1B. We Count: Identity, the Census and Visibility
9:30am-11:00am
The process of self-identification and increased recognition is of central importance to the Afro-Latin@ struggle for rights and equality. The census is one area of active involvement, as campaigns throughout the Americas have challenged the reigning categories and encouraged Afro-Latin@s to go on record as Black. Key questions: what can we do to step up struggles for Black Latino self-affirmation and overcoming racial denial? How can we continue and expand the efforts being taken to address the pitfalls of misleading census and other official categorizations? What educational steps can we take to counteract the still prevalent influence of ideologies of mestizaje and the more recent “mixed-race” identity? How can we relate specifically anti-Black racism to other forms of racial and cultural discrimination?
The process of self-identification and increased recognition is of central importance to the Afro-Latin@ struggle for rights and equality. The census is one area of active involvement, as campaigns throughout the Americas have challenged the reigning categories and encouraged Afro-Latin@s to go on record as Black. Key questions: what can we do to step up struggles for Black Latino self-affirmation and overcoming racial denial? How can we continue and expand the efforts being taken to address the pitfalls of misleading census and other official categorizations? What educational steps can we take to counteract the still prevalent influence of ideologies of mestizaje and the more recent “mixed-race” identity? How can we relate specifically anti-Black racism to other forms of racial and cultural discrimination?