Final Thoughts

As this semester draws to a close, I look back on everything that we've done and realize the tremendous growth. Whether it be writing skills, research capabilities, or even knowledge of Afro-Latinos and African-Native Americans, this class has contributed a great deal to my educational experience here at Howard. I really enjoyed the readings, discussions, and activities that we've done in this course, and I would definitely recommend this class, and Professor Diaz, to students looking for a great experience and interesting class.

Bridging the gap

It's a well-known fact that in America, the minority accounts for the majority. Groups such as Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans often fail to realize, collectively, the power that they possess. If these three groups came together there is sure to be some sort of positive uproar, sparking a positive change. Whether it's promotion of voter registration and getting people to vote, working to end violence against one another, or even a simple reassuring compliment to uplift one another. There is sure to be a movement greater than any other, if these minorities bridge the gap between them.

Interdisciplinary growth

Coming into this class, the only type of research papers that I knew, were the ones where you read information and regurgitate it back onto paper, and credit the source in the works cited page. But I can honestly say that this class has allowed me to further develop my investigative skills, as well as my writing skills. Now when researching information, not only do I learn from information in places that I wouldn't have ordinarily looked, I've also learned to process the information and formulate my own perspective on the subject at hand. I can sincerely say that I've grown as a scholar through the use of interdisciplinary research.

John Horse

John Horse is a perfect example of a Black Seminole taking on leadership roles in their tribe. He served as a right-hand advisor to the chief. His story in significant because he led his tribe from Florida to Mexico in search of freedom from oppressors, and open land. He also led Seminal warriors in the defeat of US generals. He is one of many famous Black Seminoles who are often overlooked, but served their people wholeheartedly.

African-Native Americans

Not many know this, but in times when slavery existed, runaway slaves and freed blacks settled near Native American communities. Blacks and Native Americans intermingled, and intermarried. They gave birth to a new group, the African-Native Americans. This new group quickly assimilated into the Native American culture. African-Native Americans served many important roles in the Native American community. They took on high positions such as advisors, interpreters, field hands, and warriors, alongside their purebred Native American counterparts. With this newly found sense of esteem, blacks were able to own land, as tenant farmers, in which they paid harvest tribute to the Chiefs of the villages, take part in everyday Native American rituals, and learn the way of the Native-American lifestyle.

Interdisciplinary

Interdisciplinary research is often used to investigate topics that are ordinarily misrepresented or even neglected. It's used to shed light on unknown problems affecting the subjects and develop new means of addressing or looking at them.

I plan to use interdisciplinary research as a means to discover and investigate the cultures, lifestyles, and history of African-Native Americans and Afro-Latinos. I believe that interdisciplinary research allow me to uncover a different perception of the groups, and allow me to understand them better, by gathering information from a variety of different parts, to make up a more well-rounded whole.

Famous African-Native Americans

African-Native Americans, and Native Americans in themselves, are often overlooked, and ignored. Most people may struggle with identifying someone of African-Native American descent, and this is because they are often misrepresented as fitting the image of a stereotypical "Indian". People expect to see feathers, moccasins, and breechcloth, when in fact, some of our favorite entertainers and prominent figures in society are African-Native Americans.

Some examples of well-known people, with African-Native Americans bloodlines are:

Rapper T.I.

Rapper Ludacris

Singer Beyonce Knowles

Innovator Oprah Winfrey

Late Singer Aaliyah Haughton