In this interview series, host Alicia Menendez talks to remarkable Latinas about making it, faking it, and everything in between. In often-hilarious and always-revealing episodes, Alicia and her guests take on the challenges of existing, and then thriving, as women of color.
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episode 17: Ain’t I Latina Founder Janel Martinez on Creating Space as a Black Latinx
This episode gets real quickly. Alicia talks to journalist Janel Martinez, founder of Ain’t I Latina, about how forming her Afro-Latinx identity was an intentional act—often in defiance of the “resistance to black identity within the landscape of Latinidad.” From how blackness is erased from the foundations of our cultures, to “diaspora wars” that include “fighting over the colonizer’s language,” Janel does not hold back in her dismantling of myths and falsehoods Latinos tell ourselves about who we are. And she’s quick to tell white Latinos to check their privilege while being the top consumers of black Latinx culture.
Follow Janel on Twitter @janelmwrites and IG @janelm; and follow Ain't I Latina @aintilatina on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Amara La Negra, Sunny Hostin and Iris Beilin for more on representation and inclusion within Latino communities. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!