The George A. Smathers Libraries in partnership with Pan Caribbean Sankofa, Inc., propose two public humanities programs, to be held in UF and Panama in April 2021, to examine the history and lives of the Caribbean people who lived and worked in the former Panama Canal Zone and in Panama. In 1999 longtime Canal employee Cecil Haynes described the tens of thousands of West Indian laborers who constructed the Canal as VIPs, or Very Invisible People, because their stories were largely unknown and their contributions were unrecognized. Proposed programs will address the importance of identity, community, religion, language, and culture in the face of the Caribbean diaspora and the segregation and racism faced in Panama and the U.S. In addition to raising awareness about the lives and roles of these Caribbean people, the programs are intended to foster dialogue between the academic community and the dispersed Caribbean communities. These public engagement opportunities will provide forums for Caribbean people to share their voices, perspectives, and experiences as a marginalized community and also as people of great intelligence, expertise, professionalism, good character, and high morale in spite of discrimination and racism.