It was one line in a song, but it gave a lot of people pause online. Essentially, if you are not Black then it is equivalent to identity appropriation, even when used in the Spanish-speaking context, and particularly because light skin Latinxs have a history of calling themselves “negritos” all the while practicing anti-Black racism. Are those of us outside of Latin culture simply misunderstanding the ways in which language isn’t always literal (i.e. It is important to note that the vast majority of African slaves were forcibly brought to Latin America and the Caribbean, while what is now the United States only received approximately 3 percent (of enslaved Africans). There are at least two ways we can think about what J.Lo calling herself a “negrita” really means: one, the English speaking U.S. misunderstands how deeply rooted anti-Black racism is in Latin American in the Caribbean, and so when Black-Latinxs hear J.Lo claim Blackness, it feels as though she is appropriating an identity without having to live the systemic, structural, and interpersonal racism that Black-Latinxs experience; and two, Black-Latinxs have been living with and resisting anti-Black racism for centuries and this continues today, and they are asking non-Black Latinxs to stop using racist and appropriating language. Te necesito, estoy lonely Si la cagué, baby, I'm sorry (I'm sorry) Tú eres mi shorty, nadie es igual Deja el ego, que te va a matar In many places throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, it is believed that to be called “Negro/Negra” is to be called a slave. In the song, Lopez sings, “yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx” (I’ll always be your Black girl from the Bronx). No obstante a algunos no les pareció que la artista se refiriera a sí misma como “negrita”, ya que ella no es considera una mujer negra, por lo que expresaron su descontento en redes sociales. Q: Others have offered that the way race is understood in Latin America is different from how Americans have come to understand and define it. In the recently released song “Lonely,” by Colombian artist Maluma and Jennifer Lopez, Lopez sings “yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx,” which roughly translates to “I’ll always be your little Black girl from the Bronx”. Once people, especially the Black community, learned of the translation, they quickly took to social media to blast the actress and singer because she is … It certainly is not for a lack of Black Latinx talent. Given the huge imprint that slavery made across Las Americas, the racial pathologies that formed still exist today. The fifth verse of the song is - 'La soledad, te juro, está que me mata / Hasta mi perro te extraña, no seas ingrato / Nada tiene sentido si no estás tú / Antes no tomaba y ya me muero en alcohol / Recuerdo en el 'rrari como hacíamo' el amor/ Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx'. That it can be used to describe someone who is the most tanned in a group or family, someone with the darkest hair or eyes, or someone with dark skin who would be seen as Black. Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx Te necesito, estoy lonely Si la cagué, baby I'm sorry Tú ere' mi shorty, nadie es igual Deja el ego, que te va a matar You're sayin' that you're feelin' lonely But you fucked up, baby, I'm sorry I'm doing so much better without you Just kill your ego before it kills you Papi Juancho (yeah, nobody like him) Nada tiene sentido si no estás tú (tú) Antes no tomaba y ya me muero en el alcohol Recuerdo en el rari cómo hacíamos el amor (mami) Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx. Nada tiene sentido si no estás tú (tú) Antes no tomaba y ya me muero en el alcohol Recuerdo en el Ferrari cómo hacíamos el amor (mami) Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx. [CDATA[ !function(t,e,r){var n,s=t.getElementsByTagName(e)[0],i=/^http:/.test(t.location)? What was the term rooted in? Tanya K. Hernández: When I learned of the line from the song, it angered me a great deal because it felt like a tone-deaf, opportunistic attempt to appear relevant in our #BlackLivesMatter social moment. Extending the phrase to those who do not phenotypically look Black occurred with the Latin American refusal to build racially inclusive democracies and economies. “Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx”, dice JLo en la canción. En una parte del tema JLo cantan la frase, “Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx”, haciendo referencia a su apodo de ‘La Diva del Bronx’. Have you used or do you plan to use California’s coronavirus contact tracing app for smartphones? What is important to understand is that racial mixture is seen positively as long as people fit the light skin, classic Latinx look. WhatsApp. But you fucked up, baby, I'm sorry (Sorry) Follow @genius on Twitter for updates Te necesito, estoy lonely Si la cagué, baby, I'm sorry (I'm sorry) Tú eres mi shorty, nadie es igual Deja el ego, que te va a matar Te necesito, estoy lonely Si la cagué, baby, I'm sorry (I'm sorry) Tú eres mi shorty, nadie es igual Deja el ego, que te va a matar Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx [Maluma & Jennifer Lopez] Te necesito, estoy lonely (Yeah) Si la cagué, baby, I'm sorry (I'm sorry) Tú ere' mi shorty, nadie es igual (Ay) Deja el ego, que te va a matar. //]]>, Sorry, we have to make sure you're a human before we can show you this page. For instance, if J.Lo or her production team would have registered that Black, Afro-Latinxs, Latinxs and Indigenous populations are over-represented in the U.S. prison population, she could have, if nothing else, worn a #BlackLivesMatter or #LasVidasNegrasImportan statement outfit in the video. Hernández: The notion that Latin American racial understandings are so different than those in the United States is quite overblown. As it currently stands, Latinidad is experienced as a category that excludes Black Latinxs, and so when Latinidad is invoked or imagined, a person like J.Lo or Ricky Martin comes readily to mind, whereas Jharrel Jerome and Joan Smalls do not. The lyrics of the song say, “Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx,” which directly translates to “I will always be your Black girl from The Bronx.” Pinterest. Dancing with Black people does not make you Black. Does the concept of colorism play into this at all? Many in Latin America and the Caribbean tout racial mixture as a source of pride, and as a reason why they cannot be called racist, even as they perpetrate anti-Black micro-aggressions and racism. On the other hand, if J.Lo has Black ancestry, it is not apparent in her typically Latinx appearance, and more importantly, Black-Latinxs find her use of this descriptor offensive. Jennifer Lopez is being slammed for referring to herself as a “Black girl from the Bronx.” In her new song with Colombian singer Maluma “Lonely,” JLo sings the Spanish lyrics “Yo siempre sere tu Negrita del Bronx.” She’s also the author of numerous books, including “On Latino Anti-Black Bias: ‘Racial Innocence’ and The Struggle for Equality.” Hilda Lloréns is a cultural anthropologist and associate professor of anthropology at the University of Rhode Island, where her research focuses on the Hispanic Caribbean and on Latinx United States, and has been published widely in academic journals and in the press. Falcons, Union-Tribune columnist grades Chargers after Sunday’s home win against Atlanta, Judge clarifies ruling on COVID-19 restrictions applies to restaurants in county; state plans appeal, The ruling by Superior Court Judge Joel Wohlfeil was welcomed by restaurant owners, who remain cautious, Judge allows strip clubs to stay open, county stops enforcing restaurant restrictions, The ruling was a sharp rebuke to how COVID-19 restrictions have been applied by state and county leaders, and was cautiously welcomed by some restaurant owners, Tracking coronavirus data in San Diego County, Here are the latest statistics on COVID-19 cases in the county, Aztecs host improving BYU as challenging nonconference schedule rolls on, Cougars had some shaky games early but are coming off an 18-point win against Utah, Court ruling reignites debate around whether San Diego’s restaurants are COVID hotspots, Public health experts caution that community outbreak and contact tracing data don’t tell the whole story, Padres (finally) back on ESPN’s ‘Sunday Night Baseball’, With Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, Padres’ star power is more than enough reason for return to ESPN’s Sunday showcase for the first time since 2014. TAGS; Jennifer Lopez; Facebook. In the lyrics of the song, J. American slang that used “bad” to mean “good”)? Being part of the urban popular culture and aesthetic, again, does not make you Black. Hold up JLO just said yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx. Obviously, that lyric is causing loads of controversy and fans and critics alike are letting Lopez know they’re out OK with it. And so, if she referred to herself using this diminutive it would be acceptable, though infantilizing. Not counting people in the U.S. illegally would hurt California, costing it power and federal funds. If J.Lo is the non-racist person she purports to be, then she will heed this demand. I am not surprised at this latest lapse because, time and again, J.Lo has reminded us that she seems to have lost touch with the social, cultural and political realities facing minoritized people in the Bronx and other barrios throughout the United States, and in the Americas more broadly. Our San Diego Econometer panel considers a question asked of many Californians. Lopez was born into a family of Puerto Rican descent. Hernández: There is an entire history of difference between how someone like Amara La Negra uses the term, versus Lopez’s use of it. Lopez’s tactic is what I call the “I can’t be racist, I’m Latino” defense to racial reckoning. Your Say: Grading Gavin Newsom’s handling of the pandemic. Pence, top congressional leaders get COVID-19 vaccines, The White House event was aimed at convincing skeptical Americans that the vaccines are safe, Column: Love for added backyard homes rises above larger housing disputes. You're sayin' that you're feelin' lonely. This meaning still circulates, even when free Black populations were accounted for a larger segment of the population than the enslaved did. J.Lo sang on the song, "Yo siempre sere tu negrita del Bronx," which translated into, "I'll always be your black girl from the Bronx." So when the netizens were done translating, many of them were offended because the singer is not Black. You're sayin' that you're feelin' lonely. Lo sings, "Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx," and Twitter was quick to take notice. In the song, Lopez sings "yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx," which directly translates to "I will always be your black girl from the Bronx." Get Essential San Diego, weekday mornings. Even more troubling, is that Lopez has a whole history of whitening her appearance and hair to pursue her Hollywood ambitions. The term “negrita” or “negrito” is the diminutive form of “Negra/Negro” (Black). Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx Te necesito, estoy lonely Si la cagué, baby, I'm sorry Tú eres mi shorty, nadie es igual Deja el ego que te va a matar You're saying that you're feeling Lonely But you fucked up, baby, I'm sorry I'm doing so much better without you Just kill your ego, before it kills you Papi Juancho (Yeah, nobody like him) Te necesito, estoy lonely Si la cagué, baby, I’m sorry Tú ere’ mi shorty, nadie es igual Deja el ego, que te va a matar. Q: What is the difference between someone like Amara La Negra (a dark-skinned musician of Dominican descent) using the term, versus Lopez’s use of it? Q: Do you think this latest criticism of Lopez on this topic is unwarranted? In the context of Latin America and the Spanish speaking-Caribbean, “negrita” and “negrito” were historically used to take the sting out of addressing someone, particularly a well-liked individual, as “Negro” or “Negra.” Even today, “Negro/Negra” is understood by some as a negative or derogatory term. Column: Netflix series unwraps the stories behind holiday movie classics, ‘The Holiday Movies That Made Us’ looks at ‘Elf’ and ‘The Nightmare before Christmas’. Nada tiene sentido si no estás tú (tú) Antes no tomaba y ya me muero en el alcohol Recuerdo en el rari cómo hacíamos el amor (mami) Yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx. Why or why not? In Latin America, claims of racial mixture have worked in tandem with the myth of the racial democracy to disenfranchise activists and movements seeking to eradicate anti-Black racism. In the lyrics for the song, which JLo sings with Maluma, Lopez sings “yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx” (I’ll always be your Black girl from the Bronx). While there has certainly been a longstanding rhetoric about racial mixture in the region, Whiteness is the preferred currency. That, specifically in regard to Puerto Rico (Lopez is of Puerto Rican descent), people understand and are proud of the mixture of African, Indigenous and European in their ancestry. In the lyrics for the song, which JLo sings with Maluma, Lopez sings “yo siempre seré tu negrita del Bronx” (I’ll always be your Black girl from the Bronx). //