We encourage everyone to love who they are. Your curly hair is beautiful. Your dark skin is beautiful. Your African culture is beautiful. 

Our Afro-Latinx culture has been watered down and ignored for far too long and that is why this Latinx Heritage Month we uplift our AfroLatinidad! We are embracing our African roots. There are so many aspects of our daily lives that we have normalized that in fact damage our identity.  Colorism within our community damages our view of our own beauty. Colorism is the prejudice or discrimination of folks of a darker skin tone. A preference for lighter skin tones among those of the same race or ethnic group. Melanin isn’t a burden, it is a symbol of strength. A symbol of cultures passed that blended to make something even more beautiful. 

As children, many folks are told to date or to look for a significant other who is lighter in complexion so as to produce lighter offspring. Our skin tones are not reasons for discrimination or reasons to look down on folks, but rather they are graceful depictions of our innermost strength. 

Afro-Latinx folks contribute strength and courage to our community. Throughout the week we have and will continue to share the stories of strong courageous Afro-Latinx folks. The contributions of Afro-Latinx folks are countless and the ones we highlight in no way mean that the stories of others are less important. 

We hope you continue this week and the remainder of Latinx Heritage Month with us discovering the stories of our ancestors and exploring our Latinx culture in all of its splendor. 

Remember melanin is beautiful and colorism only hurts folks.