As we celebrate Black History Month, we recognize the many contributions of Afro Hispanics and their influence on the culture and society of the US and Latin America.
Celia Cruz was an iconic Afro-Cuban singer who revolutionized the Caribbean and Hispanic music industry. Cruz and her husband fled Cuba’s turbulent political scene and became US citizens in 1961. As frontwoman for the Tito Puente Orchestra, Cruz became known worldwide for her powerful voice and charismatic persona. She received numerous music awards, recognitions, and honorary tributes. Celia was hosted at the White House as an honorary guest by five different US presidents. Following her death in 2003, Celia’s achievements were commemorated at the US House of Representatives by Congressman Charles B. Rangel of New York. (His complete remarks can be found by searching the Congressional Record at Congress.gov (www.congress.gov/congressional-record).)
Influential Afro-Hispanics in the world of literature include Junot Diaz, Dominican-American writer and Pulitzer Prize winner; Quince Duncan, Costa Rica’s first Afro-Caribbean novelist; Nancy Morejon, a widely translated Afro-Cuban poet; Manuel Zapata Olivella, one of the first Afro-Colombian writers to depict his country’s African heritage; and Paulo Lins, a Brazilian author whose famous novel, City of God, was made into the 2002 Academy Award-nominated movie. These are just a few of the writers whose works have illuminated the Afro-Hispanic experience, helping to reveal a fuller and more authentic view of Latin American society past and present.
The Afro-Hispanic Review, a scholarly journal published by Vanderbilt University, covers the “literature, history, and culture of the African presence and influence in the Hispanic world.” The journal is available for use at the Library of Congress in print and electronic versions.
Also available is the Archive of Hispanic Literature on Tape (AHLOT), an extensive audio archive with almost 700 recordings of the most prominent poets, novelists, and essayists from the Luso-Hispanic world reading from their works (www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/archive.html). The entire audio collection is accessible in the Hispanic Reading Room of the historic Thomas Jefferson building of the Library.
The Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress, established in 1939, is a center for the study of the cultures and societies of the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America, the Caribbean, and other areas where Spanish or Portuguese influence has been significant. For more information about the Division’s resources and programs, visit www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic.
