John,
Today marks the final email of our 4-part email series to commemorate Latinx Heritage Month. In honor of the month, we joined forces with
@HBCUPalante to bring a wide-ranging look at the African Diaspora -- honing in on intersectionality, specifically those of Latinx descent.
For the final part of our 4 part email series, we're talking about the Olympics and highlighting various athletes who made history.
First up is
Jasmine Camacho Quinn! Picture being Black while also representing a land that continues to make every effort to strive under colonial rule. Imagine watching the flag of the land you love raised above your colonizers as you receive the first and only medal for your country of Puerto Rico in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the
first gold medal in track, and
second in its history!
This was Jasmine Camacho-Quinn on August 2nd, 2021 after coming in first during the women's 100m hurdles. She stood proudly in gold hoops and rocked an afro adorned with la Flor de Maga, Puerto Rico's official flower as she listened to LaBorinque?a play, celebrating her historic moment.
Another Olympian that made history was John Wesley Carlos. Just by his name, you may not know who he is immediately -- but you've DEFINITELY seen this photo before:
Yup, that's him! He was born on June 5th, 1945 in Harlem to an African American father and Cuban mother. He is an American former track and field athlete as well as a professional football player.
While he has done much for the culture, he is also well-known for his protest of racism and injustice during the 1968 Summer Olympics. After earning the bronze medal in the 200-meter race, Carlos raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the US national anthem. The protest created much controversy, including medal stripping, banning from games, and death threats. However, Carlos hasn't let that change the work he continues to do in the AfroLatine community including mentoring students in the Spanish Immersion program at the Barack Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology in Atlanta, GA.
Last but not least, we have a Belizean Olympian, Brandon Terrell Jones -- a true rising star! He was born in Norfolk, Virginia but holds dual citizenship in the Central American country of Belize.
Though Jones is very busy as a single father and a Cloud Data Operations Engineer, he finds time to volunteer-coach at Hampton University. During the off-season, he assists student-athletes in fine-tuning their technique and Belizean recruitment of American-born Belizean athletes. Additionally, Jones is a member of the New Horizons Business Industry Council and aids in their STEM department, informing high schoolers of opportunities in his field of work.
Currently, Jones is healing from labrum surgery. He was in a car accident that totaled his car and caused him to sit out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In spite of his setbacks, he is diligently working toward his goals, to qualify for the 2022 World Championships and competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics. After all, he IS the top sprinter and jumper for his country of Belize. Jones remains positive and doesn't plan to let up anytime soon!
You can contribute to his journey by donating to his GoFundMe at Brandon T. Jones.
As Latinx History Month comes to a close, we hope that you enjoyed the content brought through our partnership with
@HBCUPalante!
In love and solidarity,
Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
P.S. Missed our Latinx Heritage Month Webinar? No worries! You can watch the full webinar here.
