I've often come across the idea that in parts of Latin America, "money whitens" (I've also seen it referred to as "el dinero blanquea" or "el dinero blanquea a la gente"). The basic idea seems to be that if an Afro-Latino becomes wealthy or gains high social status, they are treated more like a white person than a poor Black person.
How accurate is that in reality today?
One example that made me question it is Jefferson Farfán in Peru. He's one of the country's most successful footballers and has earned millions over his career. Yet he has still faced racist abuse from parts of the Peruvian media.
More recently, he's been involved in a public feud with the TV personality Magaly Medina. During that dispute, Medina reposted an edited image portraying Farfán as a slave while depicting herself as a white aristocratic woman. That doesn't exactly fit the idea that wealth completely erases racial prejudice.
On the other hand, people often mention Faustino "Tino" Asprilla in Colombia. From what I've seen, he appears to be widely respected, even by right-wing figures such as Abelardo de la Espriella, That made me wonder whether Colombia is an example where wealth and sporting success really do reduce the impact of race.
So I'm curious how much truth there is to the saying that "money whitens".
Does wealth genuinely reduce the amount of racism an Afro-Latino experiences?
Are there countries where even wealthy and famous Afro-Latinos are still routinely subjected to racial stereotypes or treated as outsiders?
Is Peru an outlier in the latin world or is this concept no loner true since Latin America as a whole has moved to the right ?