As an old history teacher of mine used to say, “There really is nothing new under the sun.” That was his way of saying there is plenty to learn from the past that can instruct the present. This week, we examine a little known history that sheds light on the Latino experience today.
I recently traveled to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to interview historian Jesse Hoffnung-Garskoff who wrote a fascinating book called Racial Migrations: New York City and the Racial Politics of of the Spanish Caribbean. It’s a gripping read about Afro-Latino migrants to the U.S. who, in the late 19th century, conspired to overthrow a colonial monarchy, eliminate slavery and organize in the Spanish Caribbean while living in New York and Florida.