Seven Celebrities Who Are Proud of Being Afro-Latino

After generations of hiding African heritage, for fear of being discriminated, many Latinos have begun to say out loud that they are proud of being both Latinos and Afro-descendants. Although sometimes interraciality is more obvious, as is the case of Celia Cruz, who sang in Spanish, and in her features, the presence of black ancestors was evident, in other people it’s not so easy to notice.

We already discussed what it means to be Afro-Latino. and now we share a list of celebrities who, perhaps, you didn’t even suspect are Afro-Latinos.

Rosario Dawson was born in New York in 1979. She has defined herself as of Puerto Rican, Native American/Dominican/Taino, Cuban and African descent. Her acting career began in 1995, when she was discovered by Larry Clark on the street, who offered her a part in Kids. Since then, she has acted in several films, such as “Seven Pounds” (2008) with Will Smith, and series, such as the most recent “Dopesick” (2021). She is also the co-founder of Voto Latino, a group that encourages young Latinos in the United States to register and vote.

Zoe Saldana, the actress of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Avatar,’ among many other films, was criticized for playing Nina Simone in the film Nina (2016) and there were critics who pointed out that she was not “black enough.” In truth, many Afro-Latinos have had to face uncomfortable situations because there are people who feel the urge to categorize them as Latino or African Descent, when they don´t “fit” perfectly in any of both. Even so, she’s an advocate of the Latino community in Hollywood and the only actress who has been part of the cast in three of the five blockbusters of all time: “Avengers: Endgame,” “Avatar” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Bruno Mars is a Puerto Rican-Filipino-Hawaiian singer, whose real name is Peter Hernández. The creator of the hit “Just the Way You Are” was also pointed as an appropriator of black music. He responded that African Americans created many types of music: rock, jazz, R&B, reggae, funk, doo-wop, hip-hop and Motown. He also stressed that he is Puerto Rican and that even salsa has African roots.

Jharrel Jerome is the first Afro-Latino to win an Emmy, for his role as lead actor in the series “When They See Us.” When he received the award, he said he hoped it was “a step forward for Dominicans, for Latinos, for Afro-Latinos.” The actor and rapper was born and raised in the Bronx (New York) and he is of Dominican descent.

Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, best known as Cardi B, has also been questioned for not being really black or Latina enough, even though her mom is Trinidadian, and her dad is Dominican, and it’s known that in the Caribbean countries, a significant percentage of the population has black roots, mixed with indigenous and European. The rapper, who had a difficult childhood in the Bronx, has won many awards and has been pointed out as the “queen of Latino rap.” 

Gina Torres, the American actress of Suits is of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent. She once declared in an article that when she became an actress she “quickly realized that ‘the world’ liked their Latinas to look Italian,” and not like her. So, she has been seen as African American and not considered for Latina roles, even when she is both. 

The American actor Laz Alonso, of Cuban descent, has embraced his Afro-Latino roots and has also suffered the incomprehension of many directors, who don´t think he looks like a Latino should. He has said that Latinos must accept that they come from different parts of the world and that they are black, white and indigenous.

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