Students of Caribbean Ancestry at Brown University

Trinidad elects its first Black woman President | AFROPUNK Miles ahead of the United States, Trinidad and Tobago just elected and swore in its first black women president! President Paula Mae Weeks, a retired judge, was elected by the country’s Electoral College back in January. In 1996, Weekes because a judge at the Criminal Division of Trinidad’s High...

Thank you to everyone who came out to support last night. The event was a huge success and a lot of fun!

For those of you who weren’t able to make it, fret not! There will be a recap/promo video being dropped soon.

Huge thank you to our hosts Terrell Palmer and Vanina Morrison as well as our performers, Island Vybe Dance Fitnesss, Francis Barimah Jr (DJ FB), , ROTI and RUM , of Brown, Rhythm, PanNeubean Steel andCirque-tacular Entertainment!

Today’s Black History Month highlight goes to Frantz Fanon!

The famous Psychiatrist, revolutionary thinker and writer, Frantz Fanon was actually of Caribbean descent. He was born on the island of Martinique in 1921, and educated in Paris. Until his death in 1961, Fanon produced pioneering theories on identity, race, and studies of the psychological impact of racism on both the colonized and the colonizer. His two major works include The Wretched of the Earth, and Black Skin White Mask which discusses his own personal experiences while presenting a critique of the effects of racism on the human psyche.

Thank you Frantz for your powerful work! Your contributions are still felt today!

Today's Black History Highlight goes to Audre Lorde!

Audre Lorde was born in New York City to Caribbean parents from Barbados and Curacao. An ardent writer, Lorde wrote collections of poems and critical essays on feminism, q***r identity, and civil rights. In relation to non-intersectional feminists, Lorde famously said, "Those of us who stand outside the circle of this society's definition of acceptable women; those of us who have been forged in the crucibles of difference – those of us who are poor, who are le****ns, who are Black, who are older – know that survival is not an academic skill. It is learning how to take our differences and make them strengths. For the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. And this fact is only threatening to those women who still define the master's house as their only source of support".

Thank you Audre for your contributions to the culture and to feminism!

Our second highlight for Black History Month is none other than Ms. Shirley Chisholm!

Shirley Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924, as a Bajan-American in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from Brooklyn College in 1946, Chisholm went on to earn her master’s degree in elementary education from Columbia University. In 1968, she went on to become the FIRST Black congresswoman and represented New York for seven terms. As an activist for social justice and education, Chisholm helped to found the Congressional Black Caucus in 1969. Chisholm broke history AGAIN when she became the first Black person and only the second woman to make a bid for the U.S. presidency in 1972. Shirley Chisholm’s contributions to social justice and her historical feats made her an activist who was ahead of her time and an inspiration, even decades later. Shirley Chisholm paved the way for many Black congressional members, but also for Black women! Join SoCA as we remember and appreciate Ms. Chisholm’s legacy!

Happy Valentine's Day from SoCA! Our first Black History Month post is highlighting activist Marcus Garvey!

Born in Jamaica in 1887 as the son of a librarian, Garvey found passion in reading and started his education in Jamaica’s primary schools. It is in these schools that he first discovered racism. This discrimination motivated Garvey to join unions and write for several different newspapers. Further influenced by Booker T. Washington and ideas of Black nationalism, Garvey continued his education in London at Birkbeck college to study law and philosophy. After school, Garvey returned to Jamaica and founded the UNIA with the goal of unifying Africans in hope of gaining social, political, and economic freedom. He later moved to Harlem and brought his nationalist movement with him, resulting in a global increase in Black solidarity. His strong political views and community building rhetoric played a large role in the development of the civil rights movement in the U.S. and the elimination of apartheid in South Africa. Today, decades after his death in 1940, buildings, schools, and highways around the world are named after Garvey, and the UNIA’s flag has been adopted as the Black liberation flag. His legacy persists, and he has become one of the world’s largest symbols of Black pride and nationalism! Thank you, Garvey, for your activism and we remember your legacy this month!

Happy Valentine's Day from SoCA! For our first Black History Month Highlight, we'll look at activist Marcus Garvey!

Born in Jamaica in 1887, the son of a librarian, Garvey found passion in reading and started his education in Jamaica’s primary schools. It is in these schools that he first discovered racism. This discrimination motivated Garvey to join unions and write for several different newspapers. Further influenced by Booker T. Washington and ideas of Black nationalism, Garvey continued his education in London at Birkbeck college to study law and philosophy. After school, Garvey returned to Jamaica and founded the UNIA with the goal of unifying Africans in hope of gaining social, political, and economic freedom. He later moved to Harlem and brought his nationalist movement with him, resulting in a global increase in black solidarity. His strong political views and community building rhetoric played a large role in the development of the civil rights movement in the U.S. and the elimination of apartheid in South Africa. Today, decades after his death in 1940, buildings, schools, and highways around the world are named after Garvey, and the UNIA’s flag has been adopted as the Black liberation flag. His legacy persists, and he has become one of the world’s largest symbols of Black pride and nationalism!

Puerto Rican Association - Brown University Welcome to PRA!

What is PRA? Puerto Rican Association
Who can join? EVERYONE, the more the merrie

Sending much love to the people of Haiti! In memory of the earthquake that happened in Haiti eight years ago yesterday, check out this CNN video where Anderson Cooper is literally brought to tears by the strength and vigor of Haitian people. Look out for more things to honor Haiti when we return back to Brown.

Anderson Cooper's emotional message to Haiti Anderson Cooper reflects on his relationship with Haiti and its people on the eight year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that hit the country follo...