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White boy wanting nameplate necklace (please read)


Guest morales

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Guest morales

Background: My entire family is of Afro-Latino origins (I'm 100% Puerto Rican with most of my ancestors coming to the island from Africa) however, due to a rare genetic condition, despite my family being entirely black or brown, my skin is incredibly pale and I'm constantly, and frustratingly, mistaken for someone of European lineage.

When I was a small child, when I first started dealing with this, my mother gave me a bracelet with my rather unique Hispanic name on it so I wouldn't forget where I came from. I've since more than outgrown that small bracelet and, since now I don't really like wearing bracelets, it sits tucked away in my closet. But, now that I'm going off to college and have saved up some money on my own, I want to buy myself a necklace with my name on it so I can still have something with my name on it to link me with my roots.

I just don't know if this is a good idea because, A: I'm afraid people might take it the wrong way as I'd probably come off as just another white person trying to appropriate the nameplate necklace, a big part of the Afro-Latino community in New York or at least in my neighborhood and B: the fact that nameplate necklaces are wayyy more common for young girls, I feel like that wouldn't look good. Thoughts?

This is something I want and I don't mind a few stares on the street but I don't want to wear something that will give people the wrong first impression and be problematic.

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Well.........

I understand exactly what you're saying and that you're feeling frustrated but as you said you LOOK like a Caucasian and it's for that reason that I'd have to advise you against this.

As you pointed out, too often Anglo Amerians are quick to claim cultures and heritages that don't belong to them, but I've also noticed that among other ethnic groups like Latinos and Arabs it's often the lightest and whitests of those groups who seem to shout their ethnic pride the loudest.
There are hundreds of thousands of Black Puerto Ricans running around New York and Jersey but I don't see a lot of them with the PR flag on or t-shirt on, they blend right in with the AfroAmerican culture.....but the Caucaians Puerto Ricans are up front waving the flag and organizing parades and repping their culture to the fullest.

If you were an Afro Latino who looked more African than that typical "Latino look" I would no doubt advice you to promote your Puerto Rican heritage, but since you're on the opposite end I'm opposed to it.

But again, that's just my personal view.

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