Due to some time constraints, actually sitting down to write this was a bit of a struggle, but here we go!
Most are aware of the place that slavery in our past held, but I think we seldom go into the details of how these individuals transitioned from being slaves, with no rights or freedoms, to citizens who were equal to the rest of society. It’s interesting to learn how coloured people were viewed differently, and had better or worse opportunities depending on what country they are in. For the most part, I feel as if history lessons have focused primarily on the narrative of slavery in the United States of America, so I was a little bit surprised to see the amount of slaves that were brought over to Latin America, and even more surprised that this was not something that we ever focused or touched on in school.
From what I read, it seemed as if the overall situation for people of colour in countries like Cuba and Brazil was better than that for those in the United States. The way that these individuals transitioned from slaves to citizens in these places was very different. We can still see how the legacy of slavery in the United States affects those who were involved, and how it continues to affect the generations that followed. In American news, we can especially see examples that discrimination resulting from pseudoscience and ethnocentrism still exist. We do not, however, see nearly as much of this news coming from Latin American countries. It was pleasant to see that in these societies, people of colour had the ability to accumulate wealth, and were not formally discriminated against in a time when civil rights weren’t as prominent.
Unfortunately, we do still see evidence of women facing discrimination in these times. Although they were making massive contributions to society, they were still seen as less than their male counterparts. As a woman, I myself cannot fathom being unable to participate socially, politically, and economically to my society. I found it especially troubling to learn the idea that women of colour were any less chaste or pure than white woman, and that this made them open to the advances of their white, male employers.
I’d be interested on learning more about the specific revolts led by slaves, and how that may have altered the narrative for people of colour in the countries where they took place.
Thanks for reading.
Latin American Studies With Jorgensera 
Hey Jorgensera, I like how honest and chill yet educational your posts are! Although in some ways Latin America, especially places like Brazil and Cuba, seemed to be more accepting and just places for coloured people and compared to the United States maybe they were, there was still intense racism and discrimination in those countries although it was never as overt as in the United States; people were considered to be citizens officially but not accepted into societies or treated the same as others. Which some argue was just the same oppressive society with a different face.
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Hey there,
I really agree with wanting to know more about slave rebellions. Haiti imparticular seems like an important area of study as it is not only was the first rebellion of its kind but also the proximity to Latin America would indicate a decent amount of influence.
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