2:30—3:30 p.m. Music: Verny Varela Band

Verny Varela: Five musicians on keyboard, bass, congas, timbales, and trombone

Verny Varela is an artist and academic with a PhD in African studies from Howard University, a master of arts from Howard University and a bachelor degree in music education from Universidad del Valle. He has performed at the Lincoln Memorial, Kennedy Center, Washington Monument, Lincoln Theatre, Library of Congress, Smithsonian museums, and the embassies of Colombia, Italy, Panama, and France.

He performed at the third World Salsa Festival in Lima, Peru in 2020. Also, he performed at the World Salsa Festival in Cali, Colombia, in 2022, Petronio Álvarez Festival, and Feria de la Caña de Azúcar in Cali, Colombia. Verny also collaborated with Thievery Corporation as a songwriter and singer. Additionally, Verny collaborated with the New York Orquesta Broadway on their 40th-anniversary album.

In 1997, Verny was a singer with Tito Gomez’s band. Currently, Verny is a professor at the Department of State Foreign Service Institute School of Language Studies.

Visit: vernyvarelamusic.com

3:30—4 p.m. Documentary Acuerdo Humanitario Ya! Featured in the Colombian Migrant Festival 2024 in collaboration with Poder del Pueblo D.C.

Acuerdo Humanitario YA! is a call from Afro-Colombian communities to the world to end the systematic violation of human rights that affects families living specifically on the banks of the rivers of Buenaventura. Acuerdo Humanitario YA! is an urgent demand addressed to the armed actors and the Colombian state that reveals the structural problems of a system that puts at risk life in all its forms of existence. This documentary goes into the rural Buenaventura and retraces the history of the neighborhoods walked by those who have left their territory.

Visit: www.facebook.com/poderdelpueblosiempre/

4—4:45 p.m. Panel Discussion: Camila and Isaias from Poder del Pueblo; Verny Varela

Dr Clarissa Wiliams (moderator)—Professor of communications at the CSM Leonardtown campus. Her research interests focus on Afro-Latinx studies, particularly regarding the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, as well as the negotiation of Afro-Latinx cultural identity and the representation of Afro-Brazilian women in the media.

Williams has published works such as “Black in a Light-Skinned World: Representations of Afro-Brazilian Women in Brazilian Media and Society” and “I’m Not Black…I’m Latino!: Afro-Latino Cultural Identity (Re)Negotiation in the United States.” These publications explore the complexities of maintaining a nuanced and flexible identity in a society that often has a limited understanding of such issues. She enjoys incorporating her background and experiences into her courses on interpersonal communication and intercultural communication.

Laura Camila Lopez McNulty (discussant and interpreter)—CSM alumna '24, and now a government and politics major/Latin American and Caribbean studies minor undergraduate student at UMD College Park. She is also a student advocate who is part of the volunteer group from Poder del Pueblo DC.

Lina Maria Moreno Castillo (discussant)—Environmental activist and leader of Afro-Colombian communities that are a part of the Network of Environmental Women Defenders, focused on Colombia and wider impacts of safeguarding the environment.

Isaias Guerrero Cabrera (discussant)—Passionate advocate for immigrant rights, a community organizer, dedicated to social justice. Born in Colombia and raised in the US, he overcame the challenges of being an undocumented immigrant to earn a master’s in peace studies from the Kroc Institute at Notre Dame. Now based in Washington, D.C., he serves as the director of advocacy and mobilization with Popular Democracy. Through his fearless advocacy and dedication, Cabrera continues to empower working class communities, challenge injustice, and inspire meaningful social change

Verny Varela (discussant)—see info above

4:45—5:30 p.m. Food: Colombian food, refreshment from local restauranteur and business owner Lala's Food

www.instagram.com/lalassfood?igsh=MXM0dzZhMTR5bHdwOA==
   
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