disparaging terms as negrito (little black one), pelo malo (bad
hair), or worse are commonplace for this group that often wields
little political and economic power in their homelands. Poverty
as well as poor educational and employment opportunities are
high on the list of concerns to both African Americans and Afro-
Latinos. However, the beginnings of a civil rights movement for
blacks throughout Central and South America has come about
fairly recently and Afro-Latinos are beginning to make some
progress. “In essence, white Latinos discriminate against black
Latinos just like [white Americans] may do here,” says Harry C.
Alford, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of
Commerce. In order to effect change, Alford believes, “The 40
million blacks in this country need to start communicating
better with the 135 million blacks in the Caribbean and South
America.” The good news is, this group is beginning to come
together to build a sense of pride in their African heritage by
forming organizations and tea