Illuminated Legacy: Celebrating 500 Years of African & Native People’s Resistance

In celebration of 516th anniversary of Native and African anti-colonial resistance in the Americas, CLACS is hosting a presentation and conversation by notable and renowned leaders Miriam Miranda and Tom Goldtooth.

About the speakers:

Miriam Miranda is the General Coordinator of Grassroots International partner OFRANEH, the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras, which organizes Garifuna communities in defense of ancestral territory along the Atlantic coast of Honduras.

Tom Goldtooth is a Native American environmental, climate, and economic justice activist, speaker, film producer, and Indigenous rights leader within the climate and environmental justice and indigenous movement. Tom is active in local, national and international levels as an advocate for building healthy and sustainable Indigenous communities based upon the foundation of Indigenous traditional knowledge.

About the moderator:

Wynnie Lamour is an educator with a focus on Language & Communication. She has spent the last several years teaching Haitian Creole in the New York City metro area to a wide array of language learners, including non-profit professionals, public school teachers, and entrepreneurs. Her experiences growing up in Brooklyn as a Haitian-American have provided her with a unique perspective as an educator, allowing her an ease that comes when one is equally comfortable in both cultures and languages. Wynnie has a BA in Linguistics from Cornell University and an MA in Urban Affairs from CUNY Queens College. Wynnie’s philosophy of teaching is rooted in the idea of “Mindfulness”, which promotes community and connectedness, while establishing a sense of pride and respect for both the Haitian language and culture.

The conversation will be conducted in English and Spanish. Interpretation will be available.

This event is co-sponsored by the Native Studies Forum at NYU, the History Department at NYU, the Haitian Creole Language Institute of New York, Grassroots International and the American Indian Community House.

This event is free and open to the public.