Filmmaker Johanna Bermudez-Ruiz joins Sen. Samuel Carrion and musician stanley jacobs in hispanic heritage celebration

Cane Bay Films founder Johanna Bermudez-Ruiz and Senator Samuel Carrion (center) join principal Andrea Hobson, teachers Geron A. W. Richards and Eli Torres, and musician Stanley Jacobs for Hispanic Heritage Month.

On October 15, international award-winning filmmaker and native Virgin Islander Johanna Bermudez-Ruiz helped close out St. Croix Central High School’s Hispanic Heritage month celebration with a talk and short screening of her documentary film Sugar Pathways.

Joining Ms. Bermudez-Ruiz was former senator, Samuel Carrion, and quelbe flutist and Ten Sleepless Knights band member Stanley Jacobs in two discussions with students on the importance of learning and celebrating heritage.

After showing a clip of Sugar Pathways, which is narrated by actress Luna Lauren Vélez and chronicles the migration of Puerto Rican families to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ms. Bermudez-Ruiz spoke of creating a legacy and encouraged the students to embrace their heritage.

“Identity gives us grounding; it connects us to our past, our present, and even helps us envision our future,” said Johanna Bermudez-Ruiz to St. Croix Central High School students.

“Be proud of where you come from,” Bermudez-Ruiz said. “Knowing who we are allows us to move forward with confidence. Identity gives us grounding; it connects us to our past, our present, and even helps us envision our future.”

Sharing that understanding where they come from helps students connect with who they are and how they fit into the broader Caribbean story.

“It’s not just about Latino heritage, it’s about Caribbean identity as a whole. Our histories and cultures are deeply interconnected,” said Bermudez-Ruiz.

More than 100 students participated in two sessions with Bermudez-Ruiz, Carrion, and Jacobs, and hosted by Principal Andrea Hobson, teacher Geron A. W. Richards and Eli Torres,  and members of the Latino Heritage Committee.