Celine Ayala

Celine Maria Ayala is a queer Black Puerto Rican doctoral candidate in the department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of New Mexico (UNM). Her current work examines Afrolatin experiences framed within an Afrolatin Critical Theory of Race to investigate how Afrolatin bodies are racialized and gendered through a transnational history of colonization, imperialism, and antiblackness. Her work is inspired by her late father’s stories of his transition from Puerto Rico to the mainland. When not working on her dissertation, she is hosting events, meetings, and panel discussions as the current representative and founder of the Afrolatinx Caucus within MALCS (Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social). She is also a musician (bass, trumpet and, Vocals), poet, and former TEDx speaker.