"As I am navigating my way through new territory, I wanted to speak a little on race in Argentina and one of my few issues here. This video talks about my personal encounters with people constantly asking about my background even when I claim my U.S. identity or Italian ethnicity. I am very proud of my blackness. I am also very bothered that even when I try not to point out race, someone else always feels the need to do that."
I am certain for a lot of people, they are tired of talking about race. Plot twist, so am I. Unfortunately many of my experiences so far have been centered around it. Not all encounters are unsettling either. What I have noticed though is how often I am challenged by new people around my racial and ethnic identity. I will share with people my Italian ancestry either after they share their Italian heritage or if we are discussing Argentine food, which is essentially pasta and pizza. Sometimes my Supervisor will even mention it as parishioners share a related story. Yet somehow that is never enough. People will respond with, "That is it?" or "But where is your family from?" When I explain my family is from the United States some are still unsatisfied. Is it that important to people for me to clarify that I am obviously of African descent? Where else could I be from? Every so often amongst strangers I am mistaken for Brazilian which I also understand. Yet I am curious as to what makes my melanin more Brazilian than American? My president is as Black as me, no? But maybe that is also the global image that we have projected, unless our Black folk are celebrities, athletes, or the president, there are no Black people in the United States? Our White citizens are the nationals and all others are foreign. Apparently regardless of a passport, place of birth, generations of families born here, military service, or a history of literally building the United States, we (people of color) have no connection with a land we have lived on for hundreds of years.
#ReclaimMissionary
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