The Representation of Latin@s in Media: A Negation of Blackness

Abstract

The denial of the African ancestry in the articulation of Latin@ identity is evident in Latin@ media in the United States. Furthermore, there is limited representation of Afro-Latin@s in current programing even though they claim to appeal to all Latin@s in the US and in Latin America. This trend has its roots in Latin American discourse of mestizaje and reproduces itself in Latin American media content that is exported to the diaspora in the United States. This article reviews the sociological reasons for the invisibility of Afro descendants in Latin America and the Hispanic Caribbean. Finally, this manuscript will account for how this population has been represented in Latin American, Latin@ and US mainstream media.