Between Black and White: Red-Brown Color Consciousness

Monday, December 18, 2017

By Roberto Rodriguez, Speakout | Op-Ed

The large banner outside the prestigious National Museum of Art in Mexico City reads: "Discursos de la piel." Translation: "Discourses on skin." The accompanying image is that of a mulatta from Mexico's colonial era. When I first saw the banner, my mind automatically added the word "color" after the word "skin." I assume that my mind did that because the topic of skin color in Mexico during that era was very pronounced. That is code for a society that was very racially stratified.

Going in, what I wanted to know is whether the exhibit also examines the post-colonial era, including present-day Mexico, a society that continues to be very color conscious. For the rest of the column, please go to: http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/item/42955-between-black-and-white-red-brown-color-consciousness

How the U.S Census Historically Whitewashes Non-White Populations

My earlier column for Truthout posed the question: "Are Mexicans Indigenous?" The context of this question complicates the answer(s).

De-indigenized Mexicans and Central Americans in the United States generally share a maiz culture, as do most Amer-Indigenous peoples of the continent who also share in those 7,000-year-old roots.

Yet, how are these peoples, which include Mexican Americans or Chicanx, viewed by the US government, the mainstream mass media and schools? Most importantly, how do they view themselves? For rest of column, go to: http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/42526-how-the-us-census-historically-whitewashes-non-white-populations