Right to Democracy, an organization that works to advance democracy, equity, and self-determination in the territories, invites the public to a Confronting Colonialism Info Session on Wednesday at noon at Our Town Frederiksted on St. Croix.
Additionally, Right to Democracy will co-host, with the Radical Education & Advocacy League (REAL), a live stream panel discussion on Wednesday at 6 p.m. from the WTJX Facebook and YouTube accounts. Guest panelists will explore challenges faced by public education under U.S. rule.
Right To Democracy recently released a report, entitled “Building a Movement: Democracy, Equity, and Self- Self-Determination in the U.S. Territories,” which gathers data from a year-long effort of engagements with the U.S. territories to explore how their communities see and understand the colonial framework that affects them, as well as build strategies and ideas for solutions. This report provides key information like statistics and invaluable historical context of each territory in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the unique stories of each community as well as highlight the overarching similarities the territories share.
“The starting point in our work is in understanding what people in each of the five territories and their diaspora think about democracy, colonialism, citizenship, and decolonization,” said Adi Martínez-Román, co-director of Right to Democracy.
“Tomorrow’s info session in St. Croix is meant as a space to explain our work, the report that we created, and the implications of those findings, while also offering an opportunity for questions from attendees. We want to keep the dialogue open and continue to engage with the voices of our territories,” said Martínez-Román.
One of the most important pillars in building a movement for Right To Democracy is education, and REAL is collaborating in this endeavor by co-hosting a dialogue on education in the territories for liberation, decolonization and free thought.
“The panel discussion in the evening includes representatives from all the U.S. territories, including St. Johnian Dr. Jessica Samuels, director of REAL, who will be hosting the event with me. We will be exploring the state of public education and its relationship to the struggles we experience in our ongoing fight for self-determination,” Martínez-Román said.
For additional information, Martínez-Román can be reached at adi@righttodemocracy.us.
To register for Wednesday’s info session, click here.
