I had this natural and funky thing going on and I felt free and so happy.
Within 2 weeks of arriving, I took out all of my braids. I was like for real? It was shocking to have “white European folks” appreciate me. In Argentina, I didn’t feel like a Black Woman. I now realize that was more likely because they saw “American” and dollar signs, but at the time I didn’t understand that.Īlso, I felt beautiful, for the first time, in Argentina. I did not feel like they saw my race before they saw me. For example, when I went to stores, the Argentines were so kind. It was all in the subtleties and non-verbal cues. People just treated me differently than in the US. For the first time in my life, the question of race was not in my face all the time.
Erika Edwards and I on a finca near Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2002.įazeela, our study abroad was the best six months of my life (up until that point). Let’s start with our 2002 study abroad in Argentina. So sit back and get ready for us to discuss the first time she felt like a Woman, why she refuses to use the term ‘white supremacy’ in the Argentine context, how she could not have made tenure without her women of color sisters in the academy and more.
I learned so much from her and I’m sure you will too. Edwards (hereinafter referred to as “Erika”) is so full of knowledge that our video chat went for hours. where are all the Black people?! LOLį: YES I want to talk about that!!!!! It’s still the whitest country in South America… I think 97%ĭr. Edwards to discuss her groundbreaking research and upcoming book, Hiding in Plain Sight: Black Women, the Law, and the Making of a White Argentine Republic, and our messages went like this:į: Erika! I want to do a piece on you re Argentina and your work there.Į: Hey Fazeela! It is so nice to hear from you! Can you believe it all started with that trip back in 2002. Her research centers on the disappearance of Black Argentinians throughout the last two centuries. Erika Edwards, Associate Professor of Latin American History and Latin American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, was too. But a few unfettered students still wanted to go and I was one of them. Study abroad programs notified students in the US that due to the instability in the region, they could cancel their study abroad for a full refund. Unemployment soared, banks were closed, there was widespread hunger and rioting in the streets. In 2002, Argentina experienced a huge economic crisis where the Argentine peso, which was previously pegged to the US Dollar, became devalued, overnight.
0 kommentar(er)
