Mulatto (/mjuːˈlætoʊ/, /məˈlɑːtoʊ/) is a racial classification that refers to people of mixed African and European ancestry only, beginning in the United States of America. Its use is considered to be outdated and offensive in America [1] but not in other Anglophone countries and languages, such as British, Caribbean or West Indian countries or Dutch,[2] It does not have the same associations in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese. Among Latin Americans in the US, for instance, the term can be a source of pride.[3][4][5] A mulatta (Spanish: mulata) is a female mulatto.[6][7]
Countries with the highest percentages of multi-racials who specifically have equally high European and African ancestry — Mulatto — are the Dominican Republic (74%)[8][9] and Cape Verde (71%).[10][11][12][13][14] Mulattos in many Latin American countries, aside from predominately European and African ancestry, usually also have slight indigenous admixture. "Race-mixing" has been strong in Latin America for centuries, since the start of the colonial period in many cases. Many Latin American multiracial families (including mulatto) have been mixed for several generations. In the 21st century, multiracials now frequently have unions and marriages with other multiracials. Other countries and territories with notable mulatto populations in percentage and/or total number include Cuba,[15]Puerto Rico,[16]Venezuela,[17]Panama,[18]Colombia,[19]South Africa,[20] and the United States.[21]
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^Quote: In English and among many African Americans, the term "mulatto" carries offensive connotations. In Spanish and Portuguese, however, and among U.S. Latinos/as and Latin Americans, the term mulato/a (so spelled) not only does not carry an offensive connotation but has become a sign of pride and identity. (in "Grace and Humanness: Theological Reflections Because of Culture by Orlando O. Esp, Orbis Books, 2007)
^"Mulatto". Lexico Dictionaries. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
^Fisher, Gene A.; Model, Suzanne (2012). "Cape Verdean identity in a land of Black and White". Ethnicities. 12 (3): 354–379. doi:10.1177/1468796811419599. S2CID145341841.
^Bodenhorn, Howard (2002). The Complexion Gap: The Economic Consequences of Color among Free African Americans in the Rural Antebellum South (Report). Cambridge, MA. doi:10.3386/w8957.