The Magic of Being Seen by Sulma Arzu-Brown
I am a proud Garifuna woman born in Honduras. The Garifuna people are the descendants of the Black Caribs who were forcibly deported from the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines after a failed attempt at genocide by the British in 1797. Garifunas currently live in Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua—and the United States. We are a thriving community with our own language and cultural traditions. As a Black woman born in a
Central American country, I also identify as an Afro-Latina. Spanish was frequently spoken in my home, even after my family moved to the United States, making English my third language. Early on, I got the message of the importance of literacy. However, as a young child, I basically just read the books I was told were necessary to pass an assignment. As an adult, I now understand why a love of books was not a big part of my childhood. It was because I never saw myself! I felt invisible, even in my own community. In college, I finally connected with people who helped me begin to find books that resonated with my own life. I majored in mass communication, which gave me the opportunity to explore many avenues: radio, TV production, print, media, and roles in talent coordination, publicity, and digital advertising. It has become my goal to collect and create materials, ideas, and initiatives to implement seeds of empowerment con mi gente/with my people. I have helped formerly incarcerated fathers find employment to provide for their families and served as the executive director of the Garifuna Coalition to help my immigrant community navigate the many resources needed to thrive in New York City. I became the first Afro-Latina director of operations for the NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and became the first investor in the Boogie Down Grind Café: the only coffee shop in the South Bronx owned by two women of color. Today, I live in the South Bronx with my husband and my two daughters. As a mom, an advocate for equity, and an author, I know that representation matters. Making sure that our girls understand that they are wonderfully made is important to my husband and me. We are planting seeds of what is possible without limitation. We are teaching them that their essence, their imagination, their language, and their talents matter. We know that carefully chosen books play a part in helping my daughters and all children envision who they are and what they can become.
10 • Rising Voices Library
14 Rising Voices | Elevating Latino Stories
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