15 Years of Roots, Rhythm, and Resilience

This month, the International Society of Black Latinos, of which I’m a proud member, celebrated 15 years of educating and uniting our communities. It has been a powerful journey of healing through workshops, cultural events, and community partnerships that uphold our wellness. As always, several students were awarded scholarships, while encouraged by former recipients who are now professionally accomplished adults.

Our celebration’s theme was Carnaval 2025, highlighting what it looks like throughout our African diaspora. It brought us together in the most deliciously festive ways! Truly, the vision of our President, Juanita Palacios-Sims, has blossomed into beautiful evidence that, the more we affirm each other and the legacy of our ancestors, our communities become stronger and thrive.

On a sweet note, I was surprised, along with fellow founding members, with a beautiful painting by an artist that has been a consistent presence in our ISBL family: Wendell Wiggins! It was deeply touching, given that our commitment to contributing to our community’s healing is one of our greatest passions! Onward with love!

Pure surprise and joy!