image from venezuelatuya.com
Manuel Carlos Piar was surely a liberator, a valiant and strict adherent to his principles of liberation and equality for all men, regardless of caste. A true warrior, he kept his composure in battle as well as in his relations with his subordinates and with higher officials in the Venezuelan armed forces. Continue reading
Young Manuel Carlos studied mathematics under his tutor, Colonel Tomas Mires, to whom he had been entrusted by his father, Fernando Piar, but, upon reaching maturity at the age of 17 he soon sought to join the cause of liberty for the Latin American race. He hoped to have the privilege of meeting General Simon Bolivar, the famed Liberator. At this time he was a fluid speaker of Spanish, French, Dutch and English, as well as being an excellent swordsman. Continue reading
As one of our forefathers the story of this 
freedom fighter’s life inspired me to take the road of divulging to our readers the facts of this little known personality in the spirit of our race. For us his experience highlights the experiences of many of our ancestors who have suffered since they were brought to this continent as little more than cattle, a whole multitude of innocent souls unjustly chained together, many centuries ago. Continue reading
Posted in West Indian Panamanians
Tagged curacao, curacao-travel-guide, Manuel Carlos Piar, pardos
This will be our first article in a series of articles in which, at this juncture in our time line, we just have to present to our readers some of the personalities of our Afro-American race who have left a mark on our history. As an Afro-Latin-American it is incumbent upon me, as a servant to our people, to present this hidden knowledge that has been kept from us as rigorously as a state secret. So that, this is our opportunity to learn these facts wherever in this universe we might be today and to place importance on these pages, because it means lifting up of our self esteem. Continue reading
Lynching of Ruben Stacey 1935 in the South.
Image from www.africanamericans.com
Today it is with hind sight that we reflect upon an era in which our ancestors lived as foreigners, though their children were being born and raised as Panamanians to become, for decades, a community of people who lived under tensions on both sides of the borders of the American Canal Zone. Continue reading
image from sugarfreetalk.com
Exploring the past has transformed me, as many of my ancestors before me, into one who has never quite fit the mold of a racist and decadent society. Like my fellow Black brothers and sisters, who are judged by whether we are specimens apt for commercial exploitation or not, we continually examine ourselves in this highly superficial light. If we do not fit, however, then we are vilified for not wanting to be exploited like the ones fitting the traditional mold of what a black person should be or is able to become in some circles of our western world. Even in this, the 21st century of “modernism,” we still seem to be crying out for acceptance. Continue reading
Posted in West Indian Panamanians
Tagged black on black crime, fratricide, temperance
