Social Justice and Pride Issues Explored in Groundbreaking Island SPACE Caribbean Museum Program Series
Plantation, Florida - In a groundbreaking move, the United States’ first and only Caribbean heritage museum, Island SPACE Caribbean Museum, will host an exhibition exploring advancements made by members of the LGBTQ+ community. On Tuesday, May 10, a special opening event will launch the first in the museum’s lineup of social justice issues programming. “Queer Caribbeans: Resilience, Resistance and Reimagining,” will present a multimedia, historical retrospective showcase of the racial and cultural achievements of Caribbean LGBTQ+ rights activists. The project will focus on leaders who set the foundation for victories within the Caribbean LGBTQ+ diasporic community and their contributions to broader LGBTQ+ liberation movements in the United States.
G. Wright Muir, Jamaican-American co-founder of Black LGBTQ Liberation Inc| Photo courtesy of G. Wright MuirIsland SPACE has partnered with nonprofits Black LGBTQ+ Liberation, Inc. and Caribbean Equality Project to curate the project. The “Queer Caribbeans” exhibition will document the intersection of Caribbeanness and LGBTQ+ rights activism with an extensive repository of photographs, news footage, oral histories and videos featuring well-respected Caribbean LGBTQ+ rights advocates. Visitors will enjoy the works and words of personalities including beloved Trinidadian-American activist Colin Robinson, Guyanese-American founder of Caribbean Equality Project Mohamed Q. Amin, Jamaican-American co-founder of Black LGBTQ+ Liberation G. Wright, Tobagonian-American actress Dominique Jackson, and Jamaican-American writer and spoken word artist Staceyann Chin.
The public is invited to join special guests and enjoy live entertainment at the opening reception on Tuesday, May 10 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A virtual panel will explore issues and progress within this community in the Caribbean region on Wednesday, June 15 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m, during Pride Month. An in-person panel will discuss advancements made among the Caribbean LGBTQ+ diaspora on Wednesday, June 29 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
From May to October 2022, Island SPACE Caribbean Museum, with funding from the Community Foundation of Broward, will present an exhibition and event series highlighting social justice issues affecting Caribbean and Caribbean-American communities. The first in the six-month series addresses issues affecting LGBTQ+ people. Subsequent themes will include Emancipation and the region’s complex history with the concept of freedom, and colorism and gender roles among Latin-Americans.
