AfroLatinx

AfroLatinx (also Afro-Latinx) is a term used to describe people whose African ancestry intersects with Latin American and/or Latinx identities. The category encompasses diverse national and cultural backgrounds across the Americas, including Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking communities as well as indigenous and Afro-indigenous populations. It is both a descriptive label and a political one, used in cultural production and academic analysis to highlight intersectional identity.

Terminology varies. Afro-Latinx, Afro-Latino, and Afrodescendant are used in different contexts, with some preferring Afro-Latinx to foreground the Latinx dimension and others favoring terms that align with local languages and political sensibilities. Debates about LatinX as a term reflect linguistic and cultural considerations in the United States and Latin America.

Geographically, Afro-Latinx people form a substantial presence in the Caribbean, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the United States, among others. Population estimates are uneven because self-identification and census categories differ; many individuals identify primarily as Black, Afro-descendant, or Hispanic/Latino, complicating simple tallies.

Culturally, Afro-Latinx communities have contributed to music, literature, art, and politics, drawing on both African diasporic traditions and Latin American cultural forms. Notable influences include Afro-Brazilian spiritual and artistic practices, Caribbean musical genres, and contemporary Afro-Latinx writers and performers who address race, migration, and gender.

Challenges include discrimination, colorism, and underrepresentation in media, education, and politics, as well as debates over labeling. Scholarly work and community organizing seek to articulate shared experiences while recognizing regional differences and the diversity of African heritage within Latin America and the Caribbean.