21 September 2023 - 19 June 2024
One in four Latin Americans has African ancestry. And yet, there is a general deficit of knowledge regarding the presence and prevalence of blackness throughout the Americas. This is more than a simple matter of obscurity. It is a problem of erasure, invisibility and dislocation. Afróntalo introduces you to four communities in Mexico and twenty-one Californians, all in their own words, to explore the depth and breadth of Afrolatiné histories, cultures and identities.
Events Sponsored | Supported by the Afróntalo Exhibition
Event details subject to change; please check back for updates
Events linked to CSUSB classes are open to the public, but with seating priority for enrolled students
If you are in need of an accommodation, contact the Director of the Anthropology Museum at arianna.huhn@csusb.edu or 909-537-5505
| 2023 Events | |
| 12 September Tuesday |
Afro-Latinx Carnival (CSUSB San Manuel Student Union) featuring Las Cafeteras, local vendors, and more! CSUSB, Coyote Walk, 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. PST |
| 19 September Tuesday |
The AfroChicanx Oral History Project (guest lecture by Doris Careaga-Coleman) |
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Africa in the History of Mexican Music (guest lecture by Sergio Navarrete Pellicer) |
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Black Mascogos — From Africa to the Americas (guest lecture by Karla Rivera Tellez) |
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| Decolonizing Mexico's Museums (guest invitation only, lecture by Maria Fernanda Yáñez Uribe) with Daisy Ocampo, HIST 3240, Decolonizing Museums 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. PST |
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| 20 September Wednesday |
Race and Identity in Mexico (guest lecture by Chantell Limerick) with Celeste Nunez, ES 1000, Introduction to Ethnic Studies CSUSB, College of Education, CE-105, 9:00 - 10:15 a.m. PST * In person seating is limited, but you can also join us online |
| The Music and the Dances of Costa Chica (guest lecture by Sergio Navarrete-Pellicer) with Jessica Getman, MUS 3500, Global Music CSUSB, Performing Arts PA-127, 12:00 - 12:50 p.m. PST * In person seating is limited, but you can also join us online |
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| Exhibition Preview invitation only (guided tour with curatorial team) 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. PST |
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| Son Jarocho Workshop at The Garcia Center for the Arts, Wednesdays 8/23 - 10/18 The Garcia Center for the Arts (San Bernardino) 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. PST |
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| 21 September Thursday |
The Case for Supporting Afro-Chicanx Arts, invitation only (discussion with curatorial team) with The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. PST |
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Undocumented Migration: Experiences & Perspectives from Coyolillo (Veracruz, Mexico) |
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| Arts and Social Justice in Afromexican Communities invitation only (lecture and demonstration with Daniela Lopez Carreto & Julio Cesar Lopez Antuna) with Tamara Cedre, ART 3000 Art and Activism 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. PST |
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| Afróntalo Opening Reception CSUSB Anthropology Museum Social and Behavioral Sciences, SB-306 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. PST |
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| 27 September Wednesday |
CSUSB Race and Policing Series, Guesnerth Josué Perea of Afrolatin@ Forum |
| 30 September Saturday |
Afro-Latino Culture Fest (Afro-Latino Education & Arts Collective), Compton Douglas F. Dollarhide Center, 1:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. PST |
| 3 October Tuesday |
Enshrining Blackness: AfroLatinidad in the K-12 Curriculum |
| 17 October Tuesday |
Black Latina Movement, Theatrical Performance + Panel Discussion CSUSB - SMSU South 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. PST |
| 2024 Preliminary Events Calendar | |
| 24 January Wednesday |
World Day of Afrodescendants |
| February TBA | Panel Discussion on the History and Legacies of Slavery in California |
| 17 & 18 February Saturday & Sunday |
Racism and Colorism in Latinidad Afrolatin@ Forum, Public Dialogue as the Practice of Freedom Conversation Series Events Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA, Long Beach) on February 17th @ 2pm LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (Los Angeles) on February 18th @ 2pm |
| 11 March Monday |
Harriet Tubman Day (March 10th) Lecture, Underground Railroad South |
| March TBA | Launch of Afrolatiné Lotería game |
| April TBA |
Afrolatiné Poetry Event |
| 6 May Monday |
Pio Pico’s Birthday (May 5th) |
Why is the exhibition called Afróntalo?
“Afróntalo” in Spanish means “Face It.” This reflects the intention of our exhibition to recognize the erasure of Afro-descendants and the prevalence of anti-blackness in the Americas. Additional meaning can be found in breaking the title into two separate phrases, “Afro” and “Ntalo.” The first phrase, “Afro,” reflects the Afro-descendant focus of the exhibition. The second phrase “Ntalo,” has at least three meanings in African languages. In Xitsonga, spoken in parts of Zimbabwe and Eswatini, ntalo means “abundance.” In Lingala, a language spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo, ntalo means “value.” Finally in Ganda, the primary language spoken in Uganda, ntalo means “war.” Collectively, these three words reflect the impetus of Afróntalo to make clear the widespread and deep roots of Afro-descendants in the Americas, the incredible importance of Afro-descendant contributions and populations historically and today, and the need for action to bring attention to these matters and the contemporary needs of Afro-descendant communities.
Why does this exhibition use the term Afrolatiné?
Afro-descendants (persons of African descent) who have heritage ties in Latin America, inclusive of the Caribbean, use a variety of terms for identity and self-description. These include Afro-Latino, Afro-Latina, Afro-Latinx, and more geographically-specific terms like Black Panamanian or Afro-Salvadorian. In this exhibition we use “Afrolatiné” for consistency when referring to the population generally or as a whole. Afrolatiné is a non-cisgendered term based in Spanish (rather than English) morphology. Choosing a non-hyphenated term was also a deliberate choice, based in our partners’ reflections on Afrolatiné identity as holistic rather than binary or fractured.
Where is “Latin America”?
“Latin America” is a political term coined during the colonial era referring to regions that were part of New World Spanish, French, and Portuguese empires. In this exhibition we use “Latin America” in reference to all of Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, regardless of colonization and official languages today. This is in recognition of the historical, gastronomic, musical, religious, and other cultural and identity ties that exist across the region, particularly among Afro-descendants.
This exhibition has been made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [GSM-251848-OMS-22] and with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities [HFAP22-129]. Visit www.imls.gov and www.calhum.org. Any views expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of California Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, or the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Additional financial sponsors for the development and installation of Afróntalo include: the CSUSB Office of Student Research, the CSUSB Office of Community Engagement, the CSUSB Department of Ethnic Studies, and the US Embassy in Mexico’s Understanding African Heritage in Mexico through Exchanges Fund. Exhibition support has also been provided by: the US Department of Education’s 2021 Fulbright Hays Seminar Abroad Program “Exploring African Heritage in Mexico” organized by Comisión México-Estados Unidos para el Intercambio Educativo y Cultural (COMEXUS), the National Endowment for the Humanities 2022 Summer Institute “Transnational Dialogues in Afro-Latin American and Afro-Latinx Studies” organized by the University of Pittsburgh, the CSUSB Professors Across Borders program, the CSUSB Office of the Provost, CSUSB’s College of Extended and Global Education, the CSUSB College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Office of the Dean, the Garcia Center for the Arts, Raiz de la Ceiba, the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino, and CSUSB’s Black History Month Programming Committee.
Additional event sponsors include: The CSUSB Department of Art and Design, the CSUSB Los Amigos Club, and the Undocumented Student Success Center.
