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Posts from the ‘Issues’ Category

Aug 20

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Roberto Custódio and Fight for Peace Pack Powerful Punch

The London Olympics ended a little over a week ago. And now that the torch has been extinguished, the athletes have returned home and venues are being repurposed, all eyes are on Brazil as Rio de Janeiro prepares to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Undoubtedly, Rio is stunning. Considered one of the world’s great playgrounds, it’s an incomparable city. Rio often seems postcard perfect – bathed in bright sunshine, blue skies and tropical rainforests. It’s home to the pulsating rhythms of samba and “beautiful people,” enjoying the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana. However, there is another side to Rio that’s less glamorous and often tragic – its favelas – the slums perched high above the city, often occupying prime Rio real estate. Favelas have become synonymous with violence; random, unpredictable and yet expected. Case in point, 23 year old Afro-Brazilian Roberto Custódio. Roberto grew up in Complexo do Maré one of the most dangerous favelas in Rio. When he was 13, he witnessed his father’s death by one of the favela gangs. The tragic death left him devastated. Read more

Jun 6

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Clemencia & Francia: In Their Words

By Kim Haas

Part Two of Los Afro-Latinos La Toma Feature

Here we invite you to listen to the interview with Francia Márquez and Clemencia Carabali in Spanish.

Aquí les invitamos escuchar la entrevista con Clemencia Carabali y Francia Márquez en español.

Have you ever felt so committed to a cause that you were willing to risk your life defending it? For most of us, it’s hard to imagine being so strongly dedicated to an ideal, principle or mission. Read more

May 25

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Gold Rich La Toma in Turmoil

Part One of Los Afro-Latinos La Toma Feature

Today’s headlines are focused on Colombia. Stories regarding the U.S. Secret Service’s prostitution scandal in Cartagena during last month’s Summit of the Americas have brought the South American country to the forefront of international news.

But the scandal you’re not hearing about revolves around La Toma, a small Afro-Colombian community in Cauca, a gold-rich, mountainous region in Colombia’s Pacific southwest. With the price of gold soaring, foreign mining companies are swooping in and forcing out the Afro-Colombian community that has inhabited La Toma for centuries and used small-scale mining for sustenance. Read more

Mar 9

Notes from the 16th Annual Arturo A. Schomburg Symposium

Afro-Latin@ Film: Invisibility and Presence was the title of this year’s 16th Annual Arturo A. Schomburg Symposium held at Philadelphia’s Taller Puertorriqueño, a nationally recognized youth arts workshop established in 1974 to serve the city’s Latino community. Read more

Mar 9

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{Gallery} 16th Arturo A. Schomburg Symposium

Los Afro-Latinos’ photos from the 16th annual Arturo A. Schomburg Symposium held in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday February 25, 2012. Read more

Feb 1

Was Enough Done to Commemorate The Year of African Descent?

Black History Month is celebrated throughout the month of February in the United States. During this month, we honor and recognize the achievements of people of African descent in this country. And speaking of honoring, did you know that 2011 was deemed The International Year for People of African Descent? Read more