PHILIPSBURG – The conference “Raising the curtain on race II” started this morning, December 1, at the University of St. Martin (USM) with an insightful presentation from activist and visual artist Quincy Gario, about the meaning of being black in the Dutch Caribbean.
His presentation was introduced by an inspirational poem by his brother Jorgen Gario. Quincy proceeded with an eloquent elaboration about anti-racism activism in theory and words. It became apparent that strategic organization and widespread ownership to be essential tools to raise awareness regarding racism on local and global level: with special attention for transnational relations in the Dutch Caribbean.
The conference continued with several Dutch Caribbean researchers sharing their view on the origins of racism and more importantly how to tackle racism in the Dutch Caribbean, how to educate about it and how to act against.
The conference continues Friday, December 2, with workshops/roundtables and a special Skype session with Dr. Kamela Heyward-Rotimi from Duke University. Registration starts at 9:00am, and the registration fee of $40 includes lunch.
