On February 19th, Latino & Caribbean Studies Associate Professor, Kaysha Corinealdi, gave a keynote address at the Inter-American Studies Association's bi-annual meeting held at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) with the co-sponsorship of the Centro de Investigaciones sobre América del Norte (CISAN). The theme of the conference was "Futuros Posibles en las Américas/Possible Futures in the Americas. Professor Corinealdi's talk entitled "Afrosolidaridad en las Américas" focused on the history of Black Solidarity in the Americas, from the crucial role played by the Republic of Haiti in ending slavery in what later became Gran Colombia to the current day activism and consciousness-raising of solidarity groups like Afroresistance and the Directorio de Mujeres Afromexicanas Artistas.
Professor Corinealdi's talk also focused on centering the work of movement building scholars such as Lélia Gonzalez, Armando Fortune, Arturo Schomburg, Angela Davis, Christina Sharpe, and Mayra Santos-Febres, and mapped out steps that those invested in Black solidarity work could take on in our present moment. These included: (1) opposing ongoing denationalization efforts in the Dominican Republic, (2) opposing anti-Black immigration, refugee, and citizenship policies across the Americas, (3) engaging in an in-depth review of education programs to ensure anti-Blackness and xenophobia are not being promoted, and (4) embarking in more programs that promote collaboration between scholars, artists, activists and legislators, particularly during this Second International Decade for People of African Descent (2025-2034).
Professor Corinealdi's presentation can be viewed here.