New blog!!!

I’ve decided to start a new blog, latin american princesa {LAP}, where I will write about issues related to women, race, ethnicity, immigration and social justice.

Thanks,
Liliana

black vs. white: time for color full scripts

“Yo, you white, girl!”

On a hot June day in a Colombian fast food joint in Queens, I expressed my preference for a mocha over a cafesito colombiano con leche.

“You a little bit kinda white.”

On another occasion, I explained I was doing research for my masters degree and what cultural anthropology was all about.

“Now Colombia has everything. Cause there’s some niggers, charcoal niggers. … And then there’s white girls. I know some Colombian white girls. And then there’s us, tanned.”

A youth explains to me the diversity that developed in Colombia since the slaves were brought over, resulting in a mixed Colombian culture.

Script: CITIZENSHIP vs. Role: HUMANITY

“This land is your land, this land is my land…
As I was walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway:
I saw below me that golden valley:
This land was made for you and me.” – Woody Guthrie

Sometimes I wake up in the morning and ask myself, quite honestly, why is this the world we live in? Why, do the geopolitical powers and boundaries that we’ve inherited assert themselves through relentless neoliberal capitalism? Why are there clear divides between the “West and East” take Europe for example? And between the “North and South,” take Mexico and Guatemala as a sad example? Why? I struggle like this in morning, often, and then shake it off. That’s why I’m here, right? To shake it off, accept the way things are, and then try to make some sort of difference.

Sinterklaas : Zwarte Piet :: George : Powell

In The Netherlands, Sinterklaas is the the manifestation of St. Nicholas. Sint, a Turkish bishop who lives in Spain, arrives on his boat every November. He rides his white horse throughout this small Protestant country, accompanied by his Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters) and on December 5th he brings presents to all the good Dutch children. The bad children are taken away in a sack to live with Sint in Spain for a year. Doesn’t sounds like a bad punishment to me, but most certainly can be attributed to the long and difficult war for independence from the Spanish Empire and “evil” king Philip. Glad to see that after 500 years or so they can forgive and forget!!

Well St. Nick is of course also the basis for Santa Claus, Father Christmas and more. Inquisitive Dutch minds however cannot understand why Santa brings presents on Christmas. After all, Sint was a generous man who on his own birthday gave gifts to poor children and that is the “historical” basis for gift-giving. And duh of course his birthday was on Dec. 5th!