#AFROLATINASTOKNOW ~ #8: AMARA LA NEGRA

#8: AMARA “LA NEGRA" #AFROLATINASTOKNOW *** When I decided to share my list of #afrolatinastoknow I did so because it was important for me that our little black and brown girls, high school girls, college girls see themselves reflected. I am celebrating women that I admire for their scholarship and contributions to fighting for, defending and owning…

#AFROLATINASTOKNOW ~ #2: Mamá Tingó

#2: Mamá Tingó #AFROLATINASTOKNOW *** Mamá Tingó (born Florinda Muñoz Soriano; November 8, 1921) was a Dominican activist leader and defender of the rural farming community in Dominican Republic. She was assassinated fighting against the unjust plunder of the resident farmers’ land in Hato Viejo in Yamasá during the second government under Joaquín Balaguer one…

The NYC Latina Writers Group’s Fundraiser Benefit for Mexico y El Caribe!

Peace family! For the past eleven years the NYC Latina Writers Group has been a space of sisterhood, solidarity and community. We have gathered and celebrated countless writer accomplishments such as, one women shows and publishing / self-publishing books. We are writers by day, Ph.D. students by night. We are mothers who still find the…

FILM SCREENING TONIGHT in NYC! Afrolatinos An Untaught History

   I honor that today is the very first screening of AFROLATINOS: LA HISTORIA QUE NUNCA NOS CONTARON, Afrolatinos: An Untaught History!  Tonight is the very first time we share it publicly.     Today I honor how Renzo Devia and I met and dedicated over seven years to this project. We have been committed to…

Haitian Man Lynched Amid Dominican Republic ‬‪#‎NoMasRacismoRD‬

I am completely devastated at the news that a man was murdered in the Dominican Republic of Haitian descent. There are many things I am furious about… the first is that this “could be” a hate crime based on race, which is absolutely appalling. However, another huge problem in the Dominican Republic is POVERTY… there…

LAS MUJERES DE MI TIERRA ~ Women as a Tourist Attraction

BY YOSELI CASTILLO FUERTES I always had mixed feelings every time a Dominican man or woman would say, “Las mujeres de La Vega (o Santiago, o El Cibao, o Jarabacoa o cualquier lugar) son las más bonitas”. The argument back and forth will go on depending where the people in the group were from. Women…

A Night of Commitment and Action / Noche de compromiso y accion

“Today I am embarrassed to call myself Dominican, yet I want the world to know that not all Dominicans are racist!  The Dominican Republic’s highest court ordered the denationalization of all Haitians who were born after 1929, and according to news reports, more than 210,000 Dominican born children of Haitian descent could be deported next…

Meditation ~ Doing what you love!

How do you wake up in the morning? Are you the kind of person who jumps out of the bed and gets right into the day go... go... go... Do you begin your day with a spiritual practice, yoga, exercise, meditation, morning pages, chants or prayers? Every morning before I begin my day as I…

Commentary: Today I’m Embarrassed to Be Dominican | Latina Mobile

Story published in Latina on the a Dominican Republic ruling to deport Haitians. http://m.latina.com/lifestyle/news/commentary-today-im-embarrassed-be-dominican

NPR conversation ~ Haiti, Racism, how the shut down affects people of color

What an incredible honor it was for me to participate in this mornings conversation about seven year old Little Miss Delaware, Jakiya Mckoy having her crown taken from her because she wasn't Latina enough "light/white" enough. Then we move to the government shut down and how it affects Latinos and all people of working classes.…