Miami Dade’s Black Affairs Board To Present “Village Dialogue On “Uniting The African Diaspora” – Feb. 19

Miami-Dade – In conjunction with Black History Month, Miami-Dade County’s Black Affairs Advisory Board (BAAB) will present a panel discussion on the state of relations between the diverse groups which comprise those of African descent in Miami-Dade County from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 19th in the Miami-Dade Commission Chambers located on the second floor of the Stephen Clark Government Center, 111 N.W. 1st Street.

“Miami-Dade County is one of the nation’s most ethnically diverse areas and that diversity spills over to those who trace their original ancestry to the continent of Africa,” says Priscilla Dames-Blake, who serves as vice-chair of the BAAB. “Whether they trace their lineage to the early 1800s when the city incorporated to second or third generation Americans, or more recent Caribbean immigrants, those who comprise the Black World Community in Miami-Dade County have encountered similar experiences with discrimination, long deferred political goals and linked agendas,” she concluded.

Representatives have been invited from throughout the African-based Diaspora to discuss the concept of “linked fate” which implies that Americans of African descent have certain commonalities which should translate into collaboration as opposed to separation.

Invited panelists include representatives from the Caribbean Consular Corp; prominent attorney Marlon Hill; Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce CEO, Bill Diggs; Dr. Sandra Thompson, president of Florida Memorial University; Marliene Bastien, noted activist and executive director of Haitian Women of Miami; Kuumba Art Collective president Dinizulu Gene Tinnie as well as representatives from Africa Reconnect, which seeks to strengthen ties between Africans and Caribbean or native born Americans of African descent.

The Black Affairs Advisory Board’s intent is to discuss the status of those of African descent; explore methods of collaboration and cooperation between the diverse groups and examine methods of addressing disparities while pursuing the common goal of social and economic parity. “Village Dialogues” are on-going effort by the Black Affairs Advisory Board and community-based organizations to bring issues confronting the Black World Community to the forefront and to seek viable solutions.

For more information on the event, contact Retha Boone-Fye at (305) 375-4606 or [email protected]. For more information on Black History Month events, visit the Black Affairs Advisory Board’s website at www.miamidade.gov/baab.