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"The first barrier that Haitians have in Chile is not the language, it is the skin color. From the color of skin, the tongue also becomes a barrier, but it is not the first." https://latinamericanpost.com/28287-what-happens-with-haitian-immigration-in-chile
Slaves were initially introduced to Chile to provide a workforce for the colony’s mining industry. In Chile & Peru, African slaves worked in mines alongside other native people. Slave labor in Chile also used slaves in agriculture, as servants in urban centers, & as craftspeople.
Slaves were brought to Chile by two routes, the Pacific and the Atlantic. The Pacific route began in the Atlantic on the coast of Africa, continued to the northern coast of South America (especially Cartagena and Panama), and proceeded overland to the Pacific and then to Chile.
The Atlantic route also began on the coast of Africa but went to the port of Buenos Aires, Argentina. From there, slaves were taken on foot across the Pampa & the Andes to Chile. Both routes were extremely difficult, with the mortality rate often reaching 50% or higher.
The order of the Jesuits was the biggest owner of slaves in Chile. The Jesuits employed slaves in all kinds of occupations. When they were expelled from Chile in 1767, they sold their slaves mostly in Peru.
From the early 16th to the early 17th century, Black people outnumbered whites in Chile, but between the mid-17th & early 19th century this changed drastically. In the eighteenth century whites began to outnumber Black people, and the Black population became mostly "mixed".
It is in the context of this anti-Black genocide that Chile's supposed "abolition" of slavery in 1823 must be understood—as a punctuation mark on a long process on enslavement, depopulation, and forced assimilation.
Interview with Negradas - Red de Mujeres Afrodiaspóricas: https://www.okayafrica.com/black-feminists-in-chile-fight-covid19-racism/
“the team has worked hard to support victims of arbitrary evictions, distribute help to those who have been left without a source of income, and denounce [Chilean government and media] discrimination based on race…that [blames] vulnerable communities for the spread of the virus”
![“the team has worked hard to support victims of arbitrary evictions, distribute help to those who have been left without a source of income, and denounce [Chilean government and media] discrimination based on race…that [blames] vulnerable communities for the spread of the virus”](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjDA54xWsAUyKs5.jpg "“the team has worked hard to support victims of arbitrary evictions, distribute help to those who have been left without a source of income, and denounce [Chilean government and media] discrimination based on race…that [blames] vulnerable communities for the spread of the virus”")
“the port of Valparaíso played a role in the trafficking of enslaved Black people to the continent, & to deny that history is to protect the elites who enriched themselves with indigenous & black slave labor. It also reflects the racism present in Chilean white & mestizo people”
“it has been very difficult to integrate the views and requests of Black feminisms into the Chilean mainstream feminist movement. Most times, racial issues are only discussed when some highly visible racist act occurs…it is presented as something separate from gender violence”
Their socials: http://linktr.ee/redmujeresafrodiasporicas
Romario Veloz, 26, a civil engineering student and an Afro-Latino father of one, was attending his first march when he was shot and killed by the Chilean military on Oct. 20, in the northern city of La Serena.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/afro-latina-mother-chile-wants-answers-over-her-son-s-n1234982
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/afro-latina-mother-chile-wants-answers-over-her-son-s-n1234982
Mery Cortez, Romario's mother, had to call around to find her son’s body. “His phone memory had been wiped,” she said.
A nonblack protester who was killed by the army on the same day in the same region has seen an arrest & court case go forward, while Mery & Romario are ignored.
A nonblack protester who was killed by the army on the same day in the same region has seen an arrest & court case go forward, while Mery & Romario are ignored.
“During the current pandemic we’ve seen immigrants camping outside their countries’ consulates begging to return home — in some cases to places they fled from. That’s a pretty clear indication of what is like to be an immigrant in Chile.” Sounds like Lebanon…everywhere the same.
