Is Puerto Rico ‘racist’? Online comments about new Miss Universe spark discussions

When Adelaide Liverpool Castro grew up in her native Puerto Rico, she did not have a black woman outside of her family with whom she could identify. Thinking about the Miss Universe competition, she remembered how it was full of white women with straight and blond hair.

However, the popular beauty pageant was something she traditionally watched with her grandmother.

On Sunday, Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa was crowned the new Miss Universe, beating out first runner-up Madison Anderson Berríos , who represented Puerto Rico in the pageant. Tunzi is the first black woman to become Miss Universe since Leila Lopes won as Miss Angola in 2011.

However, while many in Puerto Rico like Liverpool Castro were happy that a black, short-haired woman won Miss Universe, others took social media to make fun of Tunzi or make comments that were called out as discriminatory and racist.

Messages like “I can’t believe that the black woman won,” “So many women with beautiful hair and the bad hair won,” “... Shaka Zulu’s cousin answers well,” and “She looks like a monkey,” crammed social media outlets.

All this led Con-Sentinmiento, a platform whose mission is to use social networks to educate and generate political, social and economic debates starting from an intersectional and anti-patriarchal feminist base, to publish a video criticizing racism in Puerto Rico. The video has gone viral.

“After the Miss Universe contest we were able to see what we already knew. Puerto Rico is a very racist country,”

“As white people we have to admit that we have an internalized racism, whether we want to admit it or not. We cannot, as white people, say what is racist and what is not racist". [said a Puerto Rican...]

Is Puerto Rico racist? (read further) Is 'Puerto Rican' even a race? (it is not). AOC and other self-declared mainland Puerto Rican democrats left baffled.

Yes, way back when I was a kid and before, it was a thing to prove how white Spanish your family was, and blacks, before intermarriage became common, were a small minority here, and there was a lot of discrimination against them.

But these days? Please! Only in the minds of culture warriors does this conflict exist.

Madi did a great job and she represented PR well. Miss SA brought forth race, skin color and hair (or lack thereof) and she did a check-mate on Madi and Miss Mexico and won the crown. Rightfully so. She was smart and has charisma. It is what it is.

Madi could have very well brought the fact that she was discriminated by many when she won the Miss PR crown in June because she was called "white" and "gringa" and a bunch of horrible things. She learned to better her Spanish in 3 months and immersed herself in all things Puerto Rican. She did not bring this up in Miss Universe - there was no need to. Miss Mexico could have brought up the issue of the southern border, the children in cages, and how 'racist' Trump is and she could have won the crown as well. She did not do this. I respect that.

There were 6 female judges. The pageant was in Atlanta, held at Tyler Perry Studios. I think that this made a difference. Had there been a male judge or two (real men, not pussies), then Madi could have won. It's not a pageant about beauty anymore, it's now about Empowerment. Well, if that's the case, then someone needs to create a Miss Empowerment Pageant. I prefer the old Trump-Era Miss Universe.

In another topic about Madi, her mom Belinda said it best, in a post yesterday:

Madison es Puertorriqueña tanto como Yo, que soy su madre. Yo soy puertorriqueña y mis ancestros fueron mujeres luchadoras, fuertes y orgullosas de su tierra.El que yo haya tenido que partir a rumbo de otras tierras no se deja de amar a PR. Al contrario, se tiene que hacer más esfuerzos y tiempo para mantener tradiciones y enseñar lo que no se aprende en tu nuevo país de PR. El amor y respeto a Puerto Rico se enseña a nuestros hijos en el hogar diariamente. Ese es nuestro legado. En la historia del mundo hay muchas civilizaciones y pueblos que han desaparecido con el tiempo. Se dice que se incorporaron a nuevas tierras y dejaron su identidad y tradiciones. Eso es una realidad! Te diré que Puerto Rico nunca morira, porque no importa en que tierras estemos la madre puertorriqueña le hablara a sus hijos de su isla,le enseñara de sus tradiciones y canto a sus hijos y esos hijos se convierten en hijos de Borinquen. Talves no hablamos el español perfecto que usted tiene pero vamos hablar directo al corazón! “Yo soy Boricua para que tú lo sepas” y mi hija lo es también! Viva mi patria que por siempre la amare! Dios lo bendiga y tenga un buen día!

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