José Santos Caicedo, Colombia

Ethnicity is more than just an identity issue; it’s an ethical one. José Santos Caicedo, a national coordinator of the Proceso Nacional de Comunidades Negras (Black Communities Process— PCN)—an umbrella group of more than 110 Afro-Colombian grassroots organizations that seek to defend the territorial, cultural and human rights of Afro-Colombians—is a vivid example: “You do not work in the PCN, you are the PCN,” he says, effectively merging his life’s calling with his activism. PCN’s mission is to bring the full benefits of citizenship to Colombia’s Afro-...

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