Dominicans Struggle With Blackness (suspect, economy, doctor, minorities)

[adirondackguy123]

Originally Posted by brooklynight

I'm from Central America, and most people where I am from are mixed, myself included. But it is not too hard to tell by looking at me that I mostly have African ancestors.

Where in central america?

all of the people I've met from central america look like Mexicans, but also the vast majority of central america is Mestizo and indian.

[Lucario]

Originally Posted by adirondackguy123

Where in central america?

all of the people I've met from central america look like Mexicans, but also the vast majority of central america is Mestizo and indian.

All true. But the whole Atlantic/Caribbean coastal strip is full of African/Native mixed people and Afro-Caribbean descendants. And Panama as a whole has large numbers of black descendants of slaves (Afro Colonial) and West Indian immigrants (Afro Antillanos).

[renault]

Originally Posted by Randomdude

Just to comment on this, I think the problem is the US categorization of race.

There's always one idiot who has to blame world racism on the US, as if the US invented it or something.

People need to see more of the world. If they did they'd realize that the US isn't nearly as racist as many of the homogeneous countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Here's just one example- Italy, a country united by racism.

[Beliciano]

Originally Posted by adirondackguy123

Where in central america?

all of the people I've met from central america look like Mexicans, but also the vast majority of central america is Mestizo and indian.

Belize, which is about 40 percent black. My grandmother was born in Honduras to West Indian parents and my grandfather was raised there as well.

[Beliciano]

Originally Posted by Lucario

Yeah. I know Cubans and Dominicans who look like they'd fit right in in Dakar or Accra or Ibadan, but say they're mulatto. Others say they're "indio."

Here is an article about a Dominican of Hatian descent who has a hard time getting a passport to play baseball.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/wo...pagewanted=all

I remember the Angel Luis Joseph story. Just insane. All of the anti-Haitian bs in Dominican culture is so idiotic.[/quote]
Haitians get treated the worst of all of the nationalities in the Americas, probably because they were the first free black republic.

[adirondackguy123]

Originally Posted by Lucario

All true. But the whole Atlantic/Caribbean coastal strip is full of African/Native mixed people and Afro-Caribbean descendants. And Panama as a whole has large numbers of black descendants of slaves (Afro Colonial) and West Indian immigrants (Afro Antillanos).

Yeah Panama is pretty diverse in it's population, west and central panama is definatley more mestizo than east panama the black population resides.

[adirondackguy123]

Originally Posted by brooklynight

Belize, which is about 40 percent black. My grandmother was born in Honduras to West Indian parents and my grandfather was raised there as well.

According to this belize is around 30% black

Ethnic groups: mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% (2000 census)

[Beliciano]

Originally Posted by adirondackguy123

According to this belize is around 30% black

Ethnic groups: mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% (2000 census)

OK

[Lucario]

I was randomly scanning the new books area of my local library and found this:

The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris, by Mark Kurlansky

It's packed with historical information about San Pedro and baseball, the cocolo influence, etc.

A couple of hilarious anecdotes in there about George Bell, Tony Fernandez and others.

Unfortunately, there are also some really stupid characterizations of people and shocking lack of fact-checking and bad editing.

So the book is great on some levels, bad on others. Still worth looking at.

[Beliciano]

Originally Posted by Lucario

I was randomly scanning the new books area of my local library and found this:

The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris, by Mark Kurlansky

It's packed with historical information about San Pedro and baseball, the cocolo influence, etc.

A couple of hilarious anecdotes in there about George Bell, Tony Fernandez and others.

Unfortunately, there are also some really stupid characterizations of people and shocking lack of fact-checking and bad editing.

So the book is great on some levels, bad on others. Still worth looking at.

I will def check it out man, I am bout to google it in a few minutes when I get off. BTW, here is a video of West Indians in the DR.


YouTube - Los Guloyas the older generation


YouTube - San Pedro de Macoris
George Bell and Alfredo Griffin getting down at the end with Mr Henderson(St Kitts origin).