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A review by aricelemiii
black / Maybe by Roberto Carlos Garcia
5.0
"black/Maybe" is an afro lyric that explores Afro-Latinx identity complete with poems and essays conveying the complexities of the Afro-Latinx experience. This collection of beautifully written prose and essays convey so much about the Afro-Dominican experience specifically. What it means to be Black and also speak Spanish. What that means when it comes to how society views and treats you. These are words that I want to scream to all my problematic tias and tios. It is a literal call to action to all Dominicans, "we gonna get our shit together, coño" as he calls out the prevalent anti-Blackness in Dominican culture. Como una Dominicana que fue criada en 135st y Broadway, this collection felt like remnants of home. This collection captured a lot of my experiences and I was able to see bits and pieces of my family here too. From growing up walking around in a predominantly Latinx community, to PS 129, to summer trips to DR staying at Nana's house en el campo, to now living in a very suburban neighborhood. This collection felt very home-y, but was also brimming with history and politics.
[Elegies] and black/Maybe are fervent odes to Afro-Dominican culture and Blackness and identity politics and the important history of the Afro-Latinx diaspora that demands to be read and understood. This is what poetry should be like. This is what I read for.
[Elegies] and black/Maybe are fervent odes to Afro-Dominican culture and Blackness and identity politics and the important history of the Afro-Latinx diaspora that demands to be read and understood. This is what poetry should be like. This is what I read for.