The Garifuna Experience Podcast

Episode 34 - Mapping the Garifuna Community of Interest Profile

• Jose Francisco Avila • Episode 34

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How does a community move from being "hidden in plain sight" to becoming a recognized political force? In this pivotal episode, host José Francisco Ávila breaks down the strategic roadmap for the New York City Garifuna community as we approach the 2031 Decennial Redistricting.

We are shifting the focus from cultural celebration to political self-determination. With over 250,000 Garifuna residents in New York City—and a 100,000-strong concentration in the Bronx—our community has the density and the drive to demand a seat at the table.

In this episode, we explore:

  • Defining a "Community of Interest": What it is, why it matters for electoral maps, and how it keeps our neighborhoods together.
  • The Census Challenge: Navigating the complexities of Afro-Indigenous and Afro-Latinx identity to ensure we aren't fragmented across rigid data categories.
  • The Bronx Stronghold: Identifying the specific geographic boundaries—from Tremont Avenue to 135th Street—that define our political heartland.
  • The 2032 Vision: Marking the centennial of Garifuna settlement in NYC by achieving a historic benchmark: direct political representation.
  • Civic Innovation: We aren't just drawing maps; we’ve launched an AI-Powered Advocacy Toolkit to help community members draft formal testimony and letters to the Districting Commission instantly.

This is more than a podcast; it’s a call to action. Learn how defining our "Community of Interest" profile today will drive the power, prosperity, and progress of our people for the next decade.

Listen, subscribe, and join the movement.

Stay united, stay proud. Sungubei Lidan Aban

Follow the Show: New episodes every Tuesday 

Resources:

Books by José Francisco Ávila

Soundtrack

HOST: Hello, and welcome to The Garifuna Experience Podcast. I’m your host, José Francisco Ávila. This episode is part of our ongoing special series, Hidden Voices: The Garifuna Demographic undercounted and Underrepresented.

Today, we're shifting our focus to a topic absolutely critical for our community’s future: Defining the New York City Garifuna Community of Interest profile.

The goal is to change the way the Garifuna community is primarily viewed—moving from a focus on Cultural Identity to a distinct Demographic and Political Category for data collection and representation. 

The ultimate goal is for the Garifuna community to be able to self-identify and advocate for its interests, and to prepare for the 2031 Decennial Redistricting by defining the boundaries of the New York City Garifuna Community of Interest profile, to pursue Garifuna electoral districts.

🗺️ The Power of a Community of Interest

A Community of Interest is a group of people in the same geographically definable area who share common social and economic interests. They have a shared culture, characteristics, or bond.

Communities of interest are used in drawing electoral districts to ensure that groups with shared interests can be represented fairly. One of the primary goals of this process is to keep communities together within each district. In addition, a community must be geographic in nature and able to be mapped; there must be density within the community.

Redistricting happens only once every ten years, and it is imperative for us to make our community’s voice is heard, as we continue to uplift and advocate for our vibrant and diverse Garifuna demographic all year long. This decennial process, mandated by the Constitution after the U.S. Census, ensures districts reflect population shifts. The data is delivered to states in the years ending in 'one' (i.e., 2031) and directly dictates power and resource allocation for the next decade (2040).

📍 Mapping Our Destiny: The Bronx as EpiCenter

The New York City Garifuna are not a monolith, despite many feeling like they’ve been forced into a box. More importantly, the New York City Garifuna community hopes to thrive as its own voting and power bloc in future decades, a pathway many of New York City’s immigrant communities have followed since their own diaspora and immigrations.

NYC Garifuna Population Snapshot | Concrete NumbersNYC Total Estimate | 200,000 to over 250,000 people
Bronx Concentration | Over half of the NYC total (100,000+ stronghold)
Settlement History | Migration began in the 1930s
Key Bronx Corridors | South Bronx and areas around Crotona Park

These numbers highlight the size and geographic concentration that forms the basis for advocating for a distinct Community of Interest profile. For us, defining the boundaries means identifying areas like Tremont Avenue to the north, 135th Street to the south, Webster Avenue to the east, and Bruckner Boulevard to the west—the core that defines our geographic community of interest.

🔍 From Cultural Identity to Demographic Political Power

We know the Garifuna community faces significant challenges in achieving an accurate count in the U.S. Census because our Afro-Indigenous identity does not fit neatly into rigid categories. This undercount has hidden our true strength.

  • The Identity Challenge: We are forced to choose between "Hispanic or Latino" (and writing in "Honduran"  “Nicaraguan” or  "Guatemalan") and "Black or African American," fragmenting our data.
  • The Progress of 2020: Advocacy for the 2010 Census, ensured the 2020 Census finally added specific codes for "Garifuna" and "Afro-Latino" responses, but this is just the beginning.

The Direct Political Implication of this historical undercount is reduced visibility, underrepresentationand a lower share of federal funding for our neighborhoods. 

The effort to define the Garifuna Community of Interest is our attempt to correct this historical injustice. By 2032, the centennial of Garifuna settlement in New York City, we aim to reach a major benchmark for any community: Garifuna Political Representation!

The Garifuna people have a history of organization, from the Carib Wars of St. Vincent to forming early alliances in Central America and in the US through the merchant marines and Civil Society Organizations. We are an Afro-indigenous Diaspora ethnic group with a powerful legacy. We are not just a culture to be celebrated; we are a voting and power bloc ready to be activated!

We invite the Garifuna diaspora to join us in representing the collective interests of a quarter million (250,000) Garifuna New Yorkers across critical issue areas such as immigrant integration, mental health, economic development, and civic engagement. 

Let’s work together to make sure the Garifuna community remains visible, our needs are addressed, our contributions are valued, and our community is respected, by building Garifuna Political Power!

We are confident that this mobilization will allow us to empower and transform the New York City Garifuna Community to Thrive!

Outro

HOST: And that wraps up another illuminating episode of The Garifuna Experience Podcast.

Thank you for listening and remember this vital message: The future of the Garifuna people is in our hands. By Defining the New York City Garifuna Community of Interest Profile and demanding a complete count, we are driving Power, Prosperity, and Progress for our community.

Until next time, stay united, stay proud. Sungubei Lidan Aban Ayo!

HOST: Find new episodes of The Garifuna Experience every Tuesday. 

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Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review The Garifuna Experience Podcast. Your support helps us share our vital Garifuna experience with more people around the world.

(SOUND: Garifuna music swells and fades out)

Head Shot

José Francisco Ávila

Host