The Garifuna Voter Registration Project

The Need

Garifunas have remained outsiders with no influence on the important political processes of New York City; they have been, in a word, “invisible”. Although Garifunas have been migrating to the United States in search of a better life since the 1930s, the community was virtually obscured in New York until the Happy Land Social Club fire. Fifty nine of the Happy Land victims were Hondurans. More than 70 percent of the Hondurans were also of Garifuna descent.[1]

Garifunas have been historically underrepresented in our democratic process.

There have been brief periods during which Garifunas have achieved the spotlight since the Happy Land social club fire in 1990, such as:

• In April of 1991 New York City’s Board of Education recognized that Garifuna speaking students with Limited English Proficient (LEP) are entitled to bilingual and ESL programs. Garifuna LEP students who are proficient in Spanish based on the Spanish LAB score may receive Spanish/English Bilingual instructions; these students may also receive instructions and/or support services in Garifuna.

• In 2000, Maria Elena Maximo established a nonprofit organization, Jamalali Uagucha, to conduct a census of the Garifuna people living in New York City ''The problem is we do not have an identity here,'' she said, ''and we are not able to get social services because we are not recognized as a group with special needs.'' [2]

• In September 2003, Bronx Borough president Adolfo Carrion had to intervene with City Hall to deliver the Police Department permit that threatened to cancel the 7th Annual Honduran and GarifunaDay Parade of New York. The Honduran and GarifunaDay Parade Committee notified Carrión that the parade had been cancelled because the NYPD withheld the permit allegedly based on lack of documentation and short notice application. Parade organizers presented an entire portfolio containing copies of parade-related documents including their application dated five earlier (April 2003). Despite pressure from the Carrión administration, NYPD again declined the permit citing personnel limitations and an unusual number of other events scheduled Sunday, September 7th, in The Bronx.

 Moments before walking into a reception at the Borough President’s Office, at which the parade organizers were to publicly announce the cancellation of the parade, Carrión spoke to Mayor Bloomberg who instructed that the parade be allowed and that the required 15 police officers be provided for the parade and the Honduran Food and Music Festival that follows in Crotona Park. [3]

Unfortunately, since those turning points, a federal judge sentenced Maximo to 17 years in prison.[4] Maximo was the main force behind efforts to bring political leverage to the Bronx Garifuna community by promoting the Garifuna census, her arrest, had a chilling effect from the elected officials towards the Garifuna community, since they supported her and her organization.

The Garifuna Coalition USA, Inc is working to increase Garifuna involvement in the electoral process at the local, regional and national levels. The Coalition’s outreach efforts include voter registration drives in New York, community education events that emphasize the importance of voting, and partnerships with high schools to teach youth the responsibility of civic participation.