Donovan Carter

Hometown

Waxhaw, North Carolina

Education

B.A Political Science, B.A Spanish from Howard University

Interests

Eliminating State-Sanctioned Violence, Afro-Latino Political Movements, Hip-Hop and Reggaetón, Resistance Traditions

Experience

During my time studying Political Science and Spanish, I took courses such as Afro-Hispanic cultural productions, Black Politics, and Political Theory. Each of these courses gave me a new layer of perspective when it comes to political activity in the Black Diaspora, and later I experienced a reflection of it firsthand. I was blessed with the opportunity to study abroad in Cali, Colombia my junior year in the Spring of 2020. Here, I further developed my Spanish-speaking skills while getting a deeper glimpse into the Black Diaspora in Latin America. As I learned about Afro-Colombian culture, identity, and political movements, I saw several parallels between the disproportionate effects Colombia's internal armed conflict had on Afro-Colombians and the different ways state-sanctioned violence can and does occur to Black Americans. Though my time abroad was cut short due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I was in a unique position to observe how a global health crisis impacted the world and created new opportunities for disparities to perpetuate and deepen in both my home and host countries, as well as create new and exciting opportunities for global solidarity. Through the MALAS Program, I hope to gain a better understanding of methods to combat state-sanctioned violence.