Nakia Channey

03/10/17

GIEU- Mexico

When you ask me to describe American culture, I would have to first ask you what

perspective do you would like me to speak from. I can speak as a member of the Black

community, or I can give a general description of what American culture is perceived to be. Is

it weird that when I think of American culture, I feel that I am describing a culture that is not

mine; a culture that is experienced by people who do not look like me? What I know about

traditional American values is only what I have heard second-hand. Some like to call us a

melting pot, and thought I find it a problematic image, it is a solid reflection of American values.

A melting pot gives the image of substances dissimulating into one substance that does not leave

remains of the past materials. As a result, the substances are stripped of their original identities

without the option to return to their prior state. This, essentially, is the process of assimilation. I

believe that American do expect us to assimilate into one American culture, or in the least, for

American values to always come before any other cultural values. So, the question we would

have to ask ourselves is what is in the melting pot, and what has been lost during the process? I

would argue that the mass depictions and perceptions of what American culture is essentially

White culture. It is why when I think of American culture, I see people with blonde hair and blue

eyes; my type of American is not the prototype. It is why my identity is hyphenated. They tell

me that American values are tolerance and acceptance, but 53% of White women and 63% of

White men voted for division, and I swear it is only the minorities that seem to be upholding

American values.
 Its almost a little funny. White people are always trying to prove that what we are now is

not who we are, when people of color have been trying to show White people the true nature of

our nation for centuries. Their surprise is so bewildering, and I cant help but diminish it to an

ironic I told you so sentiment.

They told that the University of Michigan was its own little liberal utopia. The brochures

had pictures of students that looked like me, and I assumed that I would see them when I walked

around campus. They told me that the campus was tolerant and accepting. I think it would be too

harsh to simply say that they lied, but I would say that what I was told was false advertisement.

Im sure White students believe that it is an accepting campus, and that they can walk around the

campus feeling safe. However, I do not have that privilege. I have never been attacked for my

race in such a blatantly hateful fashion as I have been during my first 3 weeks at the University

of Michigan. I am aware of my blackness during every interaction. When they say the people are

tolerant and accepting, who exactly are they speaking for?

When thinking of how aware I am of my Black identify I am in the United States, I began

to question the realities for Black people in other countries. Afro-Mexicans are a newly

recognized population in Mexico. Self-identified Afro-Mexicans only make up 1.2% of the

totally population. Afro-Mexicans face frequent discrimination and pressures to conform to

Mexican culture. According to The Huffington Post, Until last month, Mexico was one of only

two Latin-American countries (the other is Chile) to not officially count its black population. As

a result, the move to recognize Afro-Mexicans has been met with some pushback from Mexicans

who believe that mestizo identity (the mix between indigenous people and Europeans) is more

important than specific ethnicities (Varagur 2017). The expectation to assimilate is so strong
that Afro-Mexicans are sometimes forced by law enforcement to sing the national anthem

multiple times to confirm their Mexican identity (Gregorius 2017).

The Afro-Mexican population is making strides to reclaim their cultures. Besides policy,

artistic expression has been an important aspect for increasing awareness of African traditions.

Photo galleries, film series, and dialogues have been erected to foster authentic engagement.

Photo galleries often show the living conditions, occupations, and appearances of Afro-

Mexicans. In one photo project in particular Snachez Renero uses abstract elements and

symbolism to create the experience of trying to recover a lost identity. Renero uses conflicting

weather elements to symbolize the clashing of civilizations and transformations into an

integrated landscape (Mexico's Hidden People).

I see many similarities in African-Americans and Afro-Mexicans. I believe that both

groups are trying to maintain their identifies in a world that is trying too hard to appear post-

racial and colorblind. We are both trying not only to have our identities and cultural differences

recognized, but to have our traditions viewed in a lens that is not of weakness. They, too, have

been stripped for their indigenous languages in exchange for Spanish and us for English. I do

believe the African-American community has progressed more than Afro-Mexicans, but I

believe that is because there are more of us, and it is not as easy to ignore a population of our

size.

It hurts me to see the hardships that Black people face in other countries. I firmly believe

that we are connected in a way that transcends conventional thinking. We have different cultures

and customs, and we may never be able to communicate with each other because of language

barrier. However, one thing we will always understand of each other is the feeling of trying to

recover an identity that was forcibly stripped away from you. We are are the result of forced
trafficking, and this fact should never be muddled with calling us immigrants. Our home may

never be in Africa, but our roots will always be, and we should have the right to reflect and

recover what we know about them. Make no mistake; there is a reason we call Africa the

Motherland and why we are called the Stolen Ones.

In general, I think that every country would label its people loving, accepting, and

genuine. However, I think that the voices of the minority groups should be explored, as they

offer a perspective that may be different from the majority.

 Works Cited

Gregorius, Arlene. "The Black People 'erased from History'." BBC News. BBC, 10 Apr. 2016.

Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

"Mexico's Hidden People." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

Varagur, Krithika. "Mexico Finally Recognized Its Black Citizens, But That's Just The

Beginning." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Jan. 2016. Web. 10 Mar.

2017.