Ep. 112: The Afro-Panamanian Experience: Colorism in The Americas and educating children about their cultural heritage, part 1

Rosa María Bell, Afro-Panamanian educator/entrepreneur born and raised in Panama, Republic of Panama. Relevant education includes a post-master certificate in Educational Leadership at the University of Phoenix, a Master of Secondary Education in World Language - Spanish from Hawaii Pacific University (HPU); A second Master of Art in Teaching with a Specialization in E-teaching and Learning from National University; and a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Cum-Laude at National University. Rosa Maria is the Founder and CEO of PLC Culture and Diversity LLC and the host of the popular Cafecirto Cultural. In March 2022, she created the first Cultural Awareness Foundation for Educators (CAFE) to support educators interested in incorporating culture into their language classes and promote cultural and wellness annual retreats to support teachers' social-emotional wellness and cultural curriculum plans to implement global citizenship in their classes. On March 8th, 2022, I was recognized as one of the “Brilliant Minds” by Panama TV Channel 4. This recognition is one of the most outstanding awards received abroad. This same month March, I started to work with the American Council Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in the Diversity Equality and Inclusion (DEI) committee. Currently, I have been nominated as president-elect for the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). In February 2023, Rosa Maria Bell received a Gold Medal Award (and a certificate of recognition) from the office of United States President Joe Biden in honor of her leadership skills and more than 500 hours of voluntary work for her school, students, and the community. In part 1 of this episode, we discussed:    - Rosa's upbringing in Panama - Colorism and how ingrained it is in Latin American culture  - Creating the Cultural Awareness Foundation for Educators (CAFE) to address the need to include cultural heritage as part of educational curriculums.    Connect with Rosa Bell  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosambell PLC Culture and Diversity LLC, Founder  Cafecito Cultural, Executive Producer and Host PLC FACEBOOK PLC YouTube Channel  Website: cafecitocultural.com     Subscribe to The Immigrant Experience in America on YouTube:  https://bit.ly/3Om