un-linking the past and the present

There is a blog called the Silver people Chronicle whose objective is "the restoration and preservation of the little known but significant contribution of the West Indians in the culture and history of the Republic of Panama."

there is a link on the blog to email the author. As our work overlaps, in my humble opinion, I exercised the opportunity to give a small introduction to my own project and ask if it would be possible to meet- whether in Panama or the US.

This is the response I received:

Dear Ms. Curtis,

I am pleased that you have found our blog and find some worth in it. However, currently I have no time to dedicate to meetings or gatherings that will not directly help our cause; I really have no time. Please continue perusing our sites that I have listed below and if you would really like to help our Foundation and the enormous project we have undertaken, you can spread the word to others who may be interested and/ or contribute a donation to our cause.

My best regards,

C. Roberto A. Reid

wow. ok. Well then. I am sorry C. Roberto A. Reid does not think that linking academic projects that deal with the same small research population "directly helps their cause." One of the reasons I wanted to to do my particular project is because many researchers are studying what happened to West Indians when they came to build the Canal. I am not at all saying that is not a useful and admirable undertaking. There is much we do not know and we need to rescue these stories before the opportunity for first person narratives die out. But today, Panama's poverty rates are 40%! In a country with less than 3.5 million people, in a country with a Canal, the 2nd largest free trade zone in the world, with a development boom. How has what happened contributed to where we are for all the generations that have lived in this country AFTER canal construction? After the Americans left? After we lost one of the largest (if not the largest) sources of West Indian employment? How did that Zone shape how we thought about opportunities, investment, ownership, and self in relation to the Republic of Panama?

He doesn't have time to meet. Ok. But I take much more offense to the self-importance and mutual exclusivity he feels his projects has in relation to mine, and presumably other projects that research contemporary life in Panama.

Thanks for nothing, compay.

Sr. Reid,

I am sorry that you do not feel academic projects that deal historically and presently in the same small research population directly relate to your cause.Despite the mutual exclusivity that you perceive I will, however, continue to read your blog and those of others who do similar work since the historical piece of where we came from and what we have been through, in my humble opinion, has everything to do with my project of trying to capture where/why/how we are now.

Best,

Ariana Curtis