RECAP: Black Beyond Data at the CumbreAfro in Puerto Rico

The Fight for Black Data is Diasporic

This March, Black Beyond Data joined researchers, artists, activists, students, and teachers from across the African diaspora in Puerto Rico for the Cumbre Internacional de Afrodescendencia (Cumbre Afro), the International Afro-Summit.

Founded by writer and professor Mayra Santos-Febres and hosted at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus for the last five years, this year’s CumbreAfro honored the legendary Afro-Puerto Rican activist and scholar Miriam Jiménez Román.

As reported in El Nuevo Día:

“La cumbre, explicó Santos Febres, también celebra su permanencia en un contexto difícil para la universidad pública. “Estamos celebrando porque hemos sobrevivido hasta ahora en estas condiciones de ataque continuo a la Universidad de Puerto Rico, sobre todo al recinto de Río Piedras”, dijo. “Este es un recinto de pensamiento crítico y de humanidades, y por eso esta cumbre es sobre las humanidades afro”.”

Below, Guesnerth Josué Perea, Executive Director of the Afrolatino Forum, explains the important role humanities, humanism, and Black humanity play in our activism and our research.

Presentations from Eduard Arriaga-Arango, Alexandre White, Jessica Marie Johnson represented Black Beyond Data alongside scholar and researcher, Maria Cruz Soto, who discussed archiving Vieques resistance to U.S. military occupation. Valeria Acevedo, doctoral student at JHU, assisted the panel with interpretation and translation. The panel was moderated by Mariluz Franco Ortiz, scholar and professor and Co-PI of the Centro de Investigación y Archivo Digital en Afrodescendencia (PRAFRO).

Black Beyond Data is honored to have an opportunity to be part of this historic event! Despite travel issues that prevented the Amistad team from joining us in person, Executive Director Kathe Hambrick submitted a video on behalf of the historic research center.

Enjoy the images and short clips of the team presentation and follow LxC on IG (life_x_code) for the latest updates.

Dr. Jessica Marie Johnson:

Dr. Alexandre White:

Dr. Eduard Arriaga-Arango