The Fight for Garifuna Dignity: Why Silence is Consent
Defending Garifuna Dignity is not just about silencing a rude influencer; it is about protecting the future of our people.
Let’s be real for a second.
As an attorney here in the Bay Islands, I’ve seen my fair share of legal disputes. But every once in a while, something hits your screen that stops you cold. It forces you to take off the lawyer hat for a moment and just react as a human being.
Last week, a well-known Honduran influencer, “El Supremo” (Lester Cardona), decided that racism was a good content strategy. He looked into the camera and said, “I don’t hire Black people.”
He went on to call us “pícaros” (crooks) and claimed he doesn’t like having Black people in his workspace. When the backlash hit, he claimed it was “comedy.”
Enough is enough.
I wrote a formal legal communiqué regarding this, but I want to speak plainly to my international readers about why this matters.
The Price of Garifuna Dignity: Why Silence is Dangerous
Some might ask: “Kelvin, why spend legal resources on a TikToker? Why not ignore him?”
The answer is simple: Because silence is consent.
If we do not act right now, we are setting a dangerous precedent for the next ten years. We are telling the world that it is acceptable to publicly state “I don’t hire Blacks” as long as you add a laugh track to it.
The “Infection” is Spreading I have already seen comments from our own community—young Black men and women—defending this behavior. They say things like, “He’s just making money,” or “Don’t take it so seriously.”
This is the most heartbreaking part. This is what legal scholars call “Internalized Oppression.” When victims start defending their own abusers because they admire their wealth, we are facing a crisis of self-worth.
If we don’t draw a hard line in the sand today, a whole generation of Garifuna youth will grow up believing that their dignity has a price tag. They will learn that it is better to be a rich “pet” than a respected professional.
Economic Violence is Real
Let’s not forget the core insult: Labor Discrimination.
In an economy where Afro-descendants already face systemic barriers, allowing an influencer with millions of followers to normalize the idea that Black people are “unfit employees” is economic violence.
This isn’t about “cancel culture.” This is about survival.
- We act NOW so that no employer feels comfortable repeating those “jokes” in a job interview.
- We act NOW so that Meta and TikTok enforce their own rules.
- We act NOW because our ancestors did not survive 227 years of struggle for us to fold when a camera is pointed at us.
The Call to Order We are not asking for special treatment. We are demanding the application of the law. If you need legal assistance regarding discrimination, you can always reach out to my office [Link to Contact Page].
To everyone reading this: Do not look away. Do not say “it’s just social media.” Join me in stopping this.
👇 SIGN THE PETITION HERE 👇
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