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National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. Everyone knows that Latinos trace their roots to Spain, right? But there are plenty of Latinos who also proudly trace their roots to the fertile soils of Mama Africa. Check out these 16 celebrities who are proudly Afro-Latino – and pretty easy on the eye, too!

La La Anthony
Before she married basketball star Carmela Anthony, La La Vazquez was already a household name thanks to her skills as a DJ. Both of La La’s parents are Puerto Rican.  She was quoted as saying to Bossip, “I embrace being a black Puerto Rican.”  

Tatyana Ali
Actress and producer Tatyana Ali is the daughter of an black Panamanian mother and a Trinidadian father of East Indian descent. “It’s always interesting how people discuss culture and race,” Ali told NBC Latino “It’s hard sometimes for people to realize you can be more than one thing.”

Laz Alonso
Handsome and widely sought after actor Laz Alonso was born in Washington, DC but is of Afro-Cuban heritage. Alonso told Latina.com, “I have a Cuban influence from my ethnicity, so I feel 100 percent Cuban and 100 percent black and nobody can take that away from me.”

Victor Cruz
The very fine Victor Cruz is a wide receiver with the New York Giants. Cruz’s father was an African American firefighter and his mother is Puerto Rican. Cruz has been known to showcase his Hispanic heritage by dancing salsa in the end zones after a touchdown.

Soledad O’Brien
Multicultural reporter Soledad O’Brien captured the attention of America with the CNN “Black In America” series.  O’Brien’s father is an Australian of Irish descent and her mother is Afro-Cuban.  O’Brien says her mother gave her this advice, “Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t black or Latina.”

Zoe Saldana
Talented actress Zoe Saldana grew up speaking both English and Spanish.  Her late father was Dominican and her mother is Puerto Rican. Said Saldana, “As a Latina, I think we should be very proud of our heritage. We tend to look for European roots and reject the indigenous and the African, and that is disgusting. Being Latin is a mix of everything.”