Hello Meltingpot Readers,
Raise your hands if you know who the Garifuna people are? I’ll give you a moment to think about it. If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, you may remember a post from way back in 2015 where I wrote about the Garifuna, but I’ll forgive you if you don’t remember.
Meet the Garifuna
The Garifuna are an Afro-Latinx community with roots mostly in Central American countries like Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Originally from St. Vincent island in the Caribbean, they were exiled by the British in the 18th century and then settled in Honduras and eventually moved to other Central American countries. Their unique culture is a mixture of African, Arawak Indian, and Spanish.
So, why am I bringing up the Garifuna’s today? Well, besides the fact that today is Meltingpot Monday and Hispanic Heritage Month, this past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting two Garifuna women who have written a pair of children’s books about Black hair. (You can check out their books here and here.)
Because the universe likes to show me how clever she really is, I met these women at a panel I was moderating on the politics of Black hair in the Black and Latinx community. Not only was it a treat to meet fellow authors and artists who’ve made Black hair their life’s work, but also, as I’m knee deep in my research about Spain’s connection to Blackness, I was re-introduced to this unique culture that is Black and Spanish manifested. Thanks, Universe.
A Multicultural Mix of Cultures
If you’re like me, and love learning about different cultures, do yourself a favor and read about the Garifuna community. Here’s a head start to get some information, plus here’s a video to watch as well. You can thank me later.
Peace!
Photo by nappy from Pexels(And note, this woman is not necessarily a Garifuna woman)
