Hello Pablo Wegesend. Thank you for your response. First, to be clear this sentence largely applies to Lopez’s appearance in mainstream media. “Likened” specifically means to represent as similar or like. This does not imply that a fair-skinned Hispanic/Latinx person equals White. Still, the way Lopez is treated in US pop culture is different than a Black individual or darker skinned Hispanic/Latinx person. Try naming a popular Hispanic/Latinx female musician in the US with the complexion of Nina Simone — because yes, this demographic comes in various colors including the darkest of them all. And before people like Beyoncé get mentioned here, there is a debate as to whether or not she would have been as successful if she were a darker shade of Black — yes, colorism factors into the success of Blacks as well.
Would Lopez be unsafe around any Klan or neo-Nazi rally? Well, it depends…have you ever heard of the Nazi Low Riders? They are a Nazi group that accepts Hispanic members. But this is besides the point. We’re speaking on pop culture here…
Saying that Lopez is just as White as President Barack Obama is a poor argument, seeing that her European ancestry most likely takes up a greater portion of her genetics/bloodline. Also, I doubt anyone calls her a monkey or has a mask of her with a noose around her neck…
I want to address all of the points made in your response here instead of writing separate blurbs, so I will also speak on your mention of Smokey Robinson as well. I didn’t include his take on the Motown tribute because I felt that would open up another can of worms…but here we go, my short rebuttal… Robinson’s approval of Lopez doesn’t represent all people associated with or fans of Motown.
Despite the fact that Robinson is a Motown legend, one must consider three things:
1) What were his motives for approving that Lopez, who has no real history of performing Motown music, do a Motown tribute at the Grammys? — was there any financial incentive here? Lopez also announced her upcoming tour after this Grammys performance. Could this have been a way to announce her comeback, by performing at the Grammys and sparking controversy — thus getting people to talk about her and find out more?
2) The Grammys has a history of prejudice towards Black artists. So it wouldn’t be surprising if Lopez or another act who is fair-skinned was an initial choice to do the Motown tribute. Question, how do you think the Hispanic/Latinx community would have reacted if Grammy producers chose an artist like India.Arie, H.E.R., or SZA to perform classic Hispanic/Latinx music? Oftentimes, the Grammys confines Black artists to performing and/or winning with specific music. Why is it that all of a sudden someone who doesn’t really identify as Black or visibly looks Black now able to tackle a music category that Blacks would’ve previously been confined to?
3) When giving his approval of Lopez, Robinson stated that “Motown was music for everybody.” While this is correct, one must consider all of the trials and tribulations that the pioneers of Motown, Black people, had to go through to get this type of music heard. Founder Berry Gordy had to hire an all White sales and marketing team to get Motown music played on mainstream radio stations. The pictures of Black artists weren’t even shown on record covers initially so that White music stations and White people would give this music a chance. Those days are over and Black people want to be seen, not just heard. Also, many songs performed by Motown specifically referenced racial discrimination that affected Blacks in the US. Therefore, this music holds a special place in the hearts of many Blacks throughout America. Having someone who is not Black perform Motown music just seems kind of odd considering its history.
Lastly, my response is just another perspective on things. This does not make me right. However, your take on Lopez’s Motwon tribute should be a little more fleshed out.
