Tribute to Luz Marina Livingston B.

Luz Marina Livingston Bernard (January 26th, 1970 -October 9th, 2025)

On the serene and resilient island of Old Providence, surrounded by the turquoise embrace of the Caribbean Sea, a powerful voice rose for justice, dignity, and the rights of her people — Luz Marina Livingston. With unwavering conviction and deep-rooted love for her island and its Afro-Caribbean and Indigenous Raizal People, she became a beacon of hope, courage, and relentless advocacy.

Luz Marina was not merely an activist; she was a guardian of culture, of the environment, a defender of identity, and a tireless fighter for the marginalized. In a region often overlooked; she was a well prepared, outstanding unique journalist and writer, of unmatchable ethical and moral standard, top-priced diamond, and like few, she made sure that injustice would never go unnoticed. Whether it was defending the Raizal People, fishermen, of the Archipelago of San Andres, Old Providence and Santa Catalina, their sea, land, and environmental rights, standing against displacement, or amplifying the voices of women and the youth, she met every challenge with grace, wisdom, and fire.

We also remember her, boldly standing against the collective fear that insist to emprison the people. She refused to permit to see corruption take over the lives on the islands: corruption that affects our health system, that become permissive to violence and constant assesination, that rob away the peace from our islands.

Her work resonated far beyond Old Providence. It spoke to the universal struggle for human rights — the right to belong, to be heard, to live with dignity. Luz Marina taught us that activism is not just about protest, but about presence: showing up, standing tall, and never backing down even when the tides are against you.

She inspired generations with her courage — not just in what she said, but in what she did. In community meetings, international forums, and local grassroots efforts, her presence was a rallying force. Her legacy is etched in the hearts of all who knew her, and in the ongoing fight for justice that she helped ignite.

We wonder all what she wanted to say to us in one of her latest writing entitled "The Ghosts of the Islands":

"...Today, especially in San Andrés, another fear haunts. A noticeable fear, not associated with the delusions of the past. It's a deeper fear than those ghosts in coffins painted in the sky. It's a suspicion marked by the violence that eats away the society. An apprehension imposed by the harshness and perversity of the underworld".

Though Luz Marina Livingston may no longer walk among us, her spirit — like the sea breeze of Old Providence — will never be still. It whispers through the palms, roars in the storms of protest, and dances in the songs of the islanders who carry her torch forward.

This recognition to Luz Marina Livingston is coming from the Raizal Council (Raizal Authority), and the Raizal Development Center (RDC),