The United Association of Muurs and Sadiki Educational Safari, Inc. have quietly made history with a community-led initiative that helped Washington, D.C. youth secure five-year passports and travel from Ward 8 to Colombia for an immersive, Afro-diasporic learning journey.
Centered on Black self-determination, maroon histories, and cross-border sisterhood, the program demonstrates what becomes possible when grassroots fundraising, cultural vision, and intergenerational mentoring work together. Through coordinated fundraising and deep neighborhood engagement, the United Association of Muurs and Sadiki Educational Safari, Inc. raised the resources needed not only to purchase plane tickets but also to cover the cost of five-year passports for youth who had never before left the United States.
For many of the girls, this was their first time traveling without family, navigating airports, embassies, and international borders under the care of community mentors and program leaders. The process itself became a rite of passage. Youth traveled to the Colombian Embassy in Washington, D.C., learning how international travel works, what documentation is required, and why passports are powerful tools of mobility and access.
In a political moment where travel is often restricted or economically inaccessible, this initiative turned passport acquisition into a communal act of love, investment, and affirmation.
Centering Afro-Maroonage and the Palenque Legacy
A core focus of the journey was Afro-marronage, which were the histories of African-descended people who escaped enslavement and formed autonomous communities across the Americas.
In Colombia, that history lives powerfully in San Basilio de Palenque, widely recognized as one of the first free Black towns in the Americas and a living site of resistance, survival, and cultural continuity. Afro-Colombian political consciousness is part of a strong culture of resistance waged by people of African heritage in the face of colonial oppression and ethnic discrimination. An example of this culture of political resistance in Colombia traces its roots back to the experience of the palenqueros, or the establishment of colonies of free Africans during slavery.
The group’s visit to the Palenque community in the Cartagena region allowed the youth to encounter this history as a living, breathing reality. They shared traditional food prepared by local Afro-Colombian families, listened to stories of maroon struggle and resilience, and learned about the Palenquero language, a linguistic testament to the creativity and defiance of people who refused to be erased. ‘Palenquero,’ which is spoken by the communities of San Basilio de Palenque, has been recognized since 1603 as being the first free settlement of the Americas. According to DANE (2005), this first free settlement has also been declared by UNESCO as being an international cultural heritage site. The young visitors witnessed how music, foodways, spiritual practices, and language serve as archives of resistance, carrying forward memories of African homelands and maroon ingenuity.
In Palenque, the youth also observed differences in resources between rural Afro-descendant communities and more urbanized spaces like Medellín. This contrast deepened their understanding of how race, geography, and economic inequality intersect and how maroon communities continue to navigate structural marginalization while preserving their heritage. From the beginning of the 19th century the Colombian government actively pursued a policy of ‘blanqueamiento,’ or ‘whitening,’ of society. This was based both on a white supremacist ideology, which believed that to whiten the race was to improve the race, and on a xenophobic policy, which feared the eventual political empowerment and influence of Black and indigenous peoples if their numbers were allowed to increase.
The history of Benkos Biohó, often celebrated as the founder of San Basilio de Palenque, became a powerful anchor for the youth’s learning. Biohó, an African man who organized escapes from slavery and led a maroon community in colonial Colombia, was described by one participant as taking risks like “MLK,” connecting his fight for freedom to more familiar narratives of U.S. civil rights leadership.
For Taraji Tucker, learning about Biohó reshaped her sense of Black resistance across borders. She reflected that “Colombia is so beautiful, and I learned about the people that came to get freedom and what it took for them to be happy.”
Her takeaway from the program was grounded in sacrifice and courage: “He risked himself to break out and risk his life to save other people like MLK.” Her message to future participants was clear and candid: “If you are like me and don’t want to join… just join because it is a great opportunity… I feel special.”
By connecting Biohó’s legacy to figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the youth articulated, in their own language, a Pan-African political memory of recognition that freedom struggles in Colombia, the United States, and the wider African Diaspora are chapters of one shared narrative.
First-Time World Travelers
For many participants, this trip represented an emotional, spiritual, and physical crossing of borders.
Thirteen-year-old Ahkirah from Ward 8 reflected on how the community rallied to support her passport, sharing that she was grateful “to have the community come together for her passport.” She noted that “this was my first time being separated from family for such a long time traveling,” revealing both the vulnerability and bravery required to step into an unfamiliar country at her age.
Ahkirah’s most memorable moments came from connecting with Afro-Colombian children. Despite the language barrier, she emphasized that she “felt connected” and recognized “similar energy” in the youth she met. Her practical advice for future participants captured the spirit of global citizenship: she encouraged them to learn the language of the country they are visiting and expressed a desire for more time with local children in future iterations of the program. Her reflections highlight how travel can transform shyness or uncertainty into confidence and curiosity.
Thirteen-year-old Brianna Bender, also from Ward 8, admitted that she “expected it would be extra boring” but was pleasantly surprised to find that it “was really fun,” especially meeting Afro-Colombian kids, visiting a water park, and engaging with local history. Her observations from the Palenque community were sharp and critical: she noticed “stark differences in resources” between Palenque and urban centers like Medellín. This awareness signals that youth are not only absorbing culture; they are developing a critical lens on inequality, infrastructure, and investment in Black communities across borders.
Building Bridges in Cartagena and Medellín
Beyond Palenque, the program built relationships with local schools and community organizations in Cartagena and Medellín.
The youth visited schools in Cartagena, participating in exchanges of ecotourism and mutual learning. They encountered peers whose daily lives differ in language, landscape, and context, yet whose experiences of Blackness, joy, and resilience resonate deeply.
In Medellín, the girls connected with the organization Corpo Afro Rosa Parks en Defensa de las Mujeres Afrodescendientes in Barrio San Javier, a community anchored by a history of state violence, community resistance, and artistic transformation. There, the youth learned local dances, shared their own, and created a powerful artistic exchange.
For the girls, dance became its own language that did not require translation to communicate joy, solidarity, and shared spirit. These exchanges were reciprocal encounters where Black girls from Washington, D.C., and Afro-Colombian communities met on common ground. Through movement, music, and shared stories, they collectively affirmed that “our stories are connected across borders.”
Lessons from District 13 and Elders of Resistance
The journey included exposure to other Afro-Colombian spaces such as Quibdó in the Chocó region through stories shared by Nallely and others from the Origin + Culture staff who curated the 10-day experience.
They also visited a historically significant area like Comuna 13 (District 13) in Medellín. Here, youth learned about community leadership in the face of militarization, displacement, and state neglect.
One of the leaders we met was Maria de Socorro Mosquera. She is a major organizer and activist in Comuna 13. During Operation Mariscal, 2002, when guerrilla groups, paramilitary groups, and criminal organizations were fighting for control, the civilians were caught in the crossfire. Socorro Mosquera and other women mobilized the women to come outside waving white sheets, blankets, and tablecloths to signal that they were families who wanted to end the violence, trapped inside of their homes and other places as a means to negotiate peace in the community. The action was powerful and led to a ceasefire.
Learning about her leadership and the creative tactics employed by residents to demand dignity and safety for the community members gave the youth a living example of community-based conflict transformation.
These stories invited participants to compare the struggles of Black communities in Washington, D.C., around policing, displacement, and systemic neglect with those of Afro-Colombian neighborhoods. The parallels underscored that African communities across the diaspora have developed their own strategies for survival, negotiation, and transformation, even under tremendous pressure.
Cultural Memory Through Food, Language, and Art
Food also played a central role in the learning experience. The youth shared meals such as local dishes prepared by Afro-Colombian cooks, including offerings from spaces like La Casa Humo & Grill and meals identified as traditional to the region.
Sitting around tables with their hosts, tasting new flavors, and hearing the stories behind each dish offered another entry point into Afro-Colombian history.
Language surfaced as both a bridge and a barrier. While some youth did not speak Spanish or Palenquero, they found that tone, laughter, rhythm, and movement could still create connection. For those who did speak or began to learn, language became a tool for deeper engagement and respect.
The Palenquero language, born out of maroon communities’ efforts to craft safety and secrecy, stood as a living testament to Black cultural creativity and resistance.
For Taraji, the trip shifted her reluctance into gratitude and pride; she “didn’t want to join” at first but now “feels special” and encourages other youth not to miss opportunities like this. For Brianna, a program she expected to be “extra boring” became a joyful, eye-opening experience in which she forged friendships and sharpened her awareness of global disparities. For Ahkirah, the trip represented a leap into independence, community-supported courage, and a profound feeling of connection across language and national boundaries.
The initiative by Sadiki Educational Safari INC. and the United Association of Muurs stands as a call to action to continue investments in youth to prioritize partnerships with Black communities abroad, root travel in historical consciousness, and ensure youth are active learners and cultural ambassadors.
As more D.C. youth build these bridges with Afro-Colombian communities and other African Diaspora sites around the world, they carry home a critical message: our stories have always crossed oceans, and our futures are intertwined.
This work serves a reminder that when communities pool their resources and imagination, a passport becomes more than a document; it becomes a key to memory, solidarity, resistance, and freedom.
“I am grateful for the donors and community members who came together to support this diasporal experience. It would not have been possible without them,” said Lydia Curtis, founder and executive director of Sadiki Educational Safari. “Although this work can be very difficult at times, it is also deeply fulfilling, and it is my life’s work.”
