SNHU Agents of Change Podcast · SNHU Social Sciences

Season 5 Ep. 7: Black History Month feat. Jen Torres

·24 min·1 clip

Torres says one misconception is 'we can't be racist' because someone is Latino.

1. SNHU's Agents of Change podcast focuses this Black History Month episode on anti-Blackness within the Latinx community. 2. Dr. Hector Garcia hosts the conversation, Jen Torres from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is the guest, and Samantha Spearin and Raquel Becknell join as student interviewers. 3. The episode asks how Latinx communities can define anti-Blackness, confront colorism, and build unity with Black communities. 4. Torres says she is from Puerto Rico and moved to Boulder, Colorado, almost 30, where she describes a 'culture shock' and a process of 'learning slash unlearning.' 5. She explains her work in education, advocacy, engagement, and policy before earning a master's in educational equity and cultural diversity. 6. Torres says her work in Washington, D.C. nonprofit anti-racism led her to start Simply Lead. 7. She says Simply Lead goes into schools, organizations, and nonprofits to unpack oppressive practices and rebuild them through a 'liberatory lens.' 8. Torres defines anti-Blackness as a specific form of racism that dehumanizes Black people while elevating whiteness as power, beauty, and worth. 9. She traces anti-Blackness to colonial and racial hierarchies, the Casta system, and the transatlantic slave trade. 10. She names blanqueamiento in Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti as an attempt to 'whiten the races' after slavery was abolished. 11. Torres connects anti-Blackness to religion by saying Catholicism and Christianity demonized African and Indigenous spiritualities. 12. She says colorism shows up in phrases such as 'hay que mejorar la raza,' 'esa greña,' and 'nena, de sol.' 13. Torres says Afro-Latinos are often erased from telenovelas, the news, and anchor desks. 14. She argues that Latinx families also reproduce anti-Blackness by discouraging Afro-centric hairstyles and demonizing African and Indigenous spiritual practices. 15. Torres says one common misconception is that Latinos cannot be racist and describes 'cuando le conviene' as using Latino identity only when it is convenient. 16. She says bridging Afro-Latinx and Black communities requires visibility, representation, leadership, and hiring Afro-Latino writers, actors, and scholars. 17. Torres frames the interview as a teaching conversation built around direct answers, follow-up questions, and historical examples. 18. The tone is conversational and instructional, with Dr. Garcia, Samantha, and Raquel asking guided questions and Torres responding in extended turns. 19. Listeners interested in Latinx identity, anti-racism, and colorism. 20. Listeners wanting light conversation without historical context.

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