In this episode of the Dis A Fi Mi History Podcast, Professor Idalia T. Wilmoth delves into crucial aspects of Caribbean history and heritage through the lens of Black Roatán identity, migration, and language preservation. Exploring family genealogy and the significance of family archives, she paints an immersive picture of how cultural memory is preserved through storytelling, religion, and language amidst political challenges and displacement.

Listeners gain insight into the emotional landscapes faced by Caribbean and Central American diasporic communities as they strive to maintain their unique identity. The conversation emphasizes the urgency of safeguarding documents, oral histories, and shared heritage to sustain Roatán’s Black Creole identity for future generations and deepen our understanding of how colonialism has shaped present-day belonging and identity across the diaspora.

Bio:

Professor Idalia T. Wilmoth is Associate Faculty in the Indiana University School of Education’s Department of Urban Teacher Education and Africana Studies Program. Her research sits at the intersection of Afro-Latin Studies, Caribbean Studies, and Black geography, with a particular focus on how identity is shaped within racialized historical and geographical spaces.

Driven by a commitment to preserving orality, her work engages both empirical and archival methods to explore the lived experiences of Black communities across the Caribbean and Central America.

Her dissertation project, “Neva Fah Get Home: Constructions of Black Roatánin Identity in Roatán, Honduras,” examines the development of Black cultural identity along Central America’s Caribbean Coast. A key component of this research involved conducting interviews through podcasting—an innovative approach that captures and preserves the authentic voices of Black Roatánins, especially second-generation individuals navigating questions of migration, belonging, and cultural memory.

Through her scholarship, Professor Wilmoth highlights the importance of storytelling as both a method and a form of historical preservation.

Links:

https://www.biarchives.com/about.html

https://www.linkedin.com/in/idalia-wilmoth-phd-53027622b/