NICH is Belize’s premier cultural institution dedicated to the safeguarding, promotion, expression, conservation and sustainable development of culture in all its diversity in collaboration with the people of Belize.
The National Kriol Council (NKC) in Belize is a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and developing the Kriol culture and language, focusing on the social, cultural, and economic advancement of the Kriol population in Belize through education and unity; essentially acting as a champion for the Belizean Creole community and its heritage.
The Network of Afro-Latin American, Afro-Caribbean and Diaspora Women is a space for the articulation and empowerment of Afro-descendant women for the construction and recognition of democratic, equitable, just, multicultural societies, free of racism, racial discrimination, sexism and exclusion, and promotion of interculturality.
Nydia Taylor (b. 1953, Corn Island) is a patchwork artist, poet, community organizer, and sociologist whose arpilleras (textile artworks) vividly depict the everyday lives, labor, and care practices of Black women on Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast. Raised by her grandmother, Taylor learned to sew and crochet in childhood, skills that would become central to her artistic and political vision. Her life has encompassed revolutionary activism, feminist leadership, and cultural work, including organizing women’s groups on Corn Island and serving as the island’s political secretary during the Sandinista era. Taylor’s arpilleras foreground scenes of communal care, domestic life, and regional autonomy, offering an Afro-Mosquitian feminist vision rooted in embodied survival and historical memory. She is also the author of Mangoes in the Morning (2019), a bilingual children’s book illustrated with her own patchwork and based on her childhood on Corn Island.
Hugo Sujo Wilson's Oral History of Bluefields (Managua: CIDCA-UCA, 1998) is a bilingual collection of oral testimonies that traces the rich and complex history of Bluefields, Nicaragua. Through the voices of its residents, the book explores the city’s origins, early inhabitants, pirate legends, and architectural heritage, as well as everyday life, dress, recreation, and popular beliefs. It also delves into key historical moments—including the presence of U.S. Marines, Sandino’s influence, and the 1926 revolution—while documenting community institutions like the UNIA and local lodges. With reflections on race relations, migration, folk medicine, and cultural practices, this volume offers an invaluable portrait of life on Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast.
ODECO focuses on the development and empowerment of Afro-Honduran communities. They work towards social justice, economic development, and the promotion of cultural heritage. ODECO has been active in advocating for the rights of Afro-Honduran youth and has called for greater political participation and representation.
An organization of Afro-descendant women of all ages across Nicaragua.
The Interoceanic Panama Canal Museum, located in Panama City's historic Casco Viejo district, is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of the Panama Canal and its global, national, and local significance. Housed in a former Canal-era post office, the museum traces the Canal’s construction from the French attempt through the U.S. era and eventual Panamanian control, highlighting the political struggles, labor histories, and international interests that shaped its development. Special attention is given to the contributions and experiences of Afro-Caribbean laborers whose work made the Canal possible.
In Panama in Black (Duke University Press, 2022), Kaysha Corinealdi traces the multigenerational activism of Afro-Caribbean Panamanians as they forged diasporic communities in Panama and the United States throughout the twentieth century.
