Generations of Latinos have grown up hearing a family member call a relative or friend “negrita” or “negrito” — which translates to a diminutive of Black.
While many Latinos use the Spanish word as a term of endearment — with some even referring to white family members as “negrita” or “negrito” — in the U.S. there’s an ongoing debate over who gets to use the term and to whom, and whether defending its use obscures Latin America’s racist past.
Many in the Black and Afro Latino community feel offended when the term is used to describe them.
In 2020, when Jennifer Lopez sang, “Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx” (I will always be your little Black girl from the Bronx), in a song with Colombia singer Maluma, she was met with pushback by some who pointed out that she has never claimed Black ancestry or identified herself as an Afro Latina, while others defended Lopez, saying it was a common term of affection used by different races.
Tally Joyce, a 27-year-old content creator on TikTok, first began making videos to share her Afro-Latina experience and make others feel seen. Since moving from Honduras seven years ago, she has gained over 100,000 followers and recently went to the platform to talk about why she has a problem with other people using “negrita” and “morena” (which means brown) to replace “negra,” or Black.
She believes it isn’t always necessary to make the word “cuter” or dumb down the word because the word “negra” describes a part of who she is — Black.
In recent years, more Afro Latinos in the U.S. have embraced the Spanish word for Black, including the Afro Latina singer Amara La Negra, who takes pride in the word.
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