Afro Dominican Music: Racializing the Caribbean Panel/Concert

Imperial nation states often racialize the Caribbean as only Black, which in turn flattens the racial diversity and racialization processes that happen within the Caribbean.

While most of the Caribbean may be Black, this limited imperial lens obfuscates the racial diversity and racial knowledges from the Caribbean about how Blackness is read, moves, and is embodied transnationally across cultural, visual, and musical productions.

For example, while the Dominican Republic is predominantly Black, white supremacy and colorism still play a role in the access to privilege, resources, and reach for many Afro-Dominican music artists of diverse racial and gendered identities.

Featuring award winning artists Xiomara Fortuna, Yasser Tejeda and La Gran Mawon, this panel/concert is a transnational dialogue that centers race and music in Afro-Dominican culture. The conversation and musical performance will address how white supremacy and capitalism impact the perceptions of race and racial politics in the Caribbean. The artists will discuss how they navigate these issues and create other possibilities and spaces of accountability and freedom.