TV personality and singer Amara La Negra has always been
open when it comes to discussing race and colorism. And, in this behind-the-scenes video for her ESSENCE photo shoot, La Negra explains that one of the reasons she joined
Love & Hip Hop: Miami is to show that beauty in the Afro-Latinx community comes in many shades.
“Some Afro-Latinos have the mentality of one of the cast members who said I need to be less Macy Gray and more Beyoncé. That my Afro wasn’t elegant,” La Negra tells ESSENCE. “And it just gives [me] the opportunity to put light on an issue that’s been there for many years. I was also able to see a lot of people discuss the racism and colorism issues in their community as well.”
The TV personality is also pretty frank about another reason why she joined the series: She wanted to make a name for herself in the U.S.
“When I first decided to do
Love & Hip Hop, I had no expectations,” she says. “I was just honored and happy to know that I was going to be on American TV. If the people in America know you, that means you’re poppin’. I wanted to be able to showcase my music and who I was as a person.”
La Negra has certainly done that as the breakout star of the show’s Miami franchise, and with her openness about discussing colorism and race, we’re sure she’ll achieve a lot more.
