Reflection-PRIDE- Black History Month in Panama 2010

Reflection- PRIDE- Black History in Month in Panama 2010

My reflections are usually longer because I can find the words. This one is short because my heart does not want to let go of the time I just spent at home.
I think this time the pictures will speak for me and the word PRIDE will jump off the page at you.

Pride after this trip means,

P anamanian
R esiliency
I nclusion
D etermination
E nthusiasm

My cup runeth over for everything that it means to be Black Panamanian, to be from a people that continue to get back up as things keep coming at them, to see our ability to be inclusive as we move forward, to be determined to change the image of our dear city Colon and to dance and sign as we celebrate our full self.

Proud to be a part of such a special project-I was home to film my part in the documentary film, Cimanoraje en Panama by Toshi Sakai. After meeting with Toshi for the first time I felt his love for the people of Portobelo and the Congo community. That love alone made me say, yes.

Filming in Portobelo and Isla Grande was simply special. Sandra Eleta, our host is a Portobelo treasure. She has dedicated her life to this community. You see it in her eyes and feel it in her presence.

Coming together with Toshi, Sandra, Sheila, Arturo, Janina and Ali, was a celebration, a validation, of my deep connection to this community. The people show and express nothing but love and all you can do is give it back.

Proud to be Felix Modestin’s daughter- Not many of us get to share our work, our passion with our parents. My Dad has joined me on this journey to seek truth, justice and celebrate our blackness. There is nothing better than to see the pride in his face. It brings out the Frenchman in him, the Zonian in him and the Modestin in him. This has rubbed off on his wife, Melsa, who finds such joy in dressing like an African Queen and that she is.


My work has given me the opportunity to see my father on another level. Painful stories of the impact of segregation on our family keep pouring out. Joyous stories of his childhood in Gatun speak to why when they get together, there is nothing but love in their faces. The pride in our family history allows him to take me on a ride to see the location of the Port in Calle 5 where my grandfather and many other Caribbean workers arrived to Panama.

Moments with my father are a realization that this is bigger than me, bigger than us. We are telling a story of a people that had no voice.

Proud to be from Colon- On the official day of Etnia Negra en Panama May 30th, Colon shines. As I shared before I left, it is a day that we stand taller on the shoulders of our ancestors and for that one day, all the bad that is said about Colon gets put aside for us to celebrate our blackness.

We do it in style as you will see. The women are gorgeous and the men are handsome. We dance a lot. Boy do we dance!!!! One of the parade songs by the Banda Municipal was “Brown Girl in the Ring.” You could not help but high step with the beat.

Planning this parade and all the events takes the entire year. We have a wonderful group of people in the Fundacion Etnia Negra de Colon. One of the members is a childhood friend, Selvia Miller. Selvia was always determined to do something good and she has. I am so proud of her and the other members. Selvia’s leadership has expanded the celebrations into the schools where there is a deeper conversation and community events which is inclusive of all the black communities in Colon.

All this pride is seen and felt all over Panama. Being home to share with my people, the people that have shaped me, builds nothing but a heavy heart of love.
So I stand proud and share with you, the Black Panamanian community. Enjoy!!

Peace
Yvette

Reflection-Now is the time, Ahora!!

"Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth. " Roberto Clemente


Now is the time, Ahora!!

Now is the time for the Black community to heal the internal divide that does not allow us to see each other as Brothers and Sisters.

It would be much easier to sit and let things go by but that is not who I chose to be.

I have been reading and reflecting on the comment made by baseball player Torii Hunter. Before I get to the comment itself, I want to share why I think this is an opportune time for us to move as a community.

To many this may sound like I am minimizing history but we need to break things down a little to get it moving. Our ancestors were forced on a ship and dropped off in different places. We may speak a different language, cook our rice different but at the root of our being, we are all people of African descent.

Almost two years ago, I participated in a panel at the Schoomburg Center called Black, Latino, Both. This event was hosted by the Afrolatin@ Forum.

During the presentation, I made a statement that Afro- Latino players are in the position to bridge the understanding between Latinos and African Americans yet, many do not identify themselves as Black. I was concerned then as I am now because these players are admired by many Latino youth, who struggle with their racial identity. A fellow panelist and I went back and forth as to the level of their responsibility to engage in this dialogue.

I immediately thought about Roberto Clemente as I began writing this reflection.

Please let me get something out of the way. I feel very comfortable speaking about sports as a college athlete in track and tennis and about baseball because of my father and brother’s love of the game.

Everyone knows about Rod Carew, Ben Oglivie, Omar Moreno and my personal favorite, Manny Sanguillen. Yet, I have always said that I grew up with some of the most talented baseball players. Yes, before there was Mariano Rivera, there was Tonio Ortiz, Mauricio Chin, Omar Massiah, Marco Pady, Ricardo Ortiz and Fernando Ramsey to name a few. So yes, I know baseball and now you know a little more about Panamanian baseball players.

Roberto Clemente is the first Latino player to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I have always loved his story of commitment to the poor and underserved with a focus on Puerto Rico and his work in Nicaragua.

What has moved me the most is his courage to face the racism before him. Mr. Clemente transcended baseball. I sat and watched, Roberto Clemente an American Experience. I was left with the words, humanitarian, pride and loyalty.

He played during the Jim Crow era which was a shock coming from Carolina, Puerto Rico. He learned through painful experiences, that to the white community in Pittsburgh, he was just Black. To his fellow African American players, he was someone they did not understand and struggled to find commonality.

Mr. Clemente was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. who he met face to face at his farm in Puerto Rico. He became involved and spoke out on the injustice that he saw and experienced in this country.

Encuentro Diaspora Afro participated in a national Black Brown focus group. In preparing for the dialogue, we shared with the facilitators that this space would be a Black –Black dialogue, African American and Afro-Latino, a Black –Brown dialogue using their definition, Afro-Latino and Latino and a Black –Brown dialogue, African American , Latino dialogue. We addressed the tension, the mistrust, the historical divide, the pain that was and still is present in our community.

One of the things highlighted in the dialogue was that our experience, the Afro-Latino experience in this country, is an African American experience. It is not until I open my mouth and they hear an accent, I learned that I am seen as a different kind of Black. It is at this moment that I step up to say,” Speaking bad about those Black people, ”African Americans” is speaking bad about me.”

We all agree that they are different cultural experiences in Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo and the U.S. but the Black experience, lack of inclusion, inequality, access, exist everywhere.

Why all of this? Torii Hunter’s comments places us in a position once again to talk, really talk to each other.

The use of the word “impostor” is strong yet, he hits a note. The note, that African American and Afro-Latino players do not truly see themselves as brothers. His words highlight that both sides need to learn more about each other, moving pass language.

Now is the time, Ahora!! Let us not get stuck on the word and take, grab, this opportunity to talk. Let us, people of African descent, transcend the stigma, perceptions that have plagued us.

Baseball is not just a game. During the time of Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, it was the platform for visible change, a platform to challenge the status quo and now it can be the platform to confront a divide that exist between us, BLACK people.

peace
Yvette

Reflection- HUMANITY-Words We Should Stand By-Honoring Ann Marie Coriolan


I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bare. MLK

As we pause on the birthday of Martin Luther King, his words could not be more meaningful as we continue to mourn with the people of Haiti.

Last year I was asked to do a presentation of the impact of MLK on President Obama. I took it one step further to speak of a leader who had an impact on MLK and those who used the same theme of non-violence and love. Here is some of what I shared with the students.

Martin Luther King Jr. studied the words of Gandhi. In his teachings Gandhi said, “Where there is love, there is life.” As MLK began to gain a larger understanding of what was happening around him he found himself holding strong to this saying, “Non-violence became more than a method to which I gave intellectual assent; it became a commitment to a way of life.”

Other world leaders developed an equal message in their fight for justice and the humanity. Nelson Mandela wrote in a Long Walk to Freedom, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than the opposite.”

In doing the research for the presentation, I found a telegram that MLK wrote to Cesar Chavez. This speaks to the commonality of their struggle. ”Our separate struggles are really one, a struggle for freedom, for dignity, and for humanity.”

I share this with you to highlight the common theme of love for humanity. Why do I think this is so important at this time? Like MLK, once our eyes are open to the suffering of the world, you could not but feel the pain of the people of Katrina, Colombia and Haiti, to name a few.

Through my awareness, I have always felt this strong connection to the people of Haiti because if we know history, then we know that what they did has impacted all people of African descent. We should always salute them for fighting, FOR US!! The people of Haiti have been recovering from many disasters over the years. If you have spent any time there, then you know that this devastation will require years of recovery.

Beyond our connection to the country is the connection to the human beings we see on the news and in the papers and the family members of friends we hear about.

This week has been difficult on many levels. Death makes you get on your knees and pray to those who guide you and reach for those who you carry close to your heart.
With the passing of my dear friend ‘s mother, Mrs. Mayani, I was reminded that if we care for someone then anything that causes them pain, will affect you as well.

We have been receiving direct information from our sisters in the DR who have traveled to Haiti since the earthquake. Their accounts are real and depict a great sense of loss, pain and chaos amongst the people.

My time with the women of the Red de Mujeres Afro, teaches me more than any book could. I have been moved by the dedication and the passion of our Haitian sisters. Today in thinking of the words of MLK, I salute them. We mourn the loss of sisters who were pioneers in the justice of the people of Haiti.

I write this reflection with a heavy heart as we wait for confirming news of our sister, Ann Marie Coriolan. Ann Marie is one of the founding members of the Red. She was filled with love, her smile was contagious. She is a legend in my eyes because her unwavering commitment was a lesson to all.

From the first time we met, I felt like she was family. She always made me practice my French with her because as she would say, “my name was too French to not be able to speak it.” She claimed me as one of her honorary Haitian women. When she spoke, we all listened because we knew that the wisdom she shared would help each and every one of us. I will cherish every minute I spent with her, her laugh and he joy for life.

Many of us continue to wait to hear from friends and family. Our prayers go out to you. We know that many of you are doing as much as you can. We would like to share this information from the Colectiva Mujer y Salud that also needs our help to reach the smaller areas and some of the poorest. This group has one of our founding members Sergia Galvan working to get the items to Haiti.

So as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., let us pause and send out a message of love to the people of Haiti. Let us use our collective energy and send these words out into the universe, hope, peace, love, community, prosperity. Let love and humanity be your guide. Let these words be the words we stand by.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” MLK
Encuentro Diaspora Afro and the Red de Mujeres Afro Diaspora Region, will be indirect contact with Colectiva Mujer y Salud in Santo Domingo. We will also be sending out information on local work with our Haitian comrades.The account information for you to make your donations for the women and children of Haiti, is the following;

Colectiva Mujer y Salud
Banco de Reservas
Cta Corriente No. 010-251497-6
Swift code o ABA No. BRRDDOSD
C/ Isabel La Catolica No. 201
Zona Colonial
Santo Domingo, Rep. Dom.


Principales Necesidades de la Comision de Salud:
Unidades moviles de atención medica
• Ambulancias-Ambulance
• Carpas-Tents
• Muletas-crutches
• Sillas de Ruedas-wheel chairs
• Medicamentos-medicine
• Unidades Sanitarias móviles-sanitary stations
• Refrigeradores de medicamentos-refrigerators for the medicine
• Camillas-beds



Peace and love,
Yvette Marie

PEOPLE STAND UP

Greetings,

Here we are in a new decade…a time for reflections and realignment…a need to understand our role in the grand scheme of things. 2010 is a time to pull it together for ourselves, our family, the important people in our lives and our people as a whole.

Before yesterday that would have been the banter of an armchair revolutionary - something that is said at the beginning of the year, repeated during Black History Month, and quickly forgotten in March.

Today we are looking in the face of disaster. There is an undetermined number of casualties and injured in Haiti. Buildings in the capital have been leveled and the airport has sustained extensive damage preventing access in to the country. People are trying to reach loved ones and communication channels have been shut down.

We are familiar with disaster – 9/11, the 2004 tsunami, and hurricane Katrina in 2005. There is one shameful distinction in this tragedy – Haitian brothers and sisters can not take in their relatives and offer refuge while the country is stabilized. It’s no secret that darker people face unfair challenges relating to access to this country. It can take months and years to be able to visit loved ones, go to school or to embark on the “American dream.”

I have personally known some heroic folk that have gone into the trenches to help people in need. I am proud of them but don’t expect everyone to be willing or able to take such extraordinary measures. So I am asking all brothers and sisters of all walks of life to do four things in the short term:

1 - Visit and bookmark Wyclef Jean’s website -http://wyclefjean.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/statement-by-wyclef-jean-on-haiti-earthquake/ for updates from the front line. He has boarded a plane to the Dominican Republic so that he can make his way to his homeland. He’s been tirelessly working for Haiti and needs support now!

2 - Donate money through the Yele Earthquake Relief Fund http://www.yele.org/ or by texting Yele to 501501. A text will charge $5 to your monthly phone bill. You can also donate through the Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/

3 - Contact your United States senator by phone or e-mail and demand an emergency amnesty program that will enable Haitian Americans to provide temporary refuge to family members

4 - Wait before you begin assembling clothing donations until the Red Cross and the Haitian government have determined the appropriate transportation and logistics for such an effort. It’s all about the money right now and every dollar will help

Pray AND take action.

With that, I wish you all the best today and always.

G
http://gspitsit.blogspot.com