Caribbean and African American Experts Continue the Emancipation Conversation in an Engaging Discussion

On Saturday, May 20th, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m, Island SPACE Caribbean Museum was proud to welcome the community through its doors for “Emancipation Reimagined: From the U.S. to the West Indies,” the second in the series of “Verandah Talk” panel discussions addressing the concept of emancipation, this time featuring scholars of both Caribbean and African American background.

A panel discussion exchanging ideas on the divergent experiences of the African diaspora in the Caribbean and the United States, the progress made by African diaspora communities in America, and how we come together to improve our circumstances. Our panelists are well regarded subject matter experts int heir field and came from across the diaspora.

David Bynes, is the Director for the Office of Social Justice and Inclusion at Florida international University.

Caribbean American panelist ,Dr. Nadine Wedderburn and Jamaican and Associate PRofessor of Social Science and Public Affairs at State University of New York.

Derek Davis is a writer, presenter, and a story teller for the Davis Kuumba Arts LLC.

Glenn Joseph, from Trinidad and Tobago, is the chairman of the board of the Greater Caribbean American Culture Coalition Inc.

This event was moderated by Dr. Rozalia Williams, Founder and President of the College Student Development Center, Inc. She is of Caribbean and American heritage.

The panelists focused on the shared struggles between the communities, and how they should come together to have these discussions within the community “When a white person looks at you, they don’t know where you’re from. They can’t tell the difference.” Words that highlighted how the imperative to come together was not in anybody’s else hands but the Caribbean and the African-American communities.

Emancipation serves as a pivotal moment in our collective history and as such, our aim is to tell the collective story of the region while educating and inspiring the Caribbean people, the diaspora and those who have a love for the region and its people.

Funding for this program was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the following funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Mary N. Porter Community Impact Fund, Jack Belt Memorial Fund, Ginny and Tom Miller Fund, Stearns Weaver Miller Fund for the Arts, Harold D. Franks Fund.

Island SPACE is supported in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, Florida Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, Florida Power & Light Company, Grace Foods, Broward Mall, the Broward County Cultural Division and the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Mary N. Porter Community Impact Fund, Jack Belt Memorial Fund, Ginny and Tom Miller Fund, Stearns Weaver Miller Fund for the Arts, Harold D. Franks Fund.

Island Society for the Promotion of Artistic and Cultural Education (Island SPACE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of arts, culture, history, and educational initiatives that represent the Caribbean region, in South Florida and the broader diaspora community.