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April 26-28, 2024

Word of South

Dr. Luis Martínez-Fernández

Dr. Luis Martínez-Fernández is an historian, university professor, author and public speaker, whose fields of expertise include Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latino / Hispanic culture and society. Currently, he teaches at the University of Central Florida and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Council for History Education.

His books include: Revolutionary Cuba: A History, widely acclaimed as the most comprehensive and systematic study on the subject ever written, Fighting Slavery in the Caribbean and, Key to the New World: A History of Early Colonial Cuba, recipient of Florida Book Awards’ 2018 Bronze Medal in General Nonfiction.

He served as trustee of the College Board (2009-2015) and in numerous professional, editorial, and community boards, among them the Cuban Studies journal, the South Atlantic Humanities Center, Hispanic Young Professionals, the Community Advisory Board of WMFE (Central Florida’s NPR station), and the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Historical Society of Central Florida. In 2005, he founded the annual Latin American Cultural Festival of Orlando.