'The tragedy is that we are invisible'

The Final Call's Charlene Muhammad interviewed Peru's Dr. Jorge Ramirez Reyna, the Executive Director of the Black Association for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (ASONEDH), about the difficulties Afro Peruvians continue to face following a massive 7.9 level earthquake in August of 2007, and in terms of making their way into the Peruvian political arena:

Dr. Jorge Ramirez Reyna,  Executive Director of the ASONEDH

(Photo by Karen Juanita Carrillo)

"FINAL CALL (FC): Our culture experiences some of the same issues.

"DR. JORGE RAMIREZ REYNA (JRR): The difference is that in Peru Black people don't have high political positions as you do here. The Black theme is not in the public agenda.

"FC: Understanding that difference that you mentioned, many people here are elated that Barack Obama won the presidential election but we're clear that our condition will not change over night. We suffer mass incarceration, miseducation, and poor healthcare but I hear what you're saying, it doesn't compare? You're saying people from your community would come here and see great opportunity?

"JRR: The tragedy is that we are invisible. You are all visible. We don't have a history. We are not considered citizens. They don't care about our votes. The political parties do not go to our communities because we are not important. The worse racism in the total of Latin America is the invisibility. The educational texts do not talk about us. At school and the universities, they don't talk about us."