Afrolatinidad: Art & Identity is an interview series highlighting the vitality of the local Afro-Latinx community in D.C. for Smithsonian Folklife Magazine. Since before the term “Afro-Latinx” entered popular discourse, Latin Americans of the African Diaspora have been sharing their stories through artistic manifestations online and in community spaces. Their perspectives are intersectional in nature, existing between spaces of Blackness and Latinidad.
Uplifting the Sounds of the African Diaspora: An Interview with Daniel del Pielago:
“Afrika Bambaataa’s Planet Rock was the first record Daniel del Pielago “went crazy over.” Since then, Daniel has collected over 5,000 records, each a unique snapshot of his connection to the Afrolatinidad Diaspora. As an ’80s kid, hip-hop was not only the voice of his generation, but it opened the door to understanding his position as a dark-skinned Peruvian immigrant living in Northern Virginia.”
At the Intersection of Blackness and Latinidad: The Afro-Latinx Community in Washington, D.C.
“From across borders and continents, the Afro-Latinx community has brought a world of culture, spirituality, and rhythm to Washington, D.C., their contributions woven into the fabric of Chocolate City. Through music and spoken word, community organizing, visual expressions, Afro-Latinx artists have stood in the liminal spaces between African and Latinx diasporas, activating cultural activities across the city.”
Coming of Age in Poetry: An Interview with Elexia Alleyne:
“Growing up in D.C.’s barrio, Elexia remembers a vibrant, tight-knit Dominican community embedded within the larger neighborhood. She attended the Spanish bilingual public school Oyster-Adams, where she first became acquainted with her identity as an Afro-Latina. She remembers feeling othered at lunch time, comparing her plate of mangú y salchichón to her peers’ peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”
Cuban Identity and Transculturation in Abstract Painting: An Interview with Ramón Menocal:
“Abstract painter Ramón Menocal was born in Havana, Cuba, at the turn of the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s. Now a resident of Maryland and a long-time artist in the Washington, D.C., area, his artistic visions are embedded in the physical landscape of the region. He’s participated in public art commissions by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, contributing to the commission’s Art Bank Collection and the City Hall Art Collection. Before moving to Maryland, Ramón lived in Southwest D.C., where he held exhibitions and community gatherings for local artists at his home studio.”