“A lot of people here in Seattle don’t know much about us Garifuna people!”
The Garifuna people are descendants of West Africans who found themselves liberated from bondage when the Spanish ship they were held captive in crashed near St. Vincent. They intermarried with the indigenous Carib people, to become known as Garifuna or Black Carib people. The Garifuna resistance to British and French slave labor practices led to the multi-generational exodus that carried them across the Caribbean Sea.
A sizeable part of the diaspora settled in Central America, along the coasts of Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize. In the United States, the majority of the diaspora community reside in New York, New Orleans, and in Houston, Texas. In Seattle, Shaylan Dolmo and Estefana Harry — managing director and program director, respectively — estimate that there are between 6 to 7 thousand Garifuna people; when they first began, a survey resulted about 1500 respondents.
“Probably 95% of Garifuna women are domestic workers — nannies, cleaners. So we are fortunate to be part of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA).”
When we asked why they chose their organizational name to be Anichigu Luma Amenigini Garifuna Women (ALA Garifuna Women), they laughed. “Everyone is welcome! But one of the things about Garifuna women is that they have a specific role in the community.” Men have specific roles, too, but there are many cultural aspects that come back to the home. That’s why equipping Garifuna women with the essential knowledge and adaptive skills for their new environment is what helps their community thrive.
ALA Garifuna Women offer multiple programs to support the Garifuna community, including workshops around health, education, cultural cuisine, and arts practices, such as jewelry- and doll-making.
Another major event that they organize is the Garifuna Heritage Month. “The heritage month has been going on for 3 years now to connect and teach people about our history,” Shaylan said.
“This is a huge celebration back home in Honduras and parts of central America. April 12th is the specific day that the Garifuna arrived to Honduras to the first Garifuna community of Punta Gorda, Roatan, in 1797.” They decided that, here in Seattle, they would use the full month to plan programs on every weekend to celebrate.
Estefana and Shaylan made sure to let us know that there were many organizations and individuals they were grateful for, in addition to RVC’s support: We Dream in Black, Food Lifeline, Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N), Seattle Peoples Fund, Ndudi Chuck from Mission Africa, City of Seattle, Seattle Neighborhoods, and more.
Still, “It was really hard at the beginning.” In our conversation, they both shared that it took time and showing up to build trust in their community and become a reliable pillar of support.
As they continue to grow, they also noted that an important part of their mission is to share the Garifuna people’s unique culture and connect with other communities.
“We want people in the state, in other organizations, to see that the Garifuna are more than just the dance.” Through their programming they hope to continue to share different aspects of their culture.
They are now in the process of moving to a new office and look forward to sharing out about their exciting new digs!
The photos below are from ALA Garifuna’s recent BBQ event. They hope to have more people come through to their community events, keep your eyes peeled for those event notices!
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