Black candidate challenges political status quo in Spain

MADRID (AP) — A Senegalese-born man running for a seat in Madrid’s regional assembly this week wants to defy a history of underrepresentation of the Black community and other people of color in Spanish politics. Serigne Mbaye’s candidacy has been met with a racist response from an increasingly influential far-right political party. One historian says the ascent of the far-right and the polarization in social media has normalized hate speech in Spain. Others say it has brought more attention to anti-racist voices. Still, quotas or other measures that would help address racial underrepresentation in Spanish politics or life are not even being debated.