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Afróntalo (2023)

Afrontalo

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 Afrolatine histories, cultures and identities.

News Coverage for AfróntaloBlack Voice News 10/3/2023; The IE Voice 10/2/2023Precinct Reporter 9/28/2023LAist 3/3/2023; Black Voice News 2/28/23

K-12 Tours: Cal-SOAP organized field trips to CSUSB that included a tour of Afróntalo and related educational and college prep programing. Read more.

K-12 Initiative: Following the success of our May 2022 K12 Symposium, we spearheaded a learning community for educators called Afrolatinizamos, directed by ïxkári estelle and funded through the CSUSB Department of Ethnic Studies. This group developed educational resources that will be made available soon. In the meantime, check out our compilation of resources for primary and secondary educators interested in infusing their classrooms with Afrolatine histories, cultures, identities, and existence, and the "Enshrining Blackness" virtual conversation that we co-sponsored with Afrolatin@ Forum in October 2023.

360 Virtual Tour: You can visit Afróntalo from anywhere with our H5P virtual exhibition (Spanish version also available), created in collaboration with the CSUSB Office of Multimedia and Immersive Technologies

Lotería Afrolatina: A twist on the classic Mexican bingo game, Lotería Afrolatina features 54 Afrolatine people, communities, and cultural products. Created by CSUSB students Alessandro Corsaro (art and design) and Evy Zermeno (research), the game includes the 54-card deck, 32 game boards, and a rule book with short biographies for each game icon. Non-profit organizations and educators can request a FREE copy of the game -- we have a limited number of print copies, and if we run out we will send you an electronic version to print from home/work. 

Events Sponsored | Supported by the Afróntalo Exhibition

2023 Events
Date Event Details
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)
with Charli Eaton, SSCI 3160, Race and Racism
CSUSB, Physical Sciences PS-010, 10:30 - 11:45 a.m. PST
* In person seating is limited, but you can also join us online

19 September 
Tuesday

Africa in the History of Mexican Music (guest lecture by Sergio Navarrete Pellicer)
with Edgar Melendez, MUS 1000, Music Forum
CSUSB, Performing Arts PA-102, 12:00 - 1:40 p.m. PST
* In person seating is limited, but you can also join us online

19 September 
Tuesday

Black Mascogos — From Africa to the Americas (guest lecture by Karla Rivera Tellez)
with Marc Robinson, HIST 3400 African American History 1620-1865
CSUSB, Pfau Library PL-217, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. PST
* In person seating is limited, but you can also join us online

19 September 
Tuesday
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 
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
20 September
Wednesday
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
20 September
Wednesday
Exhibition Preview
invitation only (guided tour with curatorial team)
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. PST
20 September
Wednesday
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
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
21 September
Thursday

Undocumented Migration: Experiences & Perspectives from Coyolillo (Veracruz, Mexico) 
with Jairo Leon and the CSUSB Undocumented Student Success Center, moderated by Rosario Rizzo Lara
CSUSB, Obsershaw Dining Room (Alumni Center (formerly Student Union East))
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. PST

21 September
Thursday
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
21 September
Thursday
Afróntalo Opening Reception
CSUSB Anthropology Museum
Social and Behavioral Sciences, SB-306
4:00 - 6:00 p.m. PST
27 September
Wednesday

CSUSB Race and Policing Series, Guesnerth Josué Perea of Afrolatin@ Forum
Online: https://tinyurl.com/csusb-race-policing, 1:00 - 2:15 p.m. PST

30 September
Saturday
Afro-Latino Culture Fest (Afro-Latino Education & Arts Collective), Compton
Douglas F. Dollarhide Center,
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. PST
3 October
Tuesday
 

Enshrining Blackness: AfroLatinidad in the K-12 Curriculum
with AfroLatin@ Forum
Online Event. 3:30 p.m. PST
Online Recording Here

17 October
Tuesday
Black Latina Movement, Theatrical Performance + Panel Discussion
CSUSB - SMSU South Theatre
* simulcast at Oliphant Auditorium on the Palm Desert Campus
4:30 - 6:30 p.m. PST
2024 Events Calendar
Date Event Details

27 February
Tuesday

Loteria Afrolatina @ the CSUSB Meet Your Mentor Fair
with the Black History Month Planning Committee
@ CSUSB Santos Manuel Student Union North, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. 
29 February
Thursday

California Reparations Now!: The Badges and Incidents of Slavery (guest lecture by Kamilah Moore)
with Celeste Nunez, ES 1000, Introduction to Ethnic Studies
@ CSUSB, CGI-103, 9:00 - 10:15 a.m. PST
* In person seating is limited, but you can also join us online

8 March
Friday

"To that country to which we may remove": Black Liberation & Mexican Havens (guest lecture by Maria Hammack)
with Charli Eaton, SSCI 3160, Race and Racism
@ CSUSB, CGI-103, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. PST
* In person seating is limited, but you can also join us online

 
30 March
Saturday

Convite Oaxaqueña
a celebration of Oaxacan culture, with exhibits, free food, live music, and mojiganga puppet-making; play our Loteria Afrolatina game from a:00 - 4:00 p.m. Event presented in collaboration with The Garcia Center for the Arts
@ The Garcia Center for the Arts, 536 W 11th St, San Bernardino. 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
More info

6 April
Saturday

Lanterns in the Dark: Afrolatine LA In Verse
poetry and open mic event featuring poets Lucas Rivera, Reggie Myles, Sean Hill, Cameron Mouton, and Jenise Miller
co-sponsored by LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

@ LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012, 2:00 - 4:30 p.m.
More info

11 April
Thursday

Undocublack: Undocumented Experience of Afrolatines (guest lecture by Danyeli Rodriguez Del Orbe, Undocublack + film screening of Mejor Allá)
with Rosario Rizzo Lara, SOC 4510, Sociology of Migration
@ CSUSB, SB-129, 2:30 - 3:45 pm PST
* In person seating is limited, but you can also join us online

6 May
Monday

Pio Pico’s Birthday 
Join us in the CSUSB Anthropology Museum for conchas and cake to celebrate the May 5th birthday of Alta California's last governor, Pio Pico!
@ CSUSB Anthropology Museum, SB-306, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

20 July
Saturday
Afrolatino Culture Festival (Afro-Latino Education & Arts Collective)
@ LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Additional details TBA

Why was 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 did this exhibition use the term Afrolatine?

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 “Afrolatine” 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 was 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.

Additional financial sponsors for the development and installation of Afróntalo included: 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 included: The CSUSB Department of Art and Design, the CSUSB Los Amigos Club, and the Undocumented Student Success Center.   

Any views expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of our sponsors.        

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