José Francisco Ávila, managing director of the Bronx-based Garifuna Coalition USA, Inc., said on Wednesday that Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson will host the annual Garifuna Heritage Celebration on Thursday, April 3, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. at the Bronx County Borough Hall, Rotunda, 851 Grand Concourse, the Bronx.

Ávila said Gibson, whose father hails from Trinidad and Tobago, will host the event in conjunction with The Bronx Economic Development Corporation and the Bronx Tourism Council.

“This event is part of Garifuna Heritage Month (March 11 – April 12), which celebrates the rich history, vibrant culture, and significant contributions of the Garifuna people,” Ávila said.

He said the celebration will feature a cultural performance by Wabafu Garifuna Dance Theater and an awards ceremony.

“Each year since 2008, the Garifuna in New York observes March 11 to April 12 as Garifuna Heritage Month, in observance of the 228th Anniversary of the Forcible Displacement of the Garifuna People from their Ancestral Homeland St. Vincent ‘Yurumein’ (presently known as St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and their settlement in Central America in 1797,” Ávila said.

He said New York City is home to the largest Garifuna population outside of Central America, with an estimated population of 250,000, with over half the population calling the Bronx home.

Ávila said this makes it the largest Garifuna community outside of Central America.

“Although the Garifuna have been migrating here in search of a better life since the 1930s, the community was virtually obscured until the Happy Land Social Club fire on March 25, 1990; most of the victims were Garifunas,” Ávila said.

“Thanks to the support of elected officials, including then-Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson, who, in 2014, presented the first annual proclamation at the New York City Council, declaring March 11 – April 12 as Garifuna-American Heritage Month in New York City, New Yorkers can gain a greater appreciation of Garifuna history, heritage, culture and traditions, and of the role Garifunas have played, and will continue to play, in New York’s society,” he added.

Since her election as Bronx Borough President, Gibson “has joined with the Garifuna Coalition USA to host the Annual Garifuna Heritage Month celebration beginning in 2023,” Ávila said.