This year marks the beginning of the United Nation’s International Decade for People of African Descent. It is only fitting, then, that we honor Afro-descendant leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean in this issue’s special Innovators section. These profiles both celebrate important advances in the political, economic and social inclusion of Afro-descendant populations in the region, and highlight signifi cant challenges that remain.
The seven leaders profiled here hail from a geographically diverse set of countries—Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Honduras, Jamaica, Peru, and Uruguay—and have risen to prominence in politics, civil society and community advocacy. Together, they advocate for cultural preservation, greater political representation, and for the rights of the LGBT community and immigrants, among others. It is our hope that throughout this decade, leaders in the Western Hemisphere will continue to fight for recognition, justice and development.
AQ Afro-Descendant Innovators: Alessandra Ramos, Brazil
Reading Time: 3 minutesAs a black trans woman in Brazil, Alessandra Ramos fights discrimination on two fronts
Christiane Taubira, French Guiana
Reading Time: 2 minutesChampion of Justice
Edgardo Ortuño, Uruguay
Reading Time: 2 minutesParliamentarian and Cabinet Minister
Gregoria Flores, United States
Reading Time: 2 minutesReaching into her past
José Santos Caicedo, Colombia
Reading Time: 2 minutesFreedom Fighter
Latoya Nugent, Jamaica
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Advocate
