Discussion Questions

How do these essays define Latinx or Latinidad? Is this strictly an ethnic or racial identity? How important is a critical consciousness to Latinx and Latinidad?

Do these essays aim to change conceptions of Latinx or Latinidad? How? In what ways? What do they ask us to see, do, or know?

What solutions or ideas do these essays advance to overcome anti-Black racism among Latinx?

What do these essays reveal about the similarities between Latinx and African American struggles as well as the differences?

How does racism affect Latinxs? How does racism affect Black Latinx in particular?

What do these essays tell us about how racism and sexism combine in the experience of women and Latinas?

What views emerge in these essays about the relationship among gender, sexuality, and  anti-racism?

Several of the essays in this reader discuss the Black struggle in the U.S., while others consider the Black struggle in the Caribbean or South Africa or other parts of the globe. Why might it be important to consider the global context of Black struggle?

Diaspora is a term that describes the common situation of African peoples displaced from their homelands and dispersed throughout the globe through enslavement and exploitation. How does this diaspora matter in Latin America and in U.S. Latinx populations?

Feminism is a term that describes the belief in and advocacy for the equality of women. How do these essays link feminist and anti-racist concerns?

In small groups, work to generate some additional research on the historical and contemporary Black Latinx figures discussed in these essays or others you may have heard about. Compare your findings. How do these figures compare to more well-known figures of Black and Latinx history?

What do these essays tell us about racism in educational systems and academia? How might African Americans and Latinxs work together to end racism in these systems?

What would a non-racist school or university look like?

What do these essays propose in order to raise awareness of the overlapping issues of racism and colorism among Latinx and between African American and Latinxs.

These essays often show that Black Latinx are more than their race and ethnicity combined. What can we learn from the intersections of sexuality, gender, race, and ethnicity discussed in these essays?

How do you think the different ways that these writers name themselves or others matters to them and to others? Why is naming or self-naming important? For example, consider “Latinx,” “Latine,” “Latina,” “Afro-Latinx,” “AfroLatinx,” “Black Latinx,” “Indigenous.”