Was Garifuna Spirituality practiced or discussed in your households growing up? NOT MINE!

I sat down with the hosts of @garifunasistaspodcast Feroza and Kyleigh Simone two amazing Garifuna women by way of Belize. Together we discussed the origins of Garifuna Spirituality and how the stigma around this practice was born. In this episode you will hear our own experiences about our spiritual journey and how that has allowed us to strengthen the relationship with our ancestors as well as the importance of understanding how Garifuna Spirituality is a vital preservation of our culture.

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Host IG: @FirstGenGarifuna_

Guest IG: @GarifunaSistasPodcast

REVAMPED & WE’RE BACK dives into Alison’s mental health hiatus. Reflecting on her Empowered Garifuna Women Collective series in 2021 and the rebranding of her podcast page!

The goal of @firstgengarifuna_ is to discuss all topics that were not normalized in the Garifuna household for many during their childhood while unpacking and growing through our own inflicted traumas. We will also be discussing our “first” encounter with these situations and how we are working through them in adulthood.

Dropping monthly podcast episodes starting March 1st and we can’t wait to learn and heal through these important discussions💛

#garifunapodcast 

#learningandhealing 

#firstgeneration

#blackwomen

#blackwomenpodcast

#learningandgrowing

In this episode Kayla discusses her life growing up in the Bronx and her journey to becoming an educator who now has the opportunity to be in the same spaces as Garifuna children through the NYC Department of Education. Thank you Kayla for being an amazing role model and shout out to all the Garifuna educators out there!

Outro Song: Punta Rebels- Gudumein * I DO NOT OWN COPYRIGHTS TO THIS MUSIC*

Kayla's Instagram: @asprettyaskay

Podcast Instagram: @hdy.sygpodcast

Host Instagram: @__alisonm

Bio: Kayla Arthur is a Bronx,New York native currently serving her community as a bilingual educator. In 2017, she obtained her Masters degree from Hunter college with a concentration in Bilingual education.

She has worked within that scope with students in the South Bronx for 5 years. As a proud second generation Honduran-Garifuna woman she strives to shed light on the Garifuna experience within her classroom.

Outside of work she is an amazing mother of two girls whom are her inspiration. In the future she hopes to use her knowledge of education and her personal experience to create children’s books focused on diversity and representation.

#EmpoweredGarifunaWoman

In this episode Jasminne speaks about her experience growing up in a traditional Garifuna household while battling mental health and identity issues as a Gen-Z. We dive into ways we can close the gap as first-generation Americans and healthy practices as we work to end the stigma!

Outro Song: Fernandez Band - Wayarou * I DO NOT OWN COPYRIGHTS TO THIS MUSIC*

Podcast Instagram: @hdy.sygpodcast

Host Instagram: @__alisonm

Bio: Jasminne Rochez is a Brooklyn, NY native and is a recent college graduate from Binghamton University. During her undergraduate career, she studied English with a

concentration in creative writing along with cinema.

Jasminne has written short fiction stories inspired both by her personal experiences as a Garifuna girl growing up and her imagination. She strives to work in the digital media and entertainment industry while she writes her short stories on the side.

YouTube channel: Blurred Lights

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCC4HmwVqlTQVuUycKngwaw/featured

#EmpoweredGarifunaWoman

In this episode Janitza speaks about her experience growing up in the Bronx, NY and navigating her Guatemalan heritage. She touches on her family dynamics as well as her journey to learning Garifuna! 

Outro Song: Paula Castillo - Billama Damb * I DO NOT OWN COPYRIGHTS TO THIS MUSIC*

Janitza's Instagram: JanitzaRenee._

Podcast Instagram: @hdy.sygpodcast

Host Instagram: @__alisonm

Bio: Janitza Bonilla is a Bronx, New York native whose parents are from Livingston Izabal, Guatemala. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and went on to work with the elderly population post graduation.

Presently, Janitza is a kindergarten teacher and plans to continue her education by obtaining her

Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and Counseling.

Through her educational and professional experiences, Janitza aspires to help those struggling with mental health issues and create a safe space for them.

#EmpoweredGarifunaWoman

In this episode Feroza takes us through the journey of dissecting the history of the Garifuna people. Feroza not only encourages us to go beyond the history that we have traditionally been told but we also dive into some deep questions about the truth behind who we are as a people. Feroza touches on some important topics such a spirituality, her experience as a singer and also traveling to amazing countries such as Brazil and now residing in Madrid, Spain.

Be sure to check out her podcast @garifunasistaspodcast for more amazing content on understanding spirituality in the Garifuna community. Amazing work Feroza!

Outro Song: Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective - Weyu Larigi Weyu *I DO NOT OWN COPYRIGHTS TO THIS MUSIC*

Feroza's Instagram: @feroza.cayetano

Podcast Instagram: @hdy.sygpodcast

Host Instagram: @__alisonm

Bio: Feroza Cayetano is a singer-soulwriter, music producer and co-host of the Garifuna Sistas Talk Spirituality podcast. She is firmly rooted in Barranco Village and Dangriga, Belize, though her branches have traveled far beyond her humble beginnings.

As a musician, Feroza alchemizes darkness and light to create songs for the intention of healing. As a podcast co-host, Feroza hopes to demystify Garifuna spirituality through storytelling with other

spirituality practitioners.

As someone who has always been a foreigner, she has found strength in the specificity of learning more about the spirituality aspect of Garifuna culture, and seeks to share that knowledge with the world.

Be sure to check out her podcast @garifunasistaspodcast!

#EmpoweredGarifunaWoman

In this episode Trina discusses her experience growing up in Belize, describing celebrations such as Garifuna Settlement Day, living and navigating Trinidad as a Garifuna woman obtaining her college degree and ultimately traveling to St.Vincent (Yurumein) the brith place of the Garifuna people! Be sure to check out @lisemeinfusions on instagram!

Outro Song: Aurelio Martinez - Wamada  *I DO NOT OWN COPYRIGHTS TO THIS MUSIC*

Trina's Instagram: 3_na_bz

Podcast Instagram: @hdy.sygpodcast

Host Instagram: @__alisonm

Bio: Trina Palacio is a Belizean woman of Garifuna descent. She has been raised between Belize City, Dangriga Town which is where her mother is from, and Punta Gorda Town where her father is from. Palacio spent more time in the latter and holds very fond memories of her childhood there.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics with minors in Social Development Policy & Planning and Gender Development Studies from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago W.I.

She currently works as a Research Assistant for the Centre of Applied Development Studies (CADS), a consultancy firm based in Belize.

Palacio also owns a small business called Lisemé Infusions which specializes in infused oils for cooking and liqueurs, both of which are naturally flavored with spices, herbs and fruits. Lisemé Infusions products are currently only available in Belize and can be found on Instagram at @lisemeinfusions Facebook as Liseme Infusions, or via website: lisemeinfusions.com

#EmpoweredGarifunaWoman

In this episode Jennifer discusses her experience as a Garifuna woman growing in Harlem to attending a Historically Black University! We dive deep into the conversation of Afrolatinidad and what that means for us navigating our identity as Garifuna people who have adopted the Latin culture due to the mass exodus from St.Vincent to Central America.

Outro Song: Xcstacy- Bunabou (Live) *I DO NOT OWN COPYRIGHTS TO THIS MUSIC*

Jennifer's Instagram:__plain.janeeee

Podcast Instagram: @hdy.sygpodcast

Host Instagram: @__alisonm

Bio: Jennifer Nuñez is a Harlem, New York native and Howard University Alumna. As a first generation college student, Jennifer originally decided to pursue her studies in Criminal Justice in hopes of becoming a practicing law attorney.

After graduation, she accepted a case management role at a non-profit organization that allowed her to gain professional experience in crisis intervention, victim advocacy & case management. Upon her completion of her Masters in Social work, Jennifer hopes to begin a non-profit organization that provides trauma informed care to survivors of domestic violence & sexual abuse.

#EmpoweredGarifunaWoman

#HBCU Grad

In this episode Daisy drops so many gems for the next generation of Garifuna youth ranging from navigating blackness in the United States to understanding the resilience of our ancestors.

Outro Song: Aurelio Martinez - Africa *I DO NOT OWN THE COPYRIGHTS TO THIS MUSIC*

Daisy's Instagram: @dai_gzmn

Daisy's Twitter: @dazeG_321

Podcast Instagram: @hdy.sygpodcast

Host Instagram: __alisonm

Bio: Daisy E. Guzman Nunez is an African and African Diaspora Studies Ph.D. student at the University Texas-Austin. She was born in the Bronx, New York, and she is one of the few Garifuna-Guatemalan women in academia. Her dissertation derives from her initial work on the perspectives of Black and Latinx women on beauty and self-love through a psychological lens for her B.A from Allegheny College. For her M.A from the Spanish Department at the University of Texas, she focused on the women who are rarely discussed in books and articles, the generation of Garifuna migrants in the 70s and 80s during the Guatemalan Civil War.

Her overall research centers on Blackness and Indigeneity in Central America; the African diasporic transnational experience; race, gender, and migration. With particular attention to the Garifuna community, the discussion of race, Indigeneity, and movement are theorized from the body and written in conversation with Black feminist thought.

As a student and future professor, she wants to apply all the knowledge she receives in the African and African Diaspora Studies department to an interdisciplinary position that prioritizes mentorship. Furthermore, her engagement with the Garifuna community is sustained by her continuous effort to give back to the next generation with literature and an evolving archive for the opportunity of representation inside and outside of the classroom.  Daisy aims to mentor Garifuna scholars and scholars interested in Black Central America, who want to engage in cultural awareness and diversity initiatives.

Alison discusses what she describes as a "midlife crisis", reuniting with hobbies she loved as a child, and overall navigating these 20 somethings as a young, multifaceted black woman. 

Upcoming: April 1st our very first Empowered Garifuna Women Collective project will be dropping. Hope you tune in!

Outro Song: 20 Something - Sza

Podcast Instagram: @hdy.sygpodcast

Host Instagram: @__alisonm