Bringing to Light Racist Experiences of Black Men Living in Puerto Rico

• In Event: Inequidad Racial y Discriminación

Abstract

The existence of racism in Puerto Rico is not acknowledged. Remaining silent about the subject diminishes its importance and makes it invisible in public and political forums (Quiñones, 1999; Franco-Ortiz & Ortiz-Torres, 2004; Ramos-Rosado, 2011). Hence, there is a need to document ordinary everyday experiences of black men living in Puerto Rico. The research questions of this study are: (1) What are the forms of racial discrimination that black men face in Puerto Rico? (2) In which context or places does this racial discrimination takes place? (3) What have been or are the forms of resistance used to deal with it? Intersectionality was the theoretical framework for this qualitative study. Ten interviews were conducted to Puerto Rican black men, 18 years of age or older, living in Puerto Rico and that self-identify as black. The transcripts were analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) from Jonathan Smith. Results show older men tend to have more racist experiences than the younger men. The experiences varied from jokes to denial of entrance to night clubs. Family, school and stores were mentioned as places where they felt rejected. Forms of resistance employed varied from ignoring to educating by discussing the existence of racism. The men described the racism as subtle and harder to denounce. They also address the denial of racial discrimination; therefore their experiences suggest the persistence of racism in Puerto Rico.

Author

• Luz L Marrero, Universidad de Puerto Rico