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Sandra Abd'Allah-Álvarez Ramírez is a Cuban writer, editor, and essayist. She is active in both Cuba and Germany[1] as an activist for the rights of women, people of African descent and particularly Afro-Cubans, and LGBT people. Her activism is particularly focused on improving the representation of Afrocubanas, Cuban women of African descent.
Sandra Abd'Allah-Álvarez Ramírez | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Cuban |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for |
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Early life and education
editSandra Abd'Allah-Álvarez Ramírez graduated from the University of Havana in 1996 with a degree in psychology.[1]
She then attended the Instituto Internacional de Periodismo José Martí, earning a diploma in gender studies and communication, and in 2008 she earned a master's degree in gender studies at the José Martí International Institute of Journalism.[1] From her master's thesis she developed the essay Relectura de la obra cinematográfica de Sara Gómez desde la teoría feminista, which received an honorable mention in the essay contest at the Félix Varela Center in Havana.[1]
Career
editFor 10 years, Álvarez was the editor of the site Cubaliteraria, operated by the Cuban Book Institute.[1]
In 2006, she founded the blog Negra Cubana Tenía que ser.[1] ("It had to be a Black Cuban woman").[2] The blog's name is a play on "negra(o) tenía que ser", a Cuban saying referring to the Afro-Cuban community's experience of racism.[3]
The stated purpose of the blog is to correct for media bias in which Afro-Cubans and particularly Afrocubanas are underrepresented in Cuban media, and to challenge racism, sexism, and homophobia in Cuban media.[4] The blog includes substantial media criticism, for example publishing pieces in response to advertisements that employ objectification.[4] The blog also focuses on the representation of LGBT Cubans.[5] Negra Cubana Tenía que ser was named in the 2014 BOB Awards in the Best of Online Activism category.[6]
Álvarez is also the founder and manager of the Directorio de Afrocubanas (Afrocubana Directory), which publishes short biographies of Afrocubanas who have played a significant role in Cuban history, society, or culture.[1] The directory also functions as a news outlet or encyclopedia, sometimes posting updates on specific well-known Afrocubana women.[7][8]
In 2015, she co-founded the magazine Azúcar & Kalt,[9] which is the first Spanish-language magazine in Hannover.[10] She has worked extensively as a journalist, writing regularly for several print and online media outlets.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Curriculum Vitae" (in Spanish). 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ ""It had to be a black Cuban woman!": an interview with GV author Sandra Abd'Allah-Alvarez Ramírez". Global Voices. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ Nachawati, Leila (23 December 2014). "La bloguera Negra Cubana Tenía Que Ser: "Abrir las telecomunicaciones me parece un sueño"". El Diario (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ a b González, Ivet (11 July 2015). "Feminismo cubano encara nuevos retos en Internet". Inter Press Service. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ Langape, Alejandro (12 March 2020). ""¿Por qué cuesta tanto trabajo decir: Yo sí te creo?" Conversación con Sandra Abd'Allah-Álvarez Ramírez". Alas Tensas. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ "Negra Cubana Tenia que ser". The BOBs. 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ "Muere a los 105 años la narradora cubana Haydée Arteaga, "La señora de los cuentos"". ADN Cuba (in Spanish). 23 May 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ Devyn Spence Benson; Daisy Rubiera Castillo; Inés María Martiatu Terry (28 May 2020). Afrocubanas: History, Thought, and Cultural Practices. Rowman & Littlefield. p. xxiii.
- ^ "Quiénes Somos" (in Spanish). Azúcar & Kalt. 2013. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ Veitia, Pablo D. Herrera (6 March 2018). "This Journalist Started 'The Directory of Afro-Cuban Women'". OkayAfrica. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ Pombo, Mayra (15 April 2019). "Sandra Abd'Allah-Alvarez: feminismo, raza, discriminaciones, emigración y cultura" (in Spanish). Psicología sin p. Retrieved 9 June 2020.