Garifuna Advocate Urges Greater Representation, Launches Walking-Tour Brochure to Preserve Community History

Jose Francisco Avila, chairman of the Garifuna Coalition and host of the Garifuna Experience podcast, told BronxNet he wants greater political representation for a community he said has been in New York for nearly a century.

"Within that period, there's currently only one Garifuna elected official," Avila said, arguing that undercounting in the census reduces political power because redistricting and representation depend on accurate counts. He said the community must educate younger generations now in preparation for the 2030 census and the next redistricting cycle.

Avila outlined plans for Garifuna Heritage Month events in March, including gatherings at City Hall and Borough Hall and a March 24 event at Story Land to launch a brochure produced with the New York Historic Districts Council that documents sites on Avila’s walking tour from 174th Street to the Happy Land Memorial.

He recounted Garifuna history—exile from Saint Vincent in 1797 and migration to Honduras and other Central American countries—and connected that history to local memory, citing the March 25, 1990 Happy Land Social Club fire, which he described as one of the city's worst fires and said claimed 87 lives, many of Garifuna descent. Avila also noted that UNESCO proclaimed Garifuna language, music and dance a "masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity" in 2001.

Avila said his podcast episodes aim to pass cultural knowledge to younger generations and to elevate Garifuna contributions to New York. He encouraged listeners to follow the Garifuna Experience podcast and local events to learn more about the community's history and civic priorities.