The African Diaspora in the Americas ~ Political and Cultural Resistance.
The main goal of the event is to tie the scholarly community with the grass-roots community in an educational and cultural event, which will highlight the role of the African Diaspora in important changes happening throughout the continent of the Americas.
The Event
Afro-Venezuelan leader Jesus ‘Chucho’ Garcia will open the event with a keynote address. Mr. Garcia is a human rights and political activist from Venezuela, founder of the Afro-Venezuelan Network and a leader in the struggle against racism and corporate globalization in the Americas. He is the author of numerous books and the subject of several films about the history and present culture of people of African descent in Venezuela. Following the keynote address, two panels with representatives from various countries in the Americas will look at the role of African descendants in their particular countries. Confirmed speakers include Professor Rose Brewer, representing the Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies and African American Studies at the University of Minnesota; Professor Nekima Levy-Pounds, who teaches at the University of St. Thomas Law School and supervises law students as they use the law as a tool to advance the cause of social justice in communities of color; Professor Lester Nurse from the Interamerican University is a renown anthropologist from Puerto Rico. His work focuses on Afro-Caribbean religion and oral history. Danyika Howell, an African American community activist who works to advance access to education for students of color at El Colegio; Karla Smith, is a playwright and spoken-word artist; Lauretta Dawolo, KFAI news director from New Orleans; Marino W. Córdoba representing the Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES); Raudemar Hernandez, a Cuban practitioner of Afro-Cuban santeria; Reuben Joanem, a representative of the Haiti Justice Committee; and Jorge Guerrero Veloz, representing the New Orleans Venezuelan Consulate. The speakers and panels will be followed by an evening of food and cultural events. The cultural performances feature Puerto Rican artist; Maria Isa, Brazilian Eliezer Freiras-Santos and Venezuelans Yrma Machado and Judith Perez.
