Yvette Modestin of Projecto Colon and co-author/editor of Women Warriors of the Afro-Latina Diaspora joined us this week. She shared with us her own life story of being an Afro-Latina from Colon, Panama and the politics of gender, race and ethnicity in the context of anti-colonial/imperial movement-building. In the second half of the show we heard from some of the contributors to A Lie of Reinvention: Correcting Manning Marable’s Malcolm X. We heard from contributors Dr. Rosemari Mealy and Mumia Abu-Jamal and talked a bit more about the nature of their contributions and the overall project itself.
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We are all African Americans/Black Americans as we all live in the Americas(North, Central, South, Caribbean) LOL!
Panama Canal was built & maintained by Black Labor.
Great Interview.
Check the Documentary
American Experience: Panama Canal
Faces of Afro-South Americans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw5XuFgY3eg&list=FLL-7Drrb5GIMLRa7hwCIF4w&index=39&feature=plcp
Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story” – Independent Sources
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLtk_v1jl_M&list=FLL-7Drrb5GIMLRa7hwCIF4w&index=41&feature=plcp
The book sounds really interesting as well as tragic. No woman should have to fight a man unless every man is dead, or the situation is so desperate that the men of our race have utterly failed them. However; looking out at the situation today I’d have to say that anyone who can fight should be preparing to do so.
I found the conversation on the hyphenated Identity a little less interesting. Africa is the richest land mass on the face of the earth. If people choose to remain in their hyphenated nothingness that’s on them. I agree with the attempt to spread information on ethnic origin, however if people resist identification in the face of overwhelming evidence, they need not be pursued. Often times such people become fair weather friends and traitors due to mixed loyalties. Any cursory study of history will show this was the most recurring poison in the downfall of Africa.
Never give up a continent for a non-existent hyphenated landmass. A similar lesson was taught by Marcus.M.Garvey a longtime ago. If your not a nationalist and are engaged in solidarity work for Africa, that is outside of Africa, you reconciling your perceived identity and experience becomes less important and less politically relevant of an issue that needs to be decisively addressed.
There is no room for half on my side and half against me politics in a free and liberated Africa. So to my hyphenated sistren and brethren, pick a side because the door may close before you can come around.
On a lighter note, you can get both books on this show for less then 40$, however; I’d encourage those who can to spend a little bit more to support Voxunion. Both books are well worth reading.
An awakening conversation about some of the issues! I congratulate Ms. Yvette on her initiative to extend the dialogue through literature. I particularly liked the portion of the interview dedicated to the “least talked about issue of Africanness” in Latin America;” and how that translates into struggles with identity both personally and interpersonally in Latin America and in the United States. Thank you both for the pleasant awakening! Yvette is #1!