This chapter highlights the work of Afro-Hispanic poets who continue to gain recognition, despite the fact that they have not been incorporated into the broader literary canon and thus frequently remain at the margins of mainstream Latin American Literature, both in the U.S. and Latin America. A careful study of Afro-Hispanic Literatures and Cultures reveals the existence of a significant number of twentieth-century Latin American writers of African descent. This essay focusses on the works of Nicomedes Santa Cruz (Peru), Nancy Morejón (Cuba), and Luz Argentina Chiriboga (Ecuador). Slavery, emancipation, self-esteem, and national identity are shown to be predominant themes in their work. These writers challenge official conceptions of nationhood that excluded the significance of African culture. Morejón and Chiriboga, for their part, question the dominant patriarchal systems that have marginalized women. The desire for freedom from slavery in their works is articulated in tandem with each nation’s struggle for freedom from colonial bondage and imperial domination. These poets, each in their own way, through their use of poignant imagery, metaphors, and poetic forms, ask the reader to critically interrogate set definitions of identity and nationhood.