latino American communities

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Racism in Hispanic and Latino American communities often manifests as anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. White and lighter-skinned Hispanics and Latinos may harbor racist views towards Afro-Latinos and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Colorism in Hispanic and Latino communities may manifest as prejudice or discrimination against darker-skinned people by lighter-skinned Hispanics and Latinos. Native-born Hispanics and Latinos may exhibit xenophobic bias against immigrants from Latin America. Some Hispanic/Latino Americans have joined far-right political movements known for racism and xenophobia.

About

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According to Pew Research Center data, over one-quarter of Hispanics/Latinos in the United States report that they have experienced prejudice or discrimination for having darker skin within the Hispanic/Latino community. Among foreign-born Hispanics/Latinos, 32% have experience discrimination from other Hispanics/Latinos and among darker-skinned Hispanics/Latinos over 40% reported discrimination from within the community.[1]

The journalist Rachel Uranga has written that racism among Mexicans and Central American Latinos against people who are Black, Indigenous, and/or dark-skinned is "not ubiquitous" but "still runs deep in the community and is rooted in the colonial eras of Mexico and Central America."[2]

Anti-Black racism

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The legal scholar Tanya Katerí Hernández has written that anti-Black racism has a lengthy and often violent history within the Hispanic/Latino community.[3] According to Hernández, anti-Black racism is not an individual problem but rather a "systemic problem within Latinidad" and that myths exist within the community that "mestizaje" exempts Hispanics/Latinos from racism.[4]

The 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, an American of Peruvian descent, sparked widespread discussions about anti-Black racism in Hispanic/Latino communities.[5]

Many Latinos, particularly Afro-Latinos, participated in the George Floyd protests of 2020.[5]

Anti-Indigenous racism

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Hispanic/Latino racism against the Indigenous peoples of the Americas is rooted in the legacies of Spanish and Portuguese colonialism in Latin America.[6]

Far-right politics

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Some Hispanic/Latino Americans have joined far-right movements, including white supremacist and Christian nationalist movements characterized by racism, xenophobia, and antisemitism. The journalist Paola Ramos, author of Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America, has written that racism and anti-communism among Hispanic/Latino Americans has lead to the rise of Latino support for Trumpism. According to Ramos, Cuban Americans and Venezuelan Americans in particular join far-right racist movements in part due to "political trauma" from living under authoritarian governments.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Latinos experience discrimination from other Latinos about as much as from non-Latinos". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  2. ^ "L.A. Latinos grapple with familiar colorism against Black and Indigenous people in racist tape". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  3. ^ "The Long and Violent History of Anti-Black Racism in the Latino Community". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  4. ^ "The Myth of 'Latino Racial Innocence': An Interview with Tanya Katerí Hernández". The Latinx Project. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  5. ^ a b "Latinos must confront 'ingrained' anti-black racism amid George Floyd protests, some urge". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  6. ^ "Indigenous have face a culture of racism and discrimination that goes back centuries". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  7. ^ "Political trauma is fueling the Latino far right, author says". United States. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
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