Racial identity refers to how a person defines themselves with race or ethnicity. According to WordPress “Racial identity is a dynamic sociopolitical construction and assists in the understanding of within-group differences of people of different races. Racial identity development is relevant to all racial groups and incorporates perspectives of a person’s view of self with regard to his or her own racial group and other racial groups. Racial identity is an important construct because it is a more meaningful concept, and likely a better predictor of behavior, than racial group membership alone. In addition, the experiences of people of color are not homogeneous and have resulted in different meanings and attributions about being a part of a specific racial group.” This quote explains that racial identity is people with different races. It is mostly how an individual views themselves in  regards to race. Many times not only do the individual themselves struggle with their own identity but other people struggle to know who they are. 

I agree with Allison’s post because Amara la negra is a reality tv star who has been degraded because she looks different. As an afro latina many people label her being too black to be considered a latina. As an artist many people rejected her because she was too dark, her hair was too kinky. A man in particular commented on her looks on the reality show entitled “Love and Hip Hop Miami”. The men made some comments stating that she should try different looks and get rid of the afro. He was saying that he wants him to have her hair straight, doing box braids, or cornrows. He was basically telling her that she does not look good with an afro. He continued to say that in the music industry they only accept a certain woman with a certain look. According to Allure Amara stated “ I started to notice that I was the only black girl in the group and I was put right in the middle or all the way in the back. I always recall this one specific moment when I was getting my hair done at the TV station and the hairstylist told my mom I needed to get my hair permed because it wasn’t manageable and they didn’t have time for that. I was thinking, “What’s wrong with my hair?” because I couldn’t process all the information. Later on, my mom had to perm my hair and then I became like one of the rest of the girls. That was my way of fitting in. But I always knew from a very early age that my skin color was different from the rest of the people I worked with and that it came with a responsibility, racism, being looked down upon. You know when you’re walking down the sidewalk and people who don’t look like us are holding tight to their purses. And anytime there are cops, I go into a total panic because even though I’m Afro-Latina, we feel the same fears as the African-American community. Until you talk to us, you don’t know that we’re Latino. We’re seen as black and we have the same fears. I’ve felt the pressure all my life.” This quote shows how Amara was struggling with her racial identity. She was being treated differently because she was “too dark” to be considered a latina. She was judged by her skin color, and her hair texture. She has been going through this for a long time. She was told to change the texture of her hair so that it could be “manageable.”