Racism in Puerto Rico

Racism in Puerto Rico can be traced as far back as the arrival from the Spanish in 1493 [1] Historically, the island which is a U.S. territory, has been dominated by a settler society of religiously and ethnically diverse Europeans, primarily Spanish, and Sub-Saharan Africans. The majority of Puerto Ricans are multiracial, ranging from anyone of European, African, Asian, Native American, or of Mixed-race descent.

History

Before the first major input of West Africans into Puerto Rico in the 16th century, Spanish colonizers forced the Taíno Indian "into slavery, exploiting their labor in the gold mines and on plantations."[1] After nearly a century of exploitation, enslavement, murder, and decline of the Taino people, Spanish colonizers looked to a new source of slave labor. In 1598 they signed their first contract to bring a large number of West Africans to Puerto Rico.[2] Gold mines, ginger plantations and sugar plantations heavily relied on the slave work from the Taíno and West Africans. Since the majority of the European and African colonizers and enslaved laborers arrived without women, intermarriage often occurred with the remaining Taíno women.[3] The offspring from these interracial relationships created a population of mulattoes and mestizos.

When the gold mines were declared depleted in 1570 and mining came to an end in Puerto Rico, the vast majority of the white Spanish settlers left the island to seek their fortunes in the richer colonies, such as Mexico, and the island became a Spanish garrison. The majority of those who stayed behind were either black or mulatto. The next major wave of West African slaves into Puerto Rico came after The Royal Decree of Graces of 1789, which allowed Spanish subjects in the Caribbean to participate in the business of slave trade and labor, particular importing slaves from the Gold Coast.[3]

By the time Spain reestablished her commercial ties with Puerto Rico, the island had a large multiracial population, that is up until the 19th century when the Spanish Crown put the Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 into effect which "whitened" Puerto Rico and Cuba's population by offering land, agricultural, and labor incentives to non-Hispanic Europeans. The new arrivals continued to intermarry with the native islanders.[4] "The Royal census of Puerto Rico in 1834 established that the island's population as 42,000 enslaved Africans, 25,000 colored freemen, 189,000 people who identified themselves as whites and 101,000 who were described as being of mixed ethnicity."[3] A number of uprisings in plantation from slaves took place between 1820 and 1868, including El Grito de Lares. Puerto Rico abolished slavery in 1873.

Discrimination

During colonization, racial hierarchy was determined by the amount of "white blood" an individual had. According to the hierarchy, " one drop of white blood meant you were white and better than your Black compatriot."[2] The upper classes were composed of whites and their descendants while the lower classes were composed of African slaves and their mulatto offspring. The U.S. invasion in 1898 perpetuated the racial hierarchy and intensified anti Afro-Puerto Rican sentiment. The white upper class made deals with U.S. industries and supported U.S. policies in Puerto Rico at the cost of Afro-Puerto Rican civil rights. [2]

Revolutionary leaders such as Pedro Albizu Campos and Jose Celso Barbosa have fought to eliminate the racial discrimination heightened by U.S. imperialism and put Afro-Puerto Ricans in political positions of power.

Legacy

Contemporary Demographics

The current Puerto Rican population reflects the former immigration policy of 1815 conducted by the government in the 19th century, with hundreds from Corsica, France, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Arabs from Lebanon. The religious breakdown in Puerto Rico is that 97% identify as Christian, predominantly Roman Catholics.[5] In the 2000 U.S. Census the population of Puerto Rico were asked to choose which racial category they self-identified with. The breakdown is as follows: white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9%. Until 1950 the U.S. Bureau of the Census attempted to quantify the racial composition of the island's population, while experimenting with various racial taxonomies. In 1960 the census dropped the racial identification question for Puerto Rico but included it again in the year 2000. The only category that remained constant over time was white, even as other racial labels shifted greatly—from "colored" to "Black," "mulatto," and "other". Regardless of the precise terminology, the census reported that the bulk of the Puerto Rican population was white from 1899 to 2000.[6][6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 Enck-Wanzer, Darrrel (2010). The Young Lords: A Reader (PDF). New York and London: New York University Press. p. 136.
  2. 1 2 3 Enck-Wanzer, Darrel (2010). The Young Lords: A Reader (PDF). New York and London: New York University Press. p. 137.
  3. 1 2 3 "Afro-Puerto Ricans - Minority Rights Group". Minority Rights Group. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  4. ↑ African Aspects of the Puerto Rican Personality by (the late) Dr. Robert A. Martinez, Baruch College, Retrieved July 20, 2007
  5. ↑ Religions Retrieved June 9, 2009. Archived January 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. 1 2 Representation of racial identity among Puerto Ricans and in the U.S. mainland
  7. ↑ Puerto Rico's History on race
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