Who is Amara La Negra? She is a Miami-born Dominican singer and dancer who's destabilizing traditional modes of sexuality in genres like Reggaetón and Brazilian Funk. What does that mean? Unfortunately, Amara faces discrimination in the entertainment business because of her complexion and her insanely big, beautiful Afro. Nontheless, she forges ahead with confidence, sexiness, and kinky, queenly, textured hair.
In the music business, wearing an afro, or even having darker skin in 2018 still equates to not good enough, not sexy enough, and not pretty enough, you know, all the colorism nonsense. Recently, she was interviewed on the popular morning radio talk show, "The Breakfast Club." She was rudely asked by one of the co-hosts on the show, What are you?" Meaning, what is your ethnicity. When she replied that she was Afro Latina and that in Latin America, Afro Latinas experience much racism, their response was one of ignorance. Many are ignorant to a lot of things, that is ok. However, it is important to use platforms like "The Breakfast Club" to educate yourselves, as well as the listeners.
This subject matter is dear and true to my heart. So much so, that I created Natural Beauty Organics, a hair care line specifically dedicated to address women with textured hair! Hair like Amara La Negras. Hair like my daughter's, who just so happens to be Afro Latina, and hair like mine. We will continue to use our platform as natural hair care professionals, stylists, and women of color with natural textured hair to uplift and inform the world about what we've got going on!
When my daughter's Dominican grandmother asked me to make the ends of my daughter's hair straight, I always replied, "Saharah's hair is beautiful as it is and no, we won't be altering her texture. And when my daughter was 8 years old and asked me to straighten her hair, I replied no. Because I knew that it was important for her to be taught to love her hair in it's natural state. Afro'd out, twisted, cornrowed, braided, and the like. We're team natural over here mama!
#Blackgirlmagic #Afrolatina
Saharah Jimenez/owner/wellness/product development
"As much as people want to say that racism is over and it doesn’t exist, it does, especially in the Latin market. When they talk about a Latina, they talk about Sofia Vergara or Jennifer Lopez, Shakira even. But not anyone who looks like me, and I’m 100 percent, Latina."-Amara La Nerga
