Dr. Carolina Harris: Carving Spaces for Afro-Caribbean Latino Communities in Upper Darby
Feb 17, 2019 08:00AM ● By Nana Ama Addo
Dr. Carolina Baltazar Harris is president of the African Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean Latin American Descent- PAC. The ACACLAD-PAC is a network of change-makers of African and Caribbean descent who use their coalition to voice and resolve concerns that affect their communities. As a pioneer of social change, she leads the group in helping Afro-Caribbean communities have a stronger voice and better resources in Upper Darby and Yeadon communities.
The network is needed to increase the collective voice of the large Afro-Caribbean population in Yeadon and Upper Darby. Dr. Harris’ work delves into how Afro-Caribbean and AfroLatino communities can integrate into the mainstream and take advantage of the resources that are available in in the Upper Darby area. She envisioned a bright future of inclusion and multiculturalism in the development of the Upper Darby Township.
She said, “You are beginning to see a lot of integration of the residents and how they integrate as it relates to government and as it relates to being in a country that they are not accustomed to/” Harris, who is a voting rights advocate, urged voters in the Upper Darby area to vote in every election – local, state, and federal. She said it is imperative that every citizen vote and she offered a three-step guide to successful voting.
1: Research the candidates.
2: Observe their party, their platform, what they propose they will do if they win and how they will provide necessary resources for the community.
3: Put your knowledge into action – go vote!
She would like to see more candidates going into underserved groups in Upper Darby like African Caribbean and African American communities and to build positive, progressive relationships. She encouraged voters to pay attention to which candidates are equally active in different communities. She said all candidates should come into the neighborhoods to observe the quality of life there and discover what families need to thrive in the Upper Darby community.
