Myrna Manzanares

Myrna Manzanares (born 1946) is a Belizean writer and activist, considered an ambassador of Belizean Creole culture. She has worked to preserve this culture, particularly the Creole language, and advocated for racial justice both in Belize and in the diaspora.
Early life and California years.
Myrna Manzanares was born in Gales Point, a small village in Belize District, in 1946. Her mother was the town's craft instructress. At age 8, she left her home village to attend St. John’s Anglican Primary School in Belize City.
She then moved to California in 1965, to join family who had already left after Hurricane Hattie. She obtained a degree in psychology at Pepperdine University, as well as taking English as a second language classes at the University of Southern California. She completed postgraduate studies in psychology at California State University, Long Beach. During her time in California, Manzanares became deeply involved in the Belizean diaspora community of Los Angeles, which she was active in organizing.
Activism and career.
Manzanares returned to Belize in 1986 and became involved in community organizing there, including through the now-defunct PRIDE Belize. 
She is a longtime activist and organizer around black identity and Belizean Creole. In 1995, she co-founded the National Kriol Council, which aims to promote the culture and language of Belizean Creole people. She was also a longtime president of the institution.
Her cultural activism includes extensive oral history work. Manzanares has also fought for women's rights and sexual and reproductive health, as well as for substance abuse prevention and against HIV/AIDS, serving as chair of the National AIDs Task Force and president of the Addiction Alert Rehabilitation Center. She has also been involved with the Belize History Association and the Belize National Library Service Board, and she has been politically involved in the United Democratic Party, including a failed run for the Belize City Council in 1999.
Manzanares has worked for Peace Corps Belize, the Belize Teachers College, and the University of Belize. She has also been appointed as a Justice of the Peace.
Writing.
Manzanares has written poetry, prose, and nonfiction. Her work was included in both Volumes I and II of "Memories, Dreams and Nightmares", an anthology of short stories by Belizean women writers published by the Belizean Writers Series. She also contributed to "Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi!", a collection of Caribbean folktales, and has edited Creole language materials and journals
Her other published works include "Tell Me a Story" (folklore); "Life Lines" (poetry); "Traditional Games of Belize" (compiled for UNICEF); "Faith-Based Response to HIV and AIDS;" and "Healing Circle," a 2017 poetry collection in collaboration with teenager Azizi Hoy.
Personal life and recognition.
Manzanares has two children, a daughter Shalini and son Robert.
In 2008, she was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire "for services to education, culture and social development." The same year, she was honored in Belize's Outstanding Women Awards.
In 2018, she was named one of the first-ever Artists Emeritus by Belize's National Institute of Culture and History 