Cardi B is addressing the backlash she received after showing off her natural waist length hair by working to educate and provide better haircare options for Afro-Latinas and Hispanic people.
The “Up” rapper announced on Instagram that she is releasing a hair care line sometime this year after developing her formula at home using herself and her 2-year-old daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus as test subjects. In the post, she also went on to encourage followers to educate themselves on the history of Hispanic and Latin people.
“This year I will be coming out with a hairline that I been working on at home for my hair and my daughters however,I think is time for people to educate themselves on nationality,race and ethnicity,” she wrote in the caption. “Being Hispanic/Latina don’t make your hair long , don’t make your skin light or don’t make your face features slim specially Latin countries from the Caribbean islands. Dna have something to do with your hair not your nationality but guess what you can always maintain your hair …..and one more things not everyone that speaks Spanish is Mexican 😉”
The “WAP” artist, who is the daughter of a Trinidadian and Spaniard mother and Dominican father, tweeted her frustration about the lack of education surrounding the differences between race (physical characteristics that define a group of people), ethnicity (cultural heritage/characteristics that define a group of people), and nationality (defined by the political nation where you hold legal citizenship).
“I think I’m going to a video of different Hispanic people or Latin people or w.e terms is the correct way to say it now a days cause people be thinking every Hispanic is Mexican or something & must have the same hair texture, color, and features,” she tweeted before continuing to give her followers a lesson, told in only the way Cardi can. In addition to sharing images of Dominican women with a variety of skin tones, including herself and “Love & Hip-Hop: Miami” star Amara La Negra, Cardi also took her fans to history class.
“One more thing I want to make clear to Americans. Colonization did not just happened in the USA,” she wrote. “Actually the first diaspora boat and slaves arrive in The Dominican Republic.Our Haitian & DR brothers & sisters were put against each other by their colonizers Spain & France.”
During the conversation, the Grammy-winning artist clarified that she is an “Afro-Latina” woman, even if her skin tone doesn’t reflect preconceived notions of how that should look. “Hair texture def don’t make you a race however I am Afro Latina . Being Afro Latina don’t mean you have to amara la Negra color neither. My grandmother from my mom side is not Latina at all & her father is light ass f**k so my mommy is light but her sibling are dark.”
Amara La Negra chimed in to offer her support to Cardi, saying she’ll definitely be in line to cop the products and agreed that “the world has so much to learn” about the Hispanic and Latino communities. “Así mismo coño! Dile! Que ami ya también me tienen harta! Let them know!” she exclaimed. “I’m glad you putting you hair products out this year! Yo quiero! The Hispanic/Latino community is so big and we are so beautiful the world has so much to learn about us! @iamcardib”
Black, Hispanic, and Afro-Latina fans from across the internet chimed in on Cardi’s post, which received over 588,700 likes.
“Preachhhhhh 🙌🏽We come in all flavors babyyyy😍✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼”
“Start with a history lesson. The slave trade went through the Caribbean and Latin America. That’s why there’s Afro Latinos in so many countries. We come in ALL colors.”
“🔥 SO true. It’s time we celebrate differences and appreciate the beauty of different cultures. 🔥”
Cardi has yet to drop a release date, but her upcoming line is sure to fly off of shelves and sites when it launches.
