List of Afro–Puerto Ricans

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Arturo Alfonso Schomburg

José Celso Barbosa

Juan Morel Campos

Juano Hernández

This is a list of notable Puerto Ricans of significant African ancestry, including visually mixed-race individuals, which represents a significant portion of the Puerto Rican population. It includes people born in or living in the mainland United States. This list contains the names of persons who meet the Notability criteria, even if the person does not have an article yet. Additions to the list must be listed in alphabetical order by surname.

Each addition to the list must also provide a reliable verifiable source which cites the person's notability and/or the person's link to Puerto Rico, otherwise the name will be removed.

## List

[edit]

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

* Andres "Dres" Vargas Titus \- lead rapper of the alternative hip hop duo Black Sheep
* Randy Ariel Ortiz Acevedo \- reggaetón artist, member of the duo "Jowell y Randy"
* David Luciano Acosta \- reggaetón artist, known as "Baby Ranks"
* Ángel Aguilar \- rapper
* Carlos Alomar \- guitarist
* Cayetano "Tite" Curet Alonso \- composer of over 2,000 salsa songs[1]
* Alani "La La" Anthony \- entertainer and actress, MTV VJ
* Kellyn Acosta
* Carmelo Anthony \- former professional basketball player
* Rick Avilés \- actor and comedian
* Lloyd Banks \- rapper
* Dr. José Celso Barbosa \- medical physician, sociologist, and political leader of Puerto Rico, statehood advocate, first Puerto Rican with a US medical degree[2]
* Dr. Pilar Barbosa \- educator, historian and political activist[3]
* Jean-Michel Basquiat \- Neo-expressionist painter and artist
* Pura Belpré \- first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City
* Wilfred Benítez \- boxer; won world championships in three separate weight divisions; youngest world champion in boxing history[4]
* Ángela Bofill \- jazz and R&B singer
* Juan Boria \- poet, writer of the Afro-Caribbean genre of poetry
* Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances \- doctor, abolitionist, revolutionary, poet, and independence advocate, regarded as "El Padre de la Patria" (Father of the Nation)
* Víctor Cabrera \- reggaetón artist and producer, member of the duo "Luny Tunes"
* Iván M. Calderón \- boxer
* Iván P. Calderón \- Major League Baseball player
* Tego Calderón \- reggaetón artist
* Jasmine Camacho-Quinn \- 110-meter hurdles record holder and Olympic gold medallist
* José Campeche \- Puerto Rican rococo artist[5]
* Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos \- politician and former leader of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico, which advocated for independence
* Juan Morel Campos \- composer of danza[6]
* Dr. José Ferrer Canales \- educator, writer, pro-independence political activist[7]
* Maidel Amador Canales \- reggaetón artist, known as "La Sista"
* Irene Cara \- singer and actress
* Ashley Ann Cariño \- second black woman to compete in Miss Universe beauty pageant as Miss Puerto Rico
* Desiree Casado \- former actress
* Orlando "Peruchín" Cepeda \- baseball player, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee[8]
* Pedro "Perucho" Cepeda \- baseball player, father of Orlando, considered one of the greatest players of his generation[9]
* Rafael Cepeda \- folk musician and composer; patriarch of the Cepeda family; Afro–Puerto Rican folk music, especially bomba.[10] Related to Pedro and Orlando Cepeda
* Nero Chen \- professional boxer[11]
* Roberto Clemente Walker \- baseball player, first Latin American to be selected and the only current Hall of Famer for whom the mandatory five-year waiting period was waived[12]
* Roberto Clemente, Jr. \- baseball broadcaster and former baseball player.
* Carlitos Colón \- former WWE wrestler
* Carly Colón \- WWE wrestler; son of Carlitos Colon
* Jesús Colón \- writer and politician, known as the "father of the Nuyorican Movement"[13]
* Michelle Marie Colón \- first black woman to compete in Miss Universe beauty pageant as Miss Puerto Rico
* Celestina Cordero \- educator, established the first school for girls in San Juan
* Rafael Cordero \- known as the "father of public education in Puerto Rico"; self-educated man who provided free schooling to children regardless of race.[14] Brother of Celestina Cordero
* Ismael Cruz Córdova \- actor, played Mando on Sesame Street[15]
* Maritza Correia \- first Afro–Puerto Rican to be on the USA Olympic swimming team; first black US swimmer to set an American and world swimming record[16]
* Rafael Cortijo \- percussionist, bandleader, plena artist, and composer
* Eva Cruz \- volleyball player
* Víctor Cruz \- NFL wide receiver for New York Giants
* Wilson Cruz \- actor and advocate for gay youth of color
* Javier Culson \- track and field runner, Olympic bronze medalist who specializes in the 400 metre hurdles
* Eddie Dee \- reggaetón artist
* Neil Degrasse Tyson \- astrophysicist
* Carlos Delgado \- baseball player, Major League Baseball first baseman[17]
* Rubén Díaz, Jr. \- politician, current NYC borough president for the Bronx
* Rubén Díaz, Sr. \- politician
* Shabba Doo \- dancer
* Thomas Dulorme \- professional boxer
* Nino Escalera \- baseball player, first Hispanic in the Reds franchise
* Ángel Espada \- boxer; the WBA's world Welterweight champion in 1975-76
* Jaime Espinal \- professional wrestler
* Lucy Fabery \- jazz singer, known as "La Muñeca de Chocolate"
* Antonio Fargas \- actor, known for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation movies
* José "Cheo" Feliciano \- New York-based composer and singer of "salsa" and bolero music[18]
* Ruth Fernández \- singer and actress; first Latina singer of romantic music to sing in the Scandinavian countries; first Latina to record with a North American band[19]
* Dr. Loida Figueroa \- historian, writer, educator, and one of the founders of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party’s Pro-Independence Movement (MPI)
* Rogelio Figueroa \- engineer, politician, and president of the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party
* Pedro Flores \- composer of ballads and boleros[20]
* Kevin Gates \- rapper
* Rubén Gómez \- Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher; first Puerto Rican to pitch in a World Series game
* Reagan Gómez-Preston \- actress
* Herbert Lewis Hardwick, aka "Cocoa Kid" - boxer; won the world colored welterweight and world colored middleweight championships; inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012
* Edward W. Hardy \- composer, violinist, violist, producer, and actor, known for his off-Broadway musical The Woodsman[21]
* Yvonne Harrison \- track and field runner
* Aaron Hernandez \- former American football player and convicted murder
* Joseline Hernandez \- known as "The Puerto Rican Princess" - television reality star, rapper, actress.
* Juano Hernández \- actor; first Afro–Puerto Rican to become a major star in the US and among the "new style" black screen actors, who played straight dramatic roles[22]
* Keylla Hernández \- television reporter, former co-anchor of the station's morning news show ″Noticentro al Amanecer″
* Rafael Hernández Marín \- musician, bandleader, and composer; wrote, among thousands of other songs, Lamento Borincano[23]
* Aideliz Hidalgo \- first black woman to compete in Miss International beauty pageant as Miss Puerto Rico
* Homicide \- professional wrestler formerly for TNA.
* Rafael Ithier \- salsa musician and the principal founder of the highly successful orchestra El Gran Combo
* Reginald Martínez Jackson \- Hall of Fame baseball player, known as "Mr. October"
* Esteban De Jesús \- boxer, first to defeat Roberto Durán[24]
* Miriam Jiménez Román
* Rafael José \- actor, singer, television host
* Erick Kolthoff \- Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
* Tato Laviera \- poet
* Benjamín LaGuer \- US soldier and convicted criminal
* Enrique A. Laguerre \- novelist and newspaper columnist; "La llamarada" is considered to be his most important novel
* Alfred Lee \- basketball player, first Puerto Rican to play in NBA and to win an NBA championship as a member of the 79-80 Los Angeles Lakers
* Isabel la Negra \- known as "la Negra"; madame of a brothel
* Ryan López \- footballer
* Felipe Luciano \- poet, radio personality, and pro-independence activist
* Young M.A \- American hip hop artist
* Eddie Manso \- politician, current mayor of Loíza and member of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
* Jan Mateo \- footballer
* Sonia Manzano \- actress
* Bruno Mars \- singer and songwriter
* Alpo Martínez \- convicted criminal, previously known as "Mayor of Harlem"
* Syesha Mercado \- singer
* Rogelio Mills \- television host
* Jerome Mincy \- basketball player
* Rico Nasty \- rapper
* Emilio "Millito" Navarro \- baseball player; first Puerto Rican to play baseball in the Negro leagues[25]
* Osvaldo "Ossie" Ocasio \- boxer
* Denise Oliver-Vélez \- activist, community organizer, professor, feminist, and former member of the Young Lords and the Black Panther Party
* Don Omar \- reggaetón artist
* Fres Oquendo \- professional heavyweight boxer
* Anita Ortega \- former athlete; UCLA, LAPD, Western States Police and Fire Games and Los Angeles City Section Halls of Fame
* Claudette Ortiz \- model and R&B singer
* Ozuna \- reggaetón artist
* Edwin Pellot \- retired basketball player
* Víctor Pellot \- baseball player; second black Puerto Rican to play in Major League Baseball; first Puerto Rican to play in the American League[26]
* Willie Perdomo \- poet, writer[27]
* Miguel José Pérez Sr. \- former wrestler, best known for 1/2 of the Tag Team with Antonio Rocca and World Wrestling Council
* Miguel José Pérez Jr. \- current WWE wrestler, son of Miguel José Pérez Sr.
* Gabriel "Lennox" Pizarro \- reggaetón artist, member of the duo 'Zion y Lennox'
* Reagan Gomez-Preston \- American television film and voice actress.
* Adolfo Quiñones \- actor, dancer, and choreographer
* Ivy Queen \- reggaetón artist
* Adolfo "OG Black" Ramírez \- reggaetón artist, member of the duo "Master Joe & OG Black"
* Ernesto Ramos Antonini \- President of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico and co-founder of the "Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico" (Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico)[28]
* Heliot Ramos \- professional baseball player
* Henry Ramos \- professional baseball player
* Héctor Ramos \- footballer
* Gina Ravera \- actress
* Gabriela Rose Reagan \- former actress, and daughter of Sonia Manzano
* Carmen Belén Richardson \- actress and comedian; pioneer of Puerto Rican television[29]
* Vanessa del Río \- adult film actress
* Ismael Rivera \- salsa artist and singer
* Lance Rivera \- film director, film producer and record executive
* Naya Rivera \- singer and actress
* Victor Rivera -wrestler
* Aida Rodríguez \- comedian, actress
* Johnny Rodríguez \- wrestler
* Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez \- salsa singer
* Pedro Rosa Nales \- journalist, news anchor/reporter; has received over 200 awards[30]
* Zoé Saldaña \- actress
* O. J. Santiago \- NFL football player, tight end
* Víctor Santiago, Jr. \- rapper, known by the stage name "N.O.R.E."
* Rubén Santiago-Hudson \- actor and playwright, born and residing in the US
* Mayra Santos-Febres \- writer, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and college professor[31]
* Arturo Alfonso Schomburg \- historian, writer and pro-Puerto Rican independence activist in New York City; researched and raised awareness of Afro-Latin American and African American history and contributions[32]
* Brandon Servania \- footballer
* Jaden Servania \- footballer
* Rafael "Lito" Sierra \- reggaetón artist, member of duo "Lito y Polaco"
* Rubén Sierra \- former Major League Baseball player
* Tasha Steelz \- professional wrestler
* Pedro Telemaco \- first black actor featured as leading man in a Puerto Rican telenovela
* Piri Thomas \- writer, author of Down These Mean Streets
* Georgie Torres \- basketball player, played for the BSN league of Puerto Rico; holds scoring record
* José "Chegüi" Torres \- boxer, light heavyweight champion; inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame
* Félix "Tito" Trinidad \- professional boxer, world boxing champion[33]
* Marcelo Trujillo \- politician, current mayor of Humacao and member of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
* Rafael Tufiño \- painter and printmaker, known locally as the "Painter of the People"
* Daniel "Divino" Velázquez \- reggaetón artist
* Joseph Vásquez \- independent filmmaker
* Lauren Vélez \- actress
* Loraine Vélez \- actress
* Juan Evangelista Venegas \- boxer; first Puerto Rican to win an Olympic medal[34]
* Christina Vidal \- actress
* Lisa Vidal \- actress
* Sylvia del Villard \- actress, dancer, choreographer and political activist[35]
* Otilio "Bizcocho" Warrington \- comedian and actor, best known for roles of "Bizcocho" and "Cuca Gómez"[36]
* Bernie Williams \- former Major League Baseball outfielder; professional jazz musician[37]
* Marcos Xiorro \- slave; in 1821, planned and conspired to lead a slave revolt against the sugar plantation owners and the Spanish Colonial government in Puerto Rico[38]
* Pedro Zayas \- rapper and former member of State Property, known as "Peedi Crakk"

## See also

[edit]

* Puerto Rico portal

* List of Puerto Ricans
* Afro-Latin American \- Central and South America
* Black Hispanic and Latino Americans \- United States of America
* List of topics related to Black and African people

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Biography, Photos, Lyrics (SalsaClasica.com) Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
2. ^ Jose Celso Barbosa Alcala Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
3. ^ "Remarks at a Ceremony Honoring Hispanic Excellence in Education September 14, 1984" Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
4. ^ Ian Palmer's Tigerboxing.com article on Benitez Archived 2009-02-20 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
5. ^ El Nuevo Dia Archived 2006-07-18 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
6. ^ Campos composition, Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
7. ^ José Ferrer Canales Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
8. ^ "2001 Ernie Banks Positive Image Lifetime Achievement Award. B.A.D. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2009". Archived from the original on 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
9. ^ Cope, Myron (16 May 1966). "The Babe Cobb Of Puerto Rico". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 24, no. 20. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
10. ^ Don Rafael Cepeda Atiles Archived 2007-06-19 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
11. ^ Joaquin Colon Lopez (November 2001). Pioneros Puertorriqueños en Nueva York. Arte Publico Press. pp. 229, 230. ISBN 1-55885-335-9.
12. ^ Paul Robert Walker (1988). "The way of the Jibaro". Pride of Puerto Rico: The life of Roberto Clemente. United States: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 3. ISBN 0-15-307557-0. "Roberto's father, Don Melchor Clemente, worked as foreman in the sugar fields."
13. ^ Biography of Jesus Colon Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
14. ^ En busca del Maestro Rafael Cordero/In search of The Master Rafael Cordero; By Jack Delano; Publisher: La Editorial Universidad de Puerto Rico; 1 edition (May 1994); ISBN 0-8477-0080-1; ISBN 978-0-8477-0080-6
15. ^ Valdivia, Pablo (September 6, 2022). "Despite racist vitriol, 'Rings of Power' star Ismael Cruz Córdova is not backing down". NPR. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
16. ^ "Pretty Tough | Girls Kick Butt! » Maritza Correia - first African-American Olympic swimmer". prettytough.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05.
17. ^ Luis Santiago Arce (2007-09-19). "Deportes". Aguadillano de pura cepa: Apegado a sus raíces (in Spanish). Puerto Rico: El Nuevo Día. p. 119.
18. ^ 'AmericanSalsa.com' Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
19. ^ Ruth Fernandez Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
20. ^ Peer Music biography Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
21. ^ Clement, Olivia (October 25, 2016). "How The Composer of The Woodsman Found His Passion". Playbill.
22. ^ Starpulse Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
23. ^ Rafael Hernandez Puerto Rico's Soul Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
24. ^ Boxing record for Esteban De Jesús from BoxRec (registration required)
25. ^ Negro League Players Association Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
26. ^ Carle, Bill (2005). "SABR Biographical Research Committee - November/December 2005 Report" (PDF). Society for American Baseball Research. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
27. ^ Foundation, Poetry (2022-08-31). "Willie Perdomo". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
28. ^ Luis J. Ramos Antonini Archived 2007-05-20 at the Wayback Machine
29. ^ Carmen Belen Richardson at IMDb Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
30. ^ Karol Joselyn Sepúlveda (2008-06-07). "Acosado por ex pareja" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
31. ^ Interview with the Author Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009(in Spanish)
32. ^ Robert Knight, "Arthur Alfonso 'Afroborinqueno' Schomburg" Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, History Notes, Global African Community, accessed 2 Feb 2009
33. ^ Xochitl Sen (2007-01-10). "Ahora de celebrar para la leyenda" (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
34. ^ "Las Olimpiadas". www.salonhogar.net.
35. ^ N.Y. Encyclopedia of Famous Puerto Ricans, Retrieved Feb. 14, 2009
36. ^ "'Puerto Rico Popular Culture'". Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
37. ^ "The Ballplayers - Bernie Williams Biography". baseballbiography.com. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
38. ^ Slave Revolts in Puerto Rico: Conspiracies and Uprisings, 1795-1873; by: Guillermo A. Baralt; Publisher Markus Wiener Publishers; Page: 126: ISBN 1-55876-463-1, ISBN 978-1-55876-463-7