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Question for black people about the usage of "negro" and "negra"
Since we're on the topic, I'm genuinely curious about what Black people think about the use of "negro" and "negra" in countries where those words simply mean "black" because of Spanish colonization, unlike in the US where "Negro" has a much heavier historical association.
In my country, especially among the older generation, people still use "negro" and "negra" to refer to black people. They're generally not used with the same racist intent or historical baggage that those words have in the US the terms come from Spanish, where "negro" literally means "black," and they're just some of the many Spanish words that stayed in our vocabulary because of our country's long history of Spanish colonization.
The Nword, especially the hard R version, has never really been part of our local vocabulary. Most people here who use it today probably learned it from Western media, music, movies, or the internet. Based on my experience, when people here use the N word or the hard R version, it's usually meant as a derogatory slur.
That said, context still matters when it comes to how "negro" and "negra" are used but like many words, they can still be used in an offensive way depending on the person's intent, tone, and the situation. So I'm curious how do black people feel about the use of these words in countries where they're part of the local language and don't have the same history as they do in the US?
And yes, I'm using an alt account for this because I don't want to deal with the public stoning if this question goes wrong
as someone whos black and hispanic, the use of negro/negra has been used in a derogatory way towards me by spanish speakers. that being said, they usually dont use that word like that too often and are usually just referring to my skin tone. so it really just depends on how theyre using the word tbh reply
I’m not trying to be insensitive or racist okay?
Honestly I’m curious too. I’m guessing you’re from Philippines?
I mean my country has a Province called “Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental”.
We have a bread called “pan de negro”
A sugar called “negrong asukal”
Our indigenous people are also called Negritos
. But ever since ...... 1 reply
When I was in high school and just learning Spanish, we would joke about it when we first heard the word but we didn’t think too much of it. Now that I’m older and studying Spanish in university, I can say I’ve never heard my professor or any of my peers use the term to refer to a person(they usually use afroamerican@, afrolatin@, etc.), it c...... reply
I want to add that negro and negra are pronounced differently in the spanish language than it is in english
in spanish it's "nay-gro"/"nay-gra" whereas in english it's "nee-gro"
I speak spanish and live in the USA, and most of the time i use the word I'm not even thinking about racial undertones because I'm just using it in everyday language. Lik...... reply
It really does depend on using it in a sentence, yes we do flip out when we hear the word negro out of context, but once provided as long as it wasnt in a rude manner or simply a language barrier. There's difference in a non American describe something and said negro in their sentence and somebody straight up calling the other a negro. reply
i think using that word to refer to people nowadays is considered outdated and would be considered derogatory/racist, no?? Mainly older people would use that word. Moreno/Morena is used a more frequently now when referring to a person. Negro/negra is still used but is only/should be used for non-human things, cause it's a color/descriptor. I do wan...... reply
I'm not black, I'm mixed AND live in south america, so imma be honest and say that it really the meaning of the word depends A LOT of the TONE, CONTEXT and INTENTION that the person saying it gives it. In my case, I've beard people say it with pride, love and joy, they embrace their color or are very loved and cared for by friends or lovers; at the...... 1 reply
