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31 Outstanding Afro-latinos Your Students Should Know

February marks the celebration of Black History Month and this is a great opportunity to introduce your students to notable Afro-latinos in your Spanish classes.

There are 54 million Hispanics in the United States, of whom 24% identify as Afro-Latino. Here’s our list of biographies in Spanish (and some in English) you can use in class to introduce their incredible life and achievements.

Each Google Slides presentation includes:

  • A photo of the person, their name, and profession
  • Country flag
  • A biography in Spanish
  • Video
  • Práctica con frases – Fill-in-the-blank sentences
  • Comprehension and discussion questions
  • Extension Activities
  • Bibliography

All Spanish Teachers Community members have access to these Google Drive biography decks and hundreds of ready-made lesson plans and resources for the full school year! Click here to access our exclusive freebies for Spanish teachers.

Afro-latinos in Entertainment 🎥 📺 📷

  1. Arlenis Sosa (Modelo) – República Dominicana
  2. Zoe Saldaña (Actriz) – República Dominicana
  3. Tatyana Ali (Actriz) – Panama

Afro-latinos in Literature & Journalism 📖

  1. Nancy Morejón (AP Spanish Literature Version)
  2. Elizabeth Acevedo (Escritora) – República Dominicana (English version available)
  3. Felipe Luciano (Poeta, activista, músico y periodista) – Puerto Rico
  4. Julia de Burgos (Poeta) – Puerto Rico

Afro-latinos in Music 🎶

  1. Bruno Mars (Cantante) – Puerto Rico
  2. Cardi B (Cantante) – República Dominicana
  3. Celia Cruz (Cantante) – Cuba (English version available)
  4. Chocquibtown (Grupo musical de Hip Hop) – Colombia
  5. Don Omar (Cantante y Actor) – Puerto Rico
  6. Gente de Zona (Cantantes) – Cuba
  7. Ibeyi (Dúo musical) – Cuba
  8. Nidia Góngora (Cantante) – Colombia
  9. Ozuna (Cantante) – Puerto Rico
  10. Romeo Santos (Cantante) – Puerto Rico y República Dominicana
  11. Tego Calderón (Cantante) – Puerto Rico

Afro-latinos in Science & Medicine 🧪🔬🧬💊🩺

  1. Bonnie Prado Pino (Ingeniera Aeroespacial) – Colombia

Afro-latinos in Society 🌎

  1. Arturo Schomberg (Historiador) – Puerto Rico
  2. José Celso Barbosa (Médico y político) – Puerto Rico
  3. Maria Remedios del Valle (Militar) – Argentina (English version available)
  4. Miriam Jiménez Román (Activista y escritora) – Puerto Rico (English version available) 

Afro-latinos in Sports ⚾🏀

  1. Albert Pujols (Jugador de Bésibol profesional) – República Dominicana
  2. Carmelo Anthony (Jugador de básquetbol profesional) – Puerto Rico
  3. David Ortiz (Beisbolista) – República Dominicana
  4. Felipe Alou (Ex- Jugador de Béisbol y Mánager) – República Dominicana
  5. Maria Urrutia (Ex levantadora de pesas) – Colombia (English version available)
  6. Mariano Rivera (Jugador de Beisbol) – Panamá
  7. Roberto Alomar (Beisbolista) – Puerto Rico
  8. Roberto Clemente (Jugador de beísbol) – Puerto Rico

Check more Spanish class activities here.