Continuation of Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Denouncement of Ethnic Identity [SERIES]--PART I and Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Skin Lightening Creams [SERIES]--PART II and Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Skin Tone and Self-Identity [SERIES] PART III and Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Panamanian Author Anthony Polanco [SERIES] ---PART IV


In a conversation about blackness and being Panamanian, Anthony Polanco's grandmother spoke about her mother, who had fair skin, and her father's dark skin and black features, which she associated with unattractiveness.

"She spoke about her mother's skin fondly but she associated [her father's] blackness with ugliness or lower class. Course hair and dark skin is feo to her. She said that the features that she got from her father, who is of African descent, made her ugly, like her dark skin. There's shame in her skin tone and being of African descent; and I would always questioned that."

Many Panama of African descent in don't represent it proudly, according to Polanco. Rather than saying "Yo soy Negro," they would rather say "Yo soy Moreno." Negro has a negative connotation, and it is an identity that no one wants to assume; which is the case even among individuals who are very dark.

Polanco's dad was very conscious. Despite his fair skin, he recognized his Afro-Latino identity. Often, people thought that Polanco's father was Indian or Mexican; nonetheless, he always acknowledged his own Blackness, and taught his son Blackness. He never attempted to conceal it, and made sure that Polanco was aware of his own Blackness. While his father never stated the term "Afro Latino," it was a distinctiveness that he felt.

"He taught me to never let anyone make fun of my Blackness, or to call me a chombo, a word that's comparable to the n-word in the south."

Polanco informed his father of the African Panamanian movements that sprout in the United States after his deportation; something that both Polanco and his father doubted could be done in Panama, due to the thorough "self-ignorance" that's evident in the nation. According to Polanco, that self-ignorance distracts people from their African ancestry; most Afro-Panamanians refer to themselves simply as Panamanian, or they identify by regions.

The abundant black population looks like Polanco, and they immediately recognized him as one of their own, even after a long time away. Like a true homecoming, he was accepted with open arms, not as a foreigner... but as a belonging citizen. Even so, while many Panamanians look like him, most cling to a different identity.

Panamanian media, like American media, happily depicts the "whiter" side of the population, parading individuals who look very little like Polanco or his neighbors. The televised versions of Panamanians are an affront to the reality of Panama, where the population is much darker and diverse. Polanco's father, who was not accepted by the Black community of Panama, but functioned with Black consciousness and recognized the value and struggle of a dark complexion, instilled the purpose and importance of identity in Polanco.

United Nations Development Program recently indicated that discrimination against Afro-Panamanians is the top obstacle for the demographic, despite the fact that Afro-Panamanians are major contributors to identity and national culture.

Because of these obstacles, many Afro-Panamanians attempt to distance themselves from their Black identities. Afro-Panamanians tend to be excluded in the public sector, the education system, and from the workforce. Obstacles regarding immigration, education, and broken families are other issues that persist in the community.

This is the conclusive article in the "Skin Color Politics" Series, please feel free to browse the other pieces in the series, or share comments regarding Skin Color, the African Diaspora, and Latino identity.

Continuation of Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Denouncement of Ethnic Identity [SERIES]--PART I and Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Skin Lightening Creams [SERIES]--PART II and Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Skin Tone and Self-Identity [SERIES] PART III and Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Panamanian Author Anthony Polanco [SERIES] ---PART IV