AbstractAmong the Central American diaspora, there tends to be a single narrative that Central Americans are of the same background and share the same experiences. Oftentimes, there are Central Americans and non-Central Americans who homogenize our identity and experiences, which is a result of the nation state’s mestizaje agenda. The idea that those of Latin American descent are racially mixed (typically with American Indian and European Spanish blood). This erases those who are completely Indigenous, those who are of African descent, those of Asian descent, and those who are mixed with any other combination. As part of a nation-building project, the idea that has been heavily promoted is that we are all mestizx. As a result, Central Americans and other Latinxs have internalized this belief. Black and Indigenous Central Americans are then left excluded from the nation state’s recognition which leads to their invisibility. By Samantha Lomeli Among the Central American diaspora, there tends to be a single narrative that Central Americans are of the same background and share the same experiences. Oftentimes, there are Central Americans and non-Central Americans who homogenize our identity and experiences, which is a result of the nation state’s mestizaje agenda. The idea that those of Latin American descent are racially mixed (typically with American Indian and European Spanish blood). This erases those who are completely Indigenous, those who are of African descent, those of Asian descent, and those who are mixed with any other combination. As part of a nation-building project, the idea that has been heavily promoted is that we are all mestizx. As a result, Central Americans and other Latinxs have internalized this belief. Black and Indigenous Central Americans are then left excluded from the nation state’s recognition which leads to their invisibility. This paper aims to highlight the racial and ethnic diversity amongst Central Americans, specifically in Los Angeles. The Central American diaspora is not a monolithic group. There are a variety of ethnic groups and cultures within the community, which leads to a variety of unique experiences that are all worthy of acknowledgment and celebration. There are no universal, monolithic Central American experiences when people have layers of other identities. In this paper, I particularly look at the experiences of Black and Indigenous Central Americans in Los Angeles and how they feel connected amongst the dominant group of Central Americans in Los Angeles. In this study, I seek to inquire how does visibility look like for these smaller Central American groups, what does the representation look like, what resources are available if any, how does race affect one’s perception by other Central Americans, and to what extent does the Central American community include these smaller groups, all in the context of living within the Los Angeles area. The Central American diaspora is not a monolithic group. There are a variety of ethnic groups and cultures within the community, which leads to a variety of unique experiences that are all worthy of acknowledgment and celebration. There are no universal, monolithic Central American experiences when people have layers of other identities. Literature Review “SUBJECTS IN PASSING: Central American–Americans, Latinidad, and the Politics of Dislocation” by Maritza Cardenas calls into question how a person is “read as'' or identified as Central American or of Latinx heritage when they are visibly Black. Mestizx Central Americans are regarded as the default while Central American nations with a significant Afro-descendant population aren’t considered “traditionally” Central American nations. Cardenas critiques the dominant narrative of who is considered Central American when one is racially read as Black. The idea of African descent people in Central American nations, such as Nicaragua, that speak Spanish is unfathomable to people within and outside the Central American diaspora. Black Central Americans often have to prove and defend that they are true of Latin American heritage for others to believe them; their identity isn’t accepted right away or ever. Vielka Cecilia Hoy, a half Panamanian half Nicaraguan woman born in the U.S., stated that besides the typical mestizx Central American, the only other racial group for Central Americans they can imagine to exist is Indigenous groups. But they forget about African descent Central Americans. Countries, such as Panama and Belize, often aren’t looked at as traditional Central American countries because of large Black populations. Hoy says this makes Afro Central Americans feel marginalized and invisible. Therefore, identification as an Afro Latinx on the West Coast of the U.S. tends to be uncommon. Mexican/Chicanxs and mestizx Central Americans are understood to represent Latinidad meanwhile Black Central Americans are an unintelligible group. “Identity Matters: Immigration and the Social Construction of Identity in Garifuna Los Angeles” by Jason DeFay documents the Garifuna experience within Los Angeles and examines the social construction of ethnicity and race in the Garifuna immigrant community of Los Angeles. The Garifuna people are a multinational Afro-Indigenous group with African, Arawak, and Carib ancestry that live along the Caribbean coast of Central America and dispersed in major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles. They have a unique history that differs from other Black immigrant groups and Central American nationalities. DeFay discusses Garifuna’s experiences through ethnographic and surveys data and their “triple invisibility” and the homogenization of their identity in Los Angeles and throughout the United States. Garifunas’ triple invisibility comes from their racial identity as Black Indigenous people, from their nationality as foreigners/immigrants, and also from their subnational/regional ethnic identities as Central Americans. “Belizean Immigrants in Los Angeles” by Jerome F. Straughan examines the life experiences of the first-generation and second-generation Belizean immigrants in Los Angeles. The chapter I examine in this dissertation focuses on how others view Belizeans. This includes their experiences with racialization, and how African Americans and Latinxs view them. The author states that in the U.S. context, Garifuna and Creole Belizeans identities are merely summarized to Black identity while Mestizx Central Americans are categorized as and understood to be Hispanic/Latinx. This excludes Black Central Americans from Latinidad. As a result, self-identification for Belizeans becomes complex and confusing. “Garifuna Town/Caribbean Nation/Latin American State: Identity and Prejudice in Belize” by Donna Maria Bonner explores the tensions between English-speaking Belizeans and Spanish-speaking Central Americans in the town of Dangriga in Belize where the Garifuna predominantly live. It examines post-colonial power relations between the Garinagu, Belizean Creoles, Hispanic, and Mayan Central Americans. Although these inter-ethnic and race relations are within the context of Belize, I can draw parallels with Central Americans in Los Angeles. Bonner mentions that Belize is the only English-speaking Central American nation. Spanish-speaking Central Americans from the northern triangle countries have been immigrating to Belize, and tensions between these different ethnic groups have built up. In “Central American Immigrants in the United States” by Jeanne Batalova et al. I use background information on the Central American diaspora that relates to the U.S. I can observe which nationalities have more representation here based on their numbers. According to their census data, 86% of Central American immigrants come from the northern triangle countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras). In 2017, 1.4% of Central American immigrants in the United States were from Belize, 2.4% from Costa Rica, 3.0% from Panama, and 7.5% from Nicaragua. The Los Angeles metropolitan area has the largest immigrant population from Central America. These issues are more than just colorism as many will refer to it. It is blatant anti-Black racism, anti-Indigeneity, and colorism existing all at once. The legible Central American is racially mestizx and identifies with their nationality. Meanwhile, the Central American that is racially any other race combination or Black and/or Indigenous and identifies with their tribe or specific group, is not fully registered to be understood by others as Central American. Backgrounds, Methods, and Positionality For this research project, I conducted one in-depth one-on-one interview. To protect the privacy of the interview participant, their name has been altered to a pseudonym. The name they are using is Jackie Velazquez. Due to the current global pandemic going on and the need to physically distance, the interview was conducted through a Zoom video call. The duration of the interview lasted for approximately thirty-seven minutes, and the setting was from within our respective homes. Jackie Velazquez is a 23-year-old Nicaraguan woman who was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles and racially she identifies as Latina. Although there is an understanding that Latinx on its own is not a race, there are reasons for her racially identifying this way, which will be covered in the next section of this paper. Although she was born in the United States, she does not identify as American either. Her mother’s side identifies as Nicaraguan but is racially Black with Jamaican lineage. Her father’s side is racially American Indian with roots in Guatemala. Jackie grew up and currently lives with her Nicaraguan mother and Mexican stepdad. Her family’s religious background is Roman Catholic; however, she does not identify with a religion. I selected this interviewee because she isn’t from the Northern Triangle region and has Black and Indigenous roots/heritage. I wanted to see how her experience has been navigating Los Angeles amongst other Central Americans. My positionality to the participant is a mutual friendship. Since we knew each other before this interview, it felt more like a casual conversation. It also allowed for greater in-depth explanations and vulnerability and authenticity. My interview subject gave thorough responses and we engaged in conversation that I was not planning on using in my research. In the discussion section, I will paraphrase or use direct quotes. Discussion For Central Americans that don’t fit the stereotypical narrative of being mixed with Indigenous and European ancestry, they often have trouble being accepted as Latinx and/or Central American. In our interview, one of the questions I asked is if she has always identified as Latina or Central American, or did she have to grow into that identity? Her response was “I feel like I didn’t recently start identifying as Central American until I left high school because while I was in high school it was mostly students of Mexican or Salvadoran background. And I was a lot darker than them so even within that group I didn’t feel Latina because they always made it a point to point out my dark complexion and my curly hair and how also my Spanish was different from theirs. We would use different words and they would be like ‘oh you’re not Mexican, you’re not Salvadoran’ they would make a lot of racial jokes. I always had issues of what I identified as.” Her dark skin and curly hair texture, which are markers of race, and nationality did not fit the stereotypical characteristics that are defined as part of Latinidad. Therefore, with this lack of representation, it did take her a while to accept and come to terms with the fact that she is part of the Latinx and Central American community. A follow-up question I asked, “Once people who are Central American, or Latinx find out she is Central American, how do they react to that?” She said, “It’s interesting because it’s kind of like they don’t believe you. Even with other Nicaraguans because another thing that I recently learned is a lot of Nicaraguans don’t look like me because of my mom’s background. They start asking what part I’m from and ask, “what else?” and I tell them my grandma is originally from Bluefield’s and they’re like “oh okay” because that’s where all the African Nicaraguans live. Some others are nicer about it and understand that there are African Nicaraguans, so they don’t go past it [asking for background information] they just start talking about food. That’s how they test whether I’m authentic. We start talking about food.” Here we see that there is a need for Afro descent Central Americans to prove that they are Central America by inquiring further information that they may not ask mestizx Central Americans. The next question I asked is when she communicates with other Central Americans, does she find that national identity tends to be more important, or do people take more pride in their cultural background? She said, “When I do meet Nicaraguans from Bluefields they’re more Bluefields. You can feel it, you can hear it in the way they speak. Or other people who don’t identify as Nicaraguan but identify more as African or Indigenous tribes, identify with that. They’re not even a part of the state. My grandma doesn’t identify with Bluefields even though they are from there.” Some African and Indigenous descent Central Americans, don’t identify with their nationality because of state exclusion. They identify with their region or ethnic tribe. Another question I asked was does she feel like there’s a sense of cultural community with her and other Central Americans in LA? Her response was “I feel like in my area I don’t interact with the neighborhood. I don’t go out and talk to my neighbors, it's just not something we do. But in work settings yeah, we always talk about food; it’s a good relationship. In school settings, it’s a good relationship. It’s fun to talk about different foods we have and different words that we use.” Overall, in her personal experience, she has been able to feel connected to her Central American/Latinx community with her peers in her work setting and an academic setting. Although, I was anticipating a different response. One of the final questions I asked had to do with experience with discrimination. I asked if she has ever received discrimination in Los Angeles in terms of her ethnic identity or racial identity or based on her appearance? The following response is both paraphrased and directly quoted. Jackie replied, “I would think so. Because I do notice, not all-out discrimination, but I do notice that when I walk into a store sometimes the worker follows me. I don’t experience it as much but my brother who’s a lot darker than me and he’s tall and big built, whenever he goes to the market that’s across his house that he’s been living at for 3 years and has been going to for 3 years he always talks to the employees in Spanish because they’re Latinos. It’s like El Super. And they always respond in English, and they still follow him everywhere he goes.” Jackie said that it pisses her off when she and her mom go to Downtown L. A for supplies for their restaurant and some employee will ask her mom “‘where did you learn Spanish? It’s so good” and she’ll reply “Oh I learned it in high school”. They don’t even think she’s Latina and they’ll just assume she’s African American. And Jackie tells them she’s Latina. The participant expresses anger. Then her mom will tell her “Don’t get mad just go along with it.” They erase her whole identity of being Latina and accept that there’s only one way of being Latinx. While Jackie has not dealt with much blatant discrimination based on her race since she is read as racially ambiguous, she has noticed that her family members who are racially read as Black do receive blatant discrimination from other Latinxs. Conclusion Colorblind racism exists within Central America and the Central American diaspora. Color-blind racism is dangerous because it doesn’t acknowledge the racial and ethnic diversity that exists in Central America and the rest of Latin America. Entire identities are erased and ignored. This makes it easy for the nation to get away with deliberate targeted racial violence and Black/Indigenous exclusion. It makes it easier to not be held accountable for the mistreatments and injustices committed against Black and Indigenous groups in Central America. These issues are more than just colorism as many will refer to it. It is blatant anti-Black racism, anti-Indigeneity, and colorism existing all at once. The legible Central American is racially mestizx and identifies with their nationality. Meanwhile, the Central American that is racially any other race combination or Black and/or Indigenous and identifies with their tribe or specific group, is not fully registered to be understood by others as Central American. The U.S.’s categories of race are much too broad to capture the complexity of Central American groups. This is why it is important to understand the racial, ethnic, and national diversity within Central America and the diaspora to deconstruct the concept of race. It is to accept a variety of identities, experiences, and narratives that are complex. There is no single way to be Central American; there is no one universal experience. Central Americans are not a monolithic group, and we must honor the diversity within the group. This needs to start with the nation-state recognition of various communities. Visibility, allowing sovereignty, active listening, and distributing resources are the next steps for sparking a cultural shift in the way non-Mestizx Central Americans are to be understood and accepted. Works citedBatalova, Jeanne; Bolter, Jessica; O’Conner, Allison. “Central American Immigrants in the The United States.” Migration Policy Institute, 2019.
Bonner, Donna, and Tedlock, Barbara. Garifuna Town/Caribbean Nation/Latin American State: Identity and Prejudice in Belize, 1999, pp. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Cardenas, Maritza. “SUBJECTS IN PASSING: Central American–Americans, Latinidad, and the Politics of Dislocation.” Constituting Central American–Americans: Transnational Identities and the Politics of Dislocation, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, Camden, Newark, New Jersey; London, 2018, pp. 111–138. DeFay, Jason, et al. “Identity Matters: Immigration and the Social Construction of Identity in Garifuna Los Angeles.” University of California, San Diego, Ann Arbor, 2004. Straughan, Jerome, and Biblarz, Timothy. “Belizean Immigrants in Los Angeles.” University of Southern California, Ann Arbor, 2004. Comments are closed.
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