In Argentina, as in many other parts of the World, “racismo” exists. Not only is there racism towards different groups of ethnicities and skin color, but also of socioeconomic and political groups too. The most common term used is “negro”...

This article was written by Andrew Kahan, a 24 year old student from Philadelphia, United States. In Argentina, as in many other parts of the World, “racismo” exists.  Not only is there racism towards different groups of ethnicities and skin color, but also of socioeconomic and political groups too.  The most common term used is “negro”, which is difficult to describe with clarity, but includes many portions of the population such as the working class, lower class, the poor, as well as criminals.  Also, attitudes of racism developed, along with xenophobia, as a result of a wave of immigrations during the 1940s.  Anti-Semitism also grew after the immigration of many World War 2 survivors to Buenos Aires as Argentina was one of the only countries in the world who opened their doors to war refugees, and consequently, to the perpetrators of the war crimes as well.  In 1995, Law 24515 was created, National Law Against Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racism to make an official, and coordinated attempt to eradicate racism throughout Argentina.  Some racist terms include “Negro” or “Negra”, which are used by the upper and middle classes to refer to the lower class, independent of their racial identities.  This problem is primarily generational as many of the older generations of Argentineans have not experienced the diversified Argentina their children and grandchildren are growing up in.  However, “negro” or “negra” can also be used as a term of endearment amongst friends and family.  For example, a famous singer, Mercedes Sosa, is referred to in admiration as “La Negra”. “Grone” is also used, not to refer to a black person or a dark skinned person, but as a degradation of social conditions, for example, a worker or son of a worker found in the lower class.  “Groncho” is also used, with racial connotation, referring to a despicable act or something ridiculous or grotesque.  Finally, “Cabecita Negra” is used by the people of the north and central of the country to refer to the rest of the population of dark skin and lower classes found in the southern region as well as immigrant populations.  Although racism in Argentina is not more or less than other countries in the world, it is important to recognize the existence of it as well as identify certain terms that are used so that they can be placed into context, both socially and historically. In the future weeks, I will post more information that I will discover through research and interviews with Argentineans.

By Olivia Puddicombe

This week we had the opportunity to go to La Boca, somewhere we’d never been before. We were incredibly impressed with how unique this neighbourhood was, and how greatly the touristy area varied from the local neighbourhood surrounding El Caminito. After a stroll around El Caminito and a delicious asado we were met by Johan who walked us the few blocks to El Centro Comunitario de Los Pibes. It was amazing how fast the buildings changed and how quickly it became apparent the low economic status of this section of the neighbourhood.

The centre was started over 15 years ago by 6 families who united to help each other through the financial stress of the economic crisis and since has grown to more than 100 families. With this growth the centre has also moved to a new location which impressed us with its size and capabilities. Complete with a library with books donated by the local community and the government, two kitchens, a sewing room, offices, classrooms, large area for playing sports and most recently a computer room filled with computers which Voluntario Global helped to procure. Whilst being given our tour we came across a meeting of the project directors as well as community members discussing current political issues and the centres involvement in them. It was amazing how passionate they were, and to us it seemed more like a political debate than a meeting. When the children arrived from their long  day at school they greeted us with kisses and got straight to work. The centre runs a voluntary after-school help session where volunteers help the children with their homework, talk about their days, and play games. It was clear in their smiles that this was surely one of the highlights of their day, and we were amazed how focused and well behaved they were after an entire day at school.was such a treat to see how this centre manages to help the lives of so many people. It has become a fundamental part of the local community and its great to see how much Voluntario Global and the volunteers help contribute to its long term success.

By Andrew Kahan For a city of 3 million people, there is marginalized diversity for Africans.  This is in stark contrast with other major cities in the Americas and Western Europe.  Yet, this wasn’t always the case.  In the early 1800’s, Afro-Argentineans made up as much as one third of the population.  After doing some research, I found a few plausible explanations for their disappearance.  One, is the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1871.  The other is that the government sent a disproportionately large number of blacks to fight in the 19th century wars, most notably the War of the Triple Alliance.  Other explanations span from low birthrates to high mortality.  It is also possible that the African population gradually blended into the increasing Caucasian one during the wave of European immigration. Duro de Domar is a comedy show that remains very popular in Argentina.  Although comedians often walk the fine line between comedy and unacceptable discourse, this is the source of their material.  Racism recently appeared on this show in the form of two overtly racist jokes against African-Americans.  This is interesting because occurrences of racism in popular culture in the United States often is taken very seriously, por ejemplo, Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) or Mel Gibson who both took very serious hits to their careers after public racist rants.  It seems to be that this type of rhetoric is voices more openly here than in the US.  This doesn’t mean that Argentineans are more racist than Americans, but maybe that racial pejoratives (pertaining not to blacks but to Bolivians, Paraguayans, Peruvians, and Jews) are voiced with a nonchalance that is less prevalent in the US. “Argentina is not a racist country.  We don’t even have black people.  How could we be racist?”

An Argentina program, Asignación Universal por hijo para protección social, has been enforced by ANSES, Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social. ANSES is an organization dedicated to national social security such as grants and pensions, family allowances for people in business and family benefits to people in passive period, and unemployment benefits, which are financed by national employment funds.

An Argentina program, Asignación Universal por hijo para protección social, has been enforced by ANSES, Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social. ANSES is an organization dedicated to national social security such as grants and pensions, family allowances for people in business and family benefits to people in passive period, and unemployment benefits, which are financed by national employment funds. This program is designed to increase the percentage of children enrolled in primary and secondary schooling in Argentina. It is geared towards motivating families to pursue education within Argentine society. With proof of a birth certificate, family identification, compliance with mandatory vaccination schedule, and recorded attendance at a public educational establishment, families receive an exchange of money for each child’s enrollment within the education system.

The program is proposed for the unemployed, the non-registered working families, and/or domestic workers who are receiving less than the minimum wage. Children must be under 18 years of age; they must be Argentine, Argentine-born, naturalized or resident, and a legal resident no less than three years preceding the application process. Once the proper paperwork has been completed, families of non-registered workers (receiving less than minimum wage) will receive $180 per month, per child. Unemployed families will receive $144 per month. This amount equals 80% of the final allowance received.  Initially, 80% of the child’s allowance is given directly to the family with the remaining 20% deposited into an account under the owner’s name, which can only be removed once a year. The allowance limits out at five children. For disabled children, ANSES provides an amount of $720 for the direct deposit. Families of disabled children need to complete a PS 2.3 form including a medical testimony and Blackeye 2 Employer Report in addition to birth certificate, family ID, and attendance records, in order to fulfill the requirement of ANSES. In July of 2010, ANSES announced that family allowances for children increased 22.22%. Diego Bossio, the Executive Director of the National Social Security said, “the universal child allowance is not the product of chance, but a policy of inclusion.” Argentina has great hopes for this program, Asignación Universal por hijo para protección social. The program hopes to strengthen the state and provide tools to get closer to the needs of the people.

After researching Argentina’s program, Asignación Universal por hijo para protección social, I decided to further investigate the United States programs and benefits offered for education enrollment. To my surprise, I discovered that there are no tax credits for high school and elementary school children.

After researching Argentina’s program, Asignación Universal por hijo para protección social, I decided to further investigate the United States programs and benefits offered for education enrollment. To my surprise, I discovered that there are no tax credits for high school and elementary school children. Tax benefits for paying educational costs for yourself, or for another student who is a member of your immediate family apply only to higher education. The United States education system for elementary and secondary schooling is mainly provided by the public sector from three levels of government including federal, state, and local. School is compulsory for all children, usually beginning at the age of 5 or 6 with elementary school, continuing through middle school, and ending with high school at the age of 18. Some states allow students to dropout between the ages of 14 and 17 before finishing high school, while other states require children to stay in school until 18 years of age.

Due to the fact that a large portion of school revenues come from local property taxes, public schools vary widely in the resources they have available per student, as well as regulations per district. For the most part, school curricula, funding, teaching, employment, and other policies are decided through locally elected school boards with jurisdiction over school districts, while education standards and educational financing is decided by the state governments. Even though the government offers no tax-deduction to families with elementary or high school students, there are a few loop holes. One option could be the recipient of a tax-deductable via charitable contributions to the school. Otherwise, families are persuaded to encourage their children to attend a college or university of higher education, receiving numerous opportunities of tax credits, benefits, or deductions. Two of the most common tax credits received would be the Hope Learning Credit, and the Lifetime Learning Credit. The Hope Credit is worth up to $1,500 for a student’s first two years of higher education if you spend $2,000 or more on tuition fees. As for the Lifetime Learning Tax credit, a student may receive up to $2,000.

Many people can take advantage of this tax credit as long as they are enrolled and attending at least one college course. The tax credit can be claimed for anyone on your tax return, including yourself, spouse, or children, whether they are returning to school to learn a new language, advance their career, or simply to explore a favorite subject. The United States also provides students with the opportunity to apply to many different scholarships, fellowships, need-based education grants, and qualified tuition reduction in order to promote higher education and make it more affordable for more people. When comparing the two strategies of Argentina and the United States, I feel that both governments are working towards stressing the importance of education and enrollment. The program, Asignación Universal por hijo para protección social, is focused on motivating unemployed or unregistered families to continue to send their children to school. It seems that the United States does not offer this genre of people much compensation or motivation to continue education. The United States has focused all benefits or tax cuts on students of higher education. After further investigation, it would be interesting to see how Argentina’s newly enforced program for child allowances, will effect child enrollment into schools. It is a program that the United States should begin considering and discussing for its unemployed families with children.