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"My name is Ky'Tavia Stafford-Carreker. I also go by Ky. I'm Dominican and Mexican. I founded the Afro Latinx Connection club (which I'm currently the president as well)! The club's purpose is to bridge 'the gap between the Afrikan Diaspora and Latinx communities, as well as educating those on Afro-Latin@s and our existence.'
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As Afro Latinx folks, we have to understand that the racial project was so intense that people used (and continue to) a national identity to erase the existence of us and indigenous folks. The erasure I experienced growing up, caused me to erase another side of my identity. Just identifying as "black" was still problematic, as I never felt comfortable ignoring a whole other side of me. Now I'm having to learn and re-learn parts of my Latinidad. I'm so grateful for outlets like these and my organization to allow folks to exist simultaneously without having to choose. I am black and I am Latina. Nobody's ignorance, confusion, or bigotry can change that."
Follow Ky: @kylachingona on IG/Twitter
Follow Afro-Latinx Connection: @alcdeucla on all platforms.
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Rocio Mora is the Honduran and Mexican content creator and social media influencer behind RisasRizos. Her YouTube channel highlights the importance of embracing naturally curly hair and focuses on proper curl care for multiple generations. Her bilingual platforms have gained rapid recognition and reached more than 100,000 subscribers in the last year. This young Latina has recently been featured in Latina.com as one of the top 10 Natural Hair Bloggers You Should Be Following, NBC Latino as one of the 10 Latina Bloggers You Should Be Watching This Year and IZEA as one of the top 25 Latino Influencers on Social Media.
Rocio recently concluded a 6 city tour 'Rizos On The Road' with Kia Motors America and Kia Latino that educated and empowered more than 700 women with natural curls to understand their roots and fall in love with their hair. This tour garnered attention through television spots and articles on Univision, Latina Magazine, Al Dia news, and other media outlets in cities the tour visited.
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"However, you choose to identify, don't forget where you've come from. Don't forget your roots. The more I learned about my ancestry, the more I embraced who I was and took pride in my culture, heritage, and physical features like my curls and skin tone. And no matter how you identify, have these discussions with kids, too! Teach children when they are young, that they are beautiful and that they too should be proud of their physical features that have been gifted from their ancestors." ~ Rocio
Follow Rocio:
Twitter, Instagram.com/RisasRizos @RisasRizos
YouTube.com/RisasRizos
YouTube.com/RisasRizosEnEspañol
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"My name is Klashae’ but many people probably know me by @tgknowscurls on social media. I am the daughter of a Puerto Rican mother (weepa) and a Black father. I started my podcast called Diary of an Afro Latina to highlight the struggles I went through and to be straight forward and blunt about my struggles.
I was ashamed of my Latina side as a child. It wasn’t until I got older that I appreciated and loved that side of me. One can not be explained without the other. It’s like baking a cake without all the ingredients. You just can’t!
I am a black woman that just so happens to be Latina. Don’t discredit my BLACK because you don’t totally love yours!"
Follow Klashae her the Duolystic podcast:
IG/FB/Twitter @tgknowscurls and @Duolystic
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Bobbito Ross, also known as, Layzor Ghunnzz is an artist from Jamaica Queens, New York that brings a unique blend of culture, creativity, and spontaneity to his work. Ross, who goes by an English surname, actually is of Borikén descent and implements not only his Puerto Rican roots to his work but elements of NYC life, pop culture, and politics. While, growing up in his hometown of Jamaica, Queens his affair with art began while watching cartoons and having exposure to graffiti artwork on the elevated NYC Subway Trains. However, this was just the early foundation of Bobbito's career as an artist. Even though he was already a skilled artist at an early age he still expanded his knowledge of art while attending Hillcrest High school.
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Then, after graduating from high school he attended The Fashion Institute of Technology for Advertising design in NYC to further his education. Furthermore, post his formative and college years, Bobbito Ross started to work on his art extensively not only in New York City's scenic landscape but also in the comfort of his own home. His work imbeds a blend of expressive and polished elements that can be seen in his free-styled pieces as well as his commissioned work.
In addition, Ross's work has already been shown through media platforms and personalities such as Pinta por la Patria, Nuestro Ideal and Together We Rise PR. Which were all fundraisers for the relief efforts for the Island of Borikén after the island was hit with catastrophic hurricanes that decimated the Island. However, this is just the beginning as Ross plans to navigate through the art world and bring his work to an even larger audience. One interesting thing about Bobbito is that he is not just an artist but he is also a Music Producer and an Emcee and these two artistic platforms are where you can catch him at when he is not doing his artwork.
As Bobbito would say "Pa'lante, Siempre Pa'lante" which means "Forward, Always Forward!"
For more information and questions about the
artwork and career of Bobbito Ross please check out
@bobbitoross + www.bobbitoross.com (Website coming soon)
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Visit Es Mi Cultura's Accessory store on Esty.
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Es Mi Cultura is published every first Monday of the month by Tamika Burgess.
Tamika is a Afro-Panameña, California based Writer. Learn more about her by visiting TamikaBurgess.com
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