The African Presence in Mexico

I went to the California African American Museum on Sunday to view their exhibit, "The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present." Definitely worth checking out because a) it's free, and b) the topic is fascinating.

The exhibit is a mix of painting, photography, and sculpture; of course I was drawn to the photography, but there are some amazing paintings as well. Back in my college days, I took a course on interracial matters, and the professor discussed these parts of Mexico where clearly the people had African ancestry. But Mexicans don't want to acknowledge it because they have this view of la raza cosmica, that they are all just one race. So it's something that most people don't know about, inside and outside of Mexico. The exhibit also touches on how race has been dealt with differently in the United States versus Latin America. Very interesting stuff.

The exhibit will be up until June 1.