--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I might be a Cuban American, but I'm also…" description: "\"I might be a Cuban American, but I'm also an Afro-Cuban American.\" — Jon Secada" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jon-secada-22197_afros_i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also_755004.jpg" --- # I might be a Cuban American, but I'm also an Afro-Cuban… ![“I might be a Cuban American, but I'm also an Afro-Cuban American.” quote by Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jon-secada-22197_afros_i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also_755004.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jon-secada-22197_afros_i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also_755004.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jon-secada-22197_afros_i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also_755004.jpg) > “I might be a Cuban American, but I'm also an Afro-Cuban American.” [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights dual heritage, emphasizing both Cuban and Afro‑Cuban roots as integral parts of identity. **In simple terms:** Being both Cuban and Afro‑Cuban is part of who I am. Key Takeaway Embrace all facets of your heritage. Themes identity culture heritage intersectionality Mood proud reflective Type personal cultural When to use this quote - family gatherings - community events - personal storytelling Key Concepts racial identity diaspora self‑acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing multiple identities affect your sense of belonging? - What challenges arise from navigating dual cultural expectations? A Different Perspective May overlook the complexity of broader societal perceptions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afro/) [Afro Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afro-cuban-3486928/) [Afros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afros/) [American Afro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-afro-3401045/) [Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cuban/) [Cuban American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cuban-american-520051/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) ## Related quotes > [ Since the main problem that American, the Afro- Americans have is a lack of cultural identity. It is necessary to teach \[people\] that they… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/since-the-main-problem-that-american-the-afro-americans-have-is-a/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I had the afro when I was in high school. I had the flattop during a short period in the early '90s. And I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-meadows/i-had-the-afro-when-i-was-in-high-school-i-had-the-flattop-during-a/) [Tim Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-meadows/) > [The Afro-American is not a bestial race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-afro-american-is-not-a-bestial-race/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [We are not only a Latin American nation, we are an Afro-American nation also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/we-are-not-only-a-latin-american-nation-we-are-an-afro-american/) [Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/) > [Since the age of 12, all my musical thinking has been influenced by Afro-American music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-korner/since-the-age-of-12-all-my-musical-thinking-has-been-influenced-by/) [Alexis Korner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-korner/) > [ When I have my Afro and walk down the street, there's no doubt that I'm black. With this \[straightened\] hair, if I talk about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-floyd/when-i-have-my-afro-and-walk-down-the-street-there-s-no-doubt-that-i/) [Jami Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-floyd/) > [A lot of great art comes from the Afro-American male experience. Black men are geniuses, and many times their desperation, their position as being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/a-lot-of-great-art-comes-from-the-afro-american-male-experience-black/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [My work sometimes can be abstract and appear not to have a direct relationship to Afro-American concerns, but, in fact, it is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-byrd/my-work-sometimes-can-be-abstract-and-appear-not-to-have-a-direct/) [Donald Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-byrd/) > [I was the only black girl at my junior high school. I had an afro, a Jamaican accent, I looked really old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/i-was-the-only-black-girl-at-my-junior-high-school-i-had-an-afro-a/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [If you are serious about American culture and you are serious about Afro-American culture, you are in a lot of pain. You are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/if-you-are-serious-about-american-culture-and-you-are-serious-about/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [In Italy, I had an Afro, and a lot of the kids came up and felt my hair. It really was funny. I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/in-italy-i-had-an-afro-and-a-lot-of-the-kids-came-up-and-felt-my-hair/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) > [I see other black women imitate my style, which is no style at all, but just letting our hair be itself. They call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-makeba/i-see-other-black-women-imitate-my-style-which-is-no-style-at-all-but/) [Miriam Makeba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-makeba/) > [Being a first-generation Cuban American, my story represents the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddy-alvarez/being-a-first-generation-cuban-american-my-story-represents-the/) [Eddy Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddy-alvarez/) > [I am half Cuban American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-rodriguez/i-am-half-cuban-american/) [Mel Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-rodriguez/) > [I'm certainly proud to be Cuban American, and it's a fantastic opportunity for anybody - regardless of their ethnicity or nationality. It does carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-pino/i-m-certainly-proud-to-be-cuban-american-and-it-s-a-fantastic/) [Danny Pino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-pino/) ## More by Jon Secada > [I grew up in a community that was bilingual. I've done it for a while, singing in both languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-grew-up-in-a-community-that-was-bilingual-i-ve-done-it-for-a-while/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [This record has a lot of influences that I'd love to cover, like Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind and Fire. Maybe I'll do some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/this-record-has-a-lot-of-influences-that-i-d-love-to-cover-like/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [And for me, it's been, not only where I learned, but the people that I met there. Most of the people that I work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/and-for-me-it-s-been-not-only-where-i-learned-but-the-people-that-i/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [A real active music set, based and really concentrated on what the music's all about. That's what I'm all about - singing and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/a-real-active-music-set-based-and-really-concentrated-on-what-the/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [And my career, the things that have happened have happened because of my music education background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/and-my-career-the-things-that-have-happened-have-happened-because-of/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [For me, I can only do that from my own experience with people I've known and things that I've lived and experienced. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/for-me-i-can-only-do-that-from-my-own-experience-with-people-i-ve/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [I write in English first, and then I translate to Spanish. I've always felt more comfortable with the English side of things first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-write-in-english-first-and-then-i-translate-to-spanish-i-ve-always/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [I'm a big believer in education, period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-m-a-big-believer-in-education-period/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [With this new album, I prepared for it a long time, and I was happy with the songs and the production. I felt that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/with-this-new-album-i-prepared-for-it-a-long-time-and-i-was-happy/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [My intention when I came into this industry was to be a musician, not necessarily a recording artist, just a musician in general. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/my-intention-when-i-came-into-this-industry-was-to-be-a-musician-not/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [There's something about prime time television and the way the song is going to come off on the air. I'm very concerned, very self-conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/there-s-something-about-prime-time-television-and-the-way-the-song-is/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [I grew up speaking both languages, and for me that's really important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-grew-up-speaking-both-languages-and-for-me-that-s-really-important/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [If you write songs and if you write music that's very sincere and very honest, it's pop music, but it is pop music with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/if-you-write-songs-and-if-you-write-music-that-s-very-sincere-and/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [I was a teacher for a long time. I taught at a community college: voice, theory, humanities. And nowadays, music education is a dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-was-a-teacher-for-a-long-time-i-taught-at-a-community-college-voice/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [For me, there's still a lot of room to grow; I'm just happy that I have so much more to give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/for-me-there-s-still-a-lot-of-room-to-grow-i-m-just-happy-that-i-have/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) [Explore all 28 Jon Secada quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) ## More Afro quotes > [I had the afro when I was in high school. I had the flattop during a short period in the early '90s. And I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-meadows/i-had-the-afro-when-i-was-in-high-school-i-had-the-flattop-during-a/) [Tim Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-meadows/) > [In Italy, I had an Afro, and a lot of the kids came up and felt my hair. It really was funny. I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/in-italy-i-had-an-afro-and-a-lot-of-the-kids-came-up-and-felt-my-hair/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) > [If you are serious about American culture and you are serious about Afro-American culture, you are in a lot of pain. You are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/if-you-are-serious-about-american-culture-and-you-are-serious-about/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [“Appearance His afro is wavy,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/canada-s-wiki-page-on-wikipizzle/appearance-his-afro-is-wavy/) [Canada's Wiki Page on Wikipizzle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/canada-s-wiki-page-on-wikipizzle/) > [“But I like my big Afro. I also liked when my hair was longer and relaxed. I’m happy to have choices. They’re mine to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-yoon/but-i-like-my-big-afro-i-also-liked-when-my-hair-was-longer-and/) [Nicola Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-yoon/) > [The Afro-American is thus the backbone of the South.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-afro-american-is-thus-the-backbone-of-the-south/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [I was the only black girl at my junior high school. I had an afro, a Jamaican accent, I looked really old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/i-was-the-only-black-girl-at-my-junior-high-school-i-had-an-afro-a/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [Michael Jackson fundamentally altered the terms of the debate about African American music. Remember, he was a chocolate, cherubic-faced genius with an African American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/michael-jackson-fundamentally-altered-the-terms-of-the-debate-about/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [“An afro is a poor man’s haircut.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-afro-is-a-poor-man-s-haircut/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The mob spirit has grown with the increasing intelligence of the Afro-American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-mob-spirit-has-grown-with-the-increasing-intelligence-of-the-afro/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [My work sometimes can be abstract and appear not to have a direct relationship to Afro-American concerns, but, in fact, it is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-byrd/my-work-sometimes-can-be-abstract-and-appear-not-to-have-a-direct/) [Donald Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-byrd/) > [A lot of great art comes from the Afro-American male experience. Black men are geniuses, and many times their desperation, their position as being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/a-lot-of-great-art-comes-from-the-afro-american-male-experience-black/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [“I hate it when Africans fail to simply celebrate our features, without reminding us of the traumas they carry. Instead of making a contrast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitta-xinindlu/i-hate-it-when-africans-fail-to-simply-celebrate-our-features-without/) [Mitta Xinindlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitta-xinindlu/) > [Who I was was not acceptable to black L.A. youth: the way I spoke and my sense of humor. Everybody else had relaxers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/who-i-was-was-not-acceptable-to-black-l-a-youth-the-way-i-spoke-and/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) > [ When I have my Afro and walk down the street, there's no doubt that I'm black. With this \[straightened\] hair, if I talk about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-floyd/when-i-have-my-afro-and-walk-down-the-street-there-s-no-doubt-that-i/) [Jami Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-floyd/) [Browse all 32 Afro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afro/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I might be a Cuban American, but I'm also an Afro-Cuban American.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Secada" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also-an-afro-cuban-american/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afro" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also-an-afro-cuban-american/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jon-secada-22197_afros_i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also_755004.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jon-secada-22197_afros_i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also_755004.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/jon-secada-22197_afros_i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also_755004.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I might be a Cuban American, but I'm also an Afro-Cuban American.” — Jon Secada", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jon Secada", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I might be a Cuban American,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also-an-afro-cuban-american/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-might-be-a-cuban-american-but-i-m-also-an-afro-cuban-american/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```