Mission
We are a group of scholars, activists, artists and thinkers who aim to establish a collaborative network among academic institutions and activist organizations in the Caribbean to advance educational, literacy and healthcare initiatives to benefit students and scholars and to promote community building, collaboration and activism in the Caribbean region. Our group includes research in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences with the aim of organizing initiatives focusing on education, literacy, healthcare geared towards activism that is informed by a cultural competency and sensitivity to the immediate needs of young scholars and students in the region.
Our group is interested in promoting several initiatives, which include inter alia:
- a bi-annual interdisciplinary Caribbean institute for students, faculty, artists and activists on areas of inquiry decided based on currency for the region
- promote collaborative research and teaching projects among several disciplines and institutions in the Caribbean region
- provide suitable traditional and online venues and platforms for the dissemination of current research and the translation of relevant materials to promote pan-Caribbean educational efforts and literacy projects
- establish collaborative plans and policies to address water and food sovereignty and environmental vulnerability in the Caribbean
- design culturally competent health intervention initiatives to share with healthcare providers and policy makers to treat non-communicable diseases in the region.
- foster dialogues between academics, activists, policymakers and professionals about common areas of interest and intervention in the Caribbean
Founding Members
Barbados
Kenneth Connell, University of West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados, kenneth.connell@cavehill.uwi.edu
Yanique Hume, University of West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados, yanique.hume@cavehill.uwi.edu
Colombia
Kevin Sedeño-Guillén, University of Cartagena, ksedenog@unicartagena.edu.co
Silvia Valero, University of Cartagena, svalero@unicartagena.edu.co
Cuba
Camila Valdés León, Casa de las Américas-Cuba, camilavaldesleon@gmail.com
Dominican Republic
Fátima Portorreal, Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo, fatimaportorreal@yahoo.com
Grenada
Oonya Kempadoo, Grenada Community Library and Resource Centre, oonya.kempadoo@gmail.com
Haiti
Nadève Ménard, Université d’État d’Haïti, Port-au-Prince, nmdelmas@yahoo.com
Jamaica
Matthew Smith, University of West Indies-Mona, matthew.smith@uwimona.edu.jm
Puerto Rico
Luis Agrait Betancourt, University of Puerto Rico, luis.agrait1@upr.edu
Nadja Rios Villarini, University of Puerto Rico, nadjah.rios@upr.edu
Carmen H. Rivera Vega, University of Puerto Rico, ch.rivera@upr.edu
Maria Elena Rodríguez Castro, University of Puerto Rico, rodriguezcastromalena@gmail.com
Don Walicek, University of Puerto Rico, don.walicek@upr.edu
Trinidad
Patricia Mohammed, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad, Patricia.Mohammed@sta.uwi.edu
U.S. Based Partners:
New Jersey, USA
Carlos Decena, Rutgers University, cudecena@lcs.rutgers.edu
New York, USA
Glyne Griffith, SUNY Albany, ggriffith@albany.edu
Florida, USA
Florida International University:
Danielle Clealand, Florida International University, dclealan@fiu.edu
Jorge Duany, Florida International University, jduany@gmail.com
Liesl Picard, Florida International University, picardl@fiu.edu
Chantalle Verna, Florida International University, verna@fiu.edu
University of Florida:
Leah Rosenberg, University of Florida, Digital Library of the Caribbean, rosenber@ufl.edu
Laurie Taylor, University of Florida, Digital Library of the Caribbean, laurien@ufl.edu
University of Miami:
Jafari Allen, University of Miami, jafari.allen@miami.edu
Donette Francis, University of Miami, d.francis@miami.edu
Lillian Manzor, University of Miami, lmanzor@miami.edu
Yolanda Martinez-San Miguel, University of Miami, ymm34@miami.edu
Kate Ramsey, University of Miami, kramsey@miami.edu
Paricia Saunders, University of Miami, psaunders@miami.edu
Beatrice Skokan, University of Miami, bskokan@miami.edu
Martin Tsang, University of Miami, mtsang@miami.edu
