the story of
AN AFRO-LATINA
I was born in Honduras, Central America in a small coastal town, San Antonio.
I was born to an Afro-Honduran father also referred to as Garifuna* (a group of people with mixed Carib and African ancestry) and an Indigenous mother of Arawak Amerindian decent.
I spent the first 4 years of my life growing up infront of the caribbean ocean with my first language being Spanish with working knowldege of the Garifuna Language, an Arawakan language with Arawak, English, French, and Spanish influence. The Garifuna are descendants of West African, Central African, Island Carib, and Arawak people.
I moved to New York City in time to start elementary school. As a young girl growing up between cultures, I struggled in finding my identity.
I came from a predominately Spanish speaking home, eating traditional Latin meals, attended Catholic mass every sunday and heard my parents debate Honduran politics every evening over dinner. Although my home life was a constant reminder of my native Honduran roots, the outside world always expressed curiousity. I felt like a walking question mark. I didnt feel "black enough" to be African American and I didnt look "spanish enough" to be Latin American.
It wasn't until college that I became fully comfortable with the uniqueness of my story. I developed a since of pride in the richness of my afro-latin roots and ancestry. Knowing that there wasn't much representation or acknowlegement of us afro-latinos, I was inspired to create a destination that celebrates our presence with imagery and stories of people that look like us. WE EXIST, and our many shades of brown and the many textures of our hair is a BEAUTY!
Thank you for reading my story! I would love to hear yours and share your story on this site.
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