Unruly Diasporas

This essay examines how memory and diasporic community formation serve as tools for Afro-Belizeans in the United States to preserve their histories amid colonial and postcolonial contexts and natural disasters. Utilizing autoethnography and testimonials from Belizean women, it explores the role of memory and placemaking within the broader context of Caribbean and Central American migration. Focusing on the Belizean exodus following Hurricane Hattie in 1961, this essay also highlights the displacement and exile of Black migrants and examines the visibility, erasure, and transnational presence of the Belizean community in Los Angeles shaped by environmental challenges. It underscores the critical role of oral histories in capturing Black Belizeans’ experiences, especially given the limited archival records owing to regional erasure. The author emphasizes the importance of centering and preserving counternarratives that challenge marginalization, offering insights into the ongoing exclusion and sociocultural challenges faced by the Belizean community.