Yolanda Camacho is an Afro-Mexican and Mixtec woman from Oaxaca. She is a co-founder of the collective Ña'a Tunda and an organizer of the Encounters of Women from Black Communities (Encuentros de Mujeres de los Pueblos Negros). The rights advocate speaks about the quest for recognition of black communities in her country, the connection with Indigenous peoples, and the workshops they organize to empower women in their fight for their rights.
Yolanda Camacho is an Afro-Mexican and Mixtec woman from Oaxaca. She is a co-founder of the collective Ña'a Tunda and an organizer of the Encounters of Women from Black Communities (Encuentros de Mujeres de los Pueblos Negros). The rights advocate speaks about the quest for recognition of black communities in her country, the connection with Indigenous peoples, and the workshops they organize to empower women in their fight for their rights.
José Miguel González (JMG): When did you begin your involvement in the Afro-Mexican movement?
Yolanda Camacho Callejas (YCC): At a 2012 gathering organized by Father Glynn Jemmot, a priest from Trinidad and Tobago, who initiated the movement and also established the organization Mexico Negro, I recognized myself as part of this Afro-Mexican culture. Later, between 2016 and 2018, I worked in three significant municipalities in Guerrero with Afro- Mexican presence: Cuajinicuilapa, Azoyú, and Ometepec. There, I got to understand the needs of our people, their way of life, their context, and their worldview, which are very similar to those in Oaxaca. At that moment, I began working with a group of women who were raising their voices, but there was no one to listen to them. In that context, I thought we needed to organize ourselves, and we initiated the collective Colectiva Ña'a Tunda —which in Mixtec means “black woman”— on the Oaxacan Coast. It is named this way because we have two roots: Indigenous and Black.
JMG: How is the relationship between Afro-Mexicans and Indigenous peoples?
YCC: Coexistence is positive, and Indigenous and Black families intermarry. In Guerrero and along the border with Oaxaca, where communities consist of 90% Black populations, there is a stronger emphasis on preserving Black cultural and ethnic identity, and there is more hesitancy in coexisting with the Indigenous community. However, overall, there is already a blending of Indigenous and Black cultures. Some Afro-Mexican individuals even speak Indigenous languages. For me, having both identities or speaking two languages is an advantage, allowing me to communicate with people who understand both. So, there is indeed mutual support between the Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities. Perhaps there are minor differences, but they can be overcome.
JMG: Do they share the fight for the acquisition of new rights?
YCC: We have been working alongside our Indigenous brothers and sisters. Between 2016 and 2017, the consultation of Indigenous peoples took place, and Afro-Mexican communities were included. In Oaxaca, there are 16 Indigenous cultures, with the Afro- Mexican community being the only one. In the struggle to carve out a space for our voices to be heard and seen, we walked hand in hand with Indigenous peoples. However, some Indigenous individuals fear that the Afro-Mexican community will strip away their rights, which is why we communicate to the government that we, as the Afro-Mexican community, seek to be treated differently. Essentially, because we are unique.
JMG: How has the Zapatista struggle influenced the emergence of the Afro-Mexican movement?
YCC: The Indigenous peoples' movement has made significant progress since the Zapatista armed uprising in 1994. They have influenced public policies and gained territory, while Afro-Mexicans are still in the early stages of advocacy. How do we realize we are not being supported? When we approach a government institution seeking support for a project, it gets rejected because of various reasons: because we are not in the official registry we don't have a distinct language, or we are not considered Indigenous peoples. “You don't have the right to qualify for a project”, they say. However, in 2019, the recognition of the Afro-Mexican people was achieved constitutionally in Article 2, Section C. This is merely a recognition. Policies to implement recognition are still pending, and that's why we continue to fight. Unlike indigenous peoples, the Afro-Mexican community still faces a significant barrier that we must overcome to achieve public policies.
Yolanda explains that there is support between the Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities, and that small differences can be overcome. Photo: Voces Afromexicanas
Yolanda explains that there is support between the Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities, and that small differences can be overcome. Photo: Voces Afromexicanas
JMG: What were the initial factors in self-recognition that enabled progress in this fight for rights?
YCC: We started to organize and raise our voices in response to the mistreatment of our communities and the lack of our ability to exercise our rights. That's when meetings began, where we addressed various issues, for example, what the needs are, what the government does for the Afro-Mexican people, and why it doesn't fulfill its role. Recognition was achieved on August 9, 2019. On that day, we went to Durango to present the consultation to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador so he could be aware of our needs. Personally, I said to him: “Mr. President, I come on behalf of the Afro-Mexican people, we want recognition now. Give it to us so that we can be included in the Constitution.” The next day, he had already signed it and the official recognition of the Afro-Mexican people was published in the official newspaper.
JMG: How does your organization promote the participation of Afro-Mexican women?
YCC: Our organization, Colectiva Ña'a Tunda, has taken on the task of visiting communities and conducting workshops on identity and empowerment for women. Women are always present in these workshops. Both men and women are invited, but it's the women who attend. Therefore, the collective works for women, with women, and on behalf of women. In our journey as an organization, we have reached schools, committees, and Afro- Mexican communities. In the workshops, we strive to make people aware of their rights, to acquaint them with these rights, and encourage them to exercise them. Women have always been subjected to submission.
JMG: What is the purpose they are seeking?
YCC: This struggle aims to raise awareness among women and men. We seek to challenge the stigmatization that suggests that Black individuals are only meant for fishing, hard labor and are unable to leave their communities for education. We are changing that way of thinking. We want the participants to start saying: “I have rights and I can do it.” We have been successful because the young people who have taken workshops with us now think and act differently They pursue education or seek alternative ways of life beyond just fishing, prostitution, or drug addiction.
JMG: How is Indigenous identity lived in your community?
YCC: Interestingly, in Oaxaca, at least on this side of the municipality of Tututepec, Indigenous identity has been significantly diminished. While there is a minority group of Indigenous people, their values and characteristics have faded because the language is no longer spoken here as it once was. Tututepec is an indigenous town, a Mixtec town, but it no longer identifies as such. Preserving identity and culture is a topic we also focus on. In Jamiltepec or Quixaltepec, where Indigenous people still wear their traditional attire, their language is spoken 100 percent. There are towns that remain truly Indigenous and also retain their identity.
In 2019, Afro-descendant and Indigenous leaders presented the proposals of the National Forum of Indigenous Peoples to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Photo: Presidencia
In 2019, Afro-descendant and Indigenous leaders presented the proposals of the National Forum of Indigenous Peoples to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Photo: Presidencia
JMG: At the international level, have you established connections with other organizations of Afro-descendant women?
YCC: In 2015, the first Women's Meeting of Central America and the Caribbean took place in the capital of Nicaragua. During that gathering, organizing colleagues mentioned that it was the first time Black women from Mexico attended. We became aware that all countries had similar agendas, pursuing common goals such as the recognition of human rights, land and territory rights, health, and public policies. All these matters were discussed during the inaugural meeting in Nicaragua.
JMG: Is there an impact on the rights of the Afro-Mexican people at the United Nations or at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights?
YCC: Yes, we have made an impact in those spaces and have also filed complaints with the Inter-American System. Additionally, we have invited them to our events to explain the issues of discrimination faced in Mexico. The goal is to bring visibility to our demands. Unfortunately, in Mexico, there is still a lack of information in the government, its institutions, and society to make constitutional recognition a reality. Now, they question why we advocate for other rights if we are already Mexicans. We tell them that we fight for our rights because, even though we are Mexican, they are not being granted to us and we are not exercising them.
JMG: What challenges do you foresee for the Afro-Mexican community, particularly women, as they continue to progress towards the realization of their rights?
YCC: For us, as women initiators, it's a challenge because it's difficult for people in the town or community to take the time to say, “I commit to exercising or demanding my rights”. In their communities, people are more immersed in their work and day-to-day lives. We enter the communities to provide support, interact, and be with the women so that they see that things can indeed be accomplished.
Inauguration of the first radio station for the Afro-descendant community in Oaxaca. Photo: Notimia
Inauguration of the first radio station for the Afro-descendant community in Oaxaca. Photo: Notimia
JMG: How have Women's Meetings evolved?
YCC: The Women's Meetings of the Black Communities are organized at the initiative of the Mexico Negro organization. We have already held 24 regional gatherings, and these are spaces exclusively for women. I was one of the initiators of the Women's Meetings, and we are now on the seventh. The first one was local, then it expanded to the state level, then national, and now it has become an international space because we have guests from other countries who come to share their experiences and learn about our work. As I mentioned, many people have the idea that there are no Black people in Mexico, but here we are. The latest National and International Gathering of Afro-Mexican and Afro-descendant Women was the first to take place outside the state of Oaxaca; it was held in Tamiagua, Veracruz.
JMG: What is happening with the new generations of women?
YCC: During the gatherings, we are now extending invitations to the new generation because they are the ones who must take the reins and continue on the path we are paving to achieve the goal of fully exercising our rights. These are young people who have left their communities to pursue education and have now become professionals. We have received a favorable response as they express, “We're with you; you are the ones who started, and we want to follow in your footsteps”. This is why I believe we are establishing a precedent that we hope will be carried on by the new generations. It appears that we are starting to see positive results.
JMG: Who are allies in your struggles? Who is supporting you in that process?
YCC: We have allies such as the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH), the National Commission against Discrimination (CONAPRED), the Human Rights Commission, and the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI), which has been designated as the institution to provide support to the Afro-Mexican community. The INPI is actively supporting both Indigenous peoples and the Afro-Mexican community. In addition to the INPI, state authorities are also involved, although not entirely convinced. These are the institutions that have been most supportive in our struggle.
