Politics
Photo by Leyla Galvez.

The Afro-Peruvian Women Leading the Black Movement in South America

Get to know five women who have become the leading voices of the Afro-Peruvian movement.

The image of a smiling Black woman, complete with red kerchief, sits above the word "Negrita," emblazoned on the bright red packaging of various sweets. The brand name stands out, as if taken from the refrain of Victoria Santa Cruz' emblematic poem, Me Gritaron Negra (They Yelled 'Black Woman' at Me).

Negrita is a familiar mammy trope, similar to the United States' Aunt Jemima. Both are set to become relics of their stereotypical past—the Peruvian version declared gone in late June, when AliCorp, the largest Peruvian consumer goods producer, announced the change of the name and image of its brand Negrita after 60 years of existence. Calling the image "inappropriate," the company said it will continue "inspiring respect, inclusion and equity…to build together the society we want."

Black Peruvian actress Anaí Padilla Vásquez, who was integral in the company's decision to remove the image, said, in a post on Facebook: "growing up and living under a stereotype like this generates a lot of damage, pain and even rejection of your own identity." She called racism one of the "largest pandemics in the world" and said the move by AliCorp is an "important and historic action in the fight against racism" in Peru.

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Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Activists Across Latin America Are Marching in Solidarity With 'Black Lives Matter' Protests in the US

From Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and El Salvador to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico, here's how Afro-Latino activists are uniting in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and in memory of George Floyd.

It was a powerful sight — the words "Black Lives Matter," inscribed above a large Black power fist, were projected against the side of Costa Rica's legislative assembly building Tuesday night.

It was one of many acts across Latin America over the past two weeks, not only in solidarity with Black lives in the U.S. but also with Black communities in their home countries, where Black people are also targets of state-sanctioned violence.

Hashtags in support—including #NoPodemosRespirar! #LasVidasNegrasImportan! #NoAlRacismo #SoyGeorgeFloyd (We Can't Breathe, Black Lives Matter, No to Racism, and I am George Floyd)—have been spreading through social media as Black Latin Americans have joined in marches and protests, virtual and in-person.

"The bullet that kills there is the same one that kills here," Brazilian group ColectivoJuntosposted on Instagram June 5, in a call for a global fight against racism.

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