Colón, Panama has been a crucial site of Afro-Caribbean resistance, labor, and cultural production from the colonial era to the present. Enslaved Africans first arrived in the early 1500s, with many resisting through shipboard rebellions, maroon communities, and the creation of palenques. The 19th and early 20th centuries saw major migration from the Anglophone Caribbean, as tens of thousands of Afro-Antillean laborers came to build the Panama Railroad and Canal. These migrants faced systemic racial discrimination through the U.S. “gold and silver roll” system and were segregated into “silver towns.” Despite this, Afro-Caribbean communities in Colón fostered powerful political and cultural networks, especially through institutions like the Panama Tribune and the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) at Liberty Hall, which became hubs of early Black feminist writing, labor organizing, and anti-racist advocacy. Figures like George Westerman and Pedro N. Rhodes led efforts for constitutional reform and diasporic solidarity. Today, Colón remains majority Afro-descendant and continues to challenge racial inequality through grassroots activism, cultural memory work, and demands for state accountability.
BCA is a platform dedicated to amplifying Black Central American history, culture, and scholarship. Through curated content, innovative programming, and collaborative initiatives, we explore the collective memory, cultural and political organizing, and creative place-making practices of Black Central American communities across the isthmus and its diasporas.
