A LatiNegra from Costa Rica whose grandparents are Jamaican, Epsy Campbell Barr is a politician and has worked with the Human Rights of Women and People of African Descent. She has announced her intention to run for President of Costa Rica under the Partido Acción Ciudadana/Citizen Action Party. We will discover what the Costa Rican people decide in late May 2010 (YES, less than 3 months!). Here is a video of her announcing her candidacy:
She's said at UNICEF Consultative Group of Afro-descendant Leaders meetings:
The biggest problem facing Afro-descendent children is exclusion. We can see exclusion in the face of health, education and social justice. We have the highest HIV infection rates, the highest infant mortality rates, and many of our children run into trouble with the law.
She could be speaking of the US, no? Interesting how the social construction of race and how we are classified is very similar in some contexts. Here she speaks about how women can be included in politics in Central and Latin America
You may also follow her on twitter!
foto credit: aldia.cr
Epsy Campbell dropped out of the race quite some time ago. And Laura Chinchilla just became la primera presidenta.
ReplyDeletethanks for that update! I think that her accomplishments are still noteworthy and that she is an important LatiNegra for all of us to know of and highlight.
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