Black Ethnicity Month 2017 in Panama

Africa en América -el Concierto

We want to share some of the key events for this year’s Black Ethnicity Celebrations in Panama:. Yes, Mes de la Etnia Negra:

What’s in Store for the New Year?

A Blessed and Regenerating New Year to all our readers and supporters!

by Lydia M. Reid

As we approach our second year with our Silver People Heritage site we are conscious of our need to make it easier to use and for it to be more inclusive of the information and stories we wish to share with you, our respected readers.  On that note we want to announce the addition of three new sections that promise to be closer to what we want this web site to be including features our readers have been asking for.

A Tribute to Dr. George A. Priestley, Ph.D

Dr. George A. Priestley 1940-2009

“Let our lives be open books for all to study.” Mahatma Gandhi

On Sunday July 5, 2009 a memorial service was held at Medgar Evers College to honor the passing of a great figure in the Westindian Panamanian diaspora living in New York, Dr. George A. Priestley.  A descendant of the Silver People, whose strength, wit and perseverance was indispensable in the construction of the Panama Canal, he reflected that sterling character in his many achievements throughout his life that made a difference in the lives of many who came in contact with him.

Early Beginnings of Silver Literature

Oldtimers at an intense game of checkers.

The early writings amongst the Silver People of Panama could have started when correspondence was sent back home to the West Indies by, primarily, Westindian men who served that purpose during the mid 19^th century and would continue to serve as message bearers for the working class Silver Men far into the early decades of the 20^th century. We as researchers, however, would not get a glimpse of those writings until much later in our lives, although they were published in the newspapers of their times in Panama during the late 1930’s and up until the late 1950’s.

Compiling a Library of the History of Blacks

This is the place where I spent long and fruitful hours full of exciting discoveries, the New York Public Library reading room in the heart of Manhattan.

Practically all of my experiences at gaining information regarding Blacks in this continent of the Americas have been fraught with frustrations. Some of the most famous and reliable libraries and archives have no registry for the history of Blacks or of people of African descent. So it has continued to be until our day here in a country like Panama where Blacks have been the virtual source of labor since the 16^th century.