About

Melva Lowe de Goodin

Melva Lowe de Goodin was born in 1945, and after an extensive education in the United States and years spent living in the U.S., Africa, and elsewhere, she returned to Panama and founded several important community organizations, such as the Panama chapter of TESOL (Organization of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), and SAMAAP, an organization dedicated to community education about Afro-Panamanians’ rich heritage, and to saving the Afro-Antillano Museum of Panama. Melva’s message to the youth is simple: “language empowers the people who speak it.” She also encourages young people to speak out against injustice and for human rights. A professor, playwright, community leader and role model, Melva Lowe de Goodin is an example of the joys of a life dedicated to social change. She is married and has a grown son who lives in Florida.