Yvette Modestin

Encuentro Diaspora Afro - Director

Yvette Modestin is a native of the Republic of Panama. She is the Founder and Director of Encuentro Diaspora Afro in Boston, MA, which emerged as a response to the silence surrounding the complex existence of the Afro-Latino/a identity in the Americas and speaks to the commonalities of people of African descent. Ms. Modestin is the Diaspora (US) Regional Coordinator on the Commission of the Red de Mujeres AfroLatinoamericanas y Afrocaribenas y de la Diaspora. In this role, she recently participated in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women with a focus on “eliminating discrimination and violence against girls.”

In October of 2006, Ms. Modestin was profiled in the Boston Globe article, “The Uniter” for her work in bringing the Latin American and African American community together and for her activism in building a voice for the Afro Latino community. Yvette is also the Trainer and Domestic Violence Consultant for Entre Nosotras, an HIV/AIDS Peer Education program for Latinas. She recently participated in the conference “The Status of Afrodescendents in the Americas” held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is the former Director of LEA-Latinas en Accion at HOPE Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation, which addressed leadership development and academic achievement among Latina youth aged 12-18. Yvette attended Emmanuel College and Boston University.

Yvette is also a member of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, The Women of Color Coalition on Reproductive Justice, The Leadership Council of the Girls Coalition of Greater Boston, and Red de Salud de Mujeres Latinoamericanas y del Caribe.