Fireburn Heritage, Inc.
Our Story Our Voice
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In 2025, the Virgin Islands ABCs Initiative culminated in a series of joyful celebrations at Alfredo Andrews, Claude O. Markoe, and Ricardo Richards—three public elementary schools located on St. Croix. These events marked the completion of a vibrant educational project that began in 2024, designed to cultivate cultural literacy and pride in local youth through storytelling, art, and immersive cultural experiences.
At Fireburn Heritage, we believe in the power of stories to educate, inspire, and connect communities. Recently, our Executive Director and Founder, Angela Golden Bryan, was honored to participate in a special literacy event organized by the St. Thomas Rotary Club in collaboration with the V.I. Children’s Museum. This event brought Anna and the Goat Foot Woman: A Story of Gratitude Inspired by Caribbean Folktales to second-grade students at Sibilly Elementary School.
During our recent visit to St. Croix, throughout the month of October, we had the pleasure of connecting with children and parents through dramatic readings of Anna and the Goat Foot Woman.
A heartfelt thank you to St. George Botanical Gardens, Undercover Books, and the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts for creating spaces to share our story.
In October, award-winning author Angela Golden Bryan led a transformative 3-day Book Writing Bootcamp on the island of St. Croix. Hosted by the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts (CMCArts), and sponsored by CMCArts, Fireburn Heritage, Resist Foundation, and the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, this workshop empowered aspiring writers with practical tools to bring their stories to life.
The workshop, titled Your Story, Your Voice, provided participants with guidance on brainstorming, organizing, and writing their books.
In collaboration with Fireburn Heritage, Inc. and the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts (CMCA), local third graders will embark on an exciting journey to create an ABC book that showcases the unique heritage of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This initiative aims to nurture cultural appreciation and storytelling skills among young students while producing a valuable educational resource for preschoolers. The project plays a vital role in the humanities, as it preserves and celebrates local culture, fosters community engagement, and underscores the importance of arts education in understanding and safeguarding our cultural heritage.
At Fireburn Heritage, our commitment to preserving cultural heritage aligns seamlessly with our dedication to education and community enrichment. We are delighted to have recently donated books to support the Little Free Library project in the Virgin Islands, a wonderful initiative facilitated by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI). We extend our sincere thanks to the CFVI for making this opportunity possible. Their support enables us to contribute to the enrichment of VI communities through accessible knowledge and shared stories.
On September 30, 2023, the Rotary club of St. Thomas hosted a children’s literacy event and partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of St. Thomas. The Rotarians donated 50 copies of our children’s book, James and the Fireburn, to the children and invited author Angela Golden Bryan to read James and the Fireburn to the children. Afterwards she engaged the children with a question and answer session relating to VI history as well as bullying. We thank the St. Thomas Rotary for the partnership opportunity and for helping us get our products into the hands of young readers.
On September 28, 2023 we had the opportunity to share our VI centric products at the inaugural Blooming Book Club event. The event was held at the St. George Botanical Garden, on the island of St. Croix. Fireburn Heritage’s founder and executive director, Angela Golden Bryan, was one of two authors selected to host the Garden’s first ever book club. We were able to share our books,Fireburn the Screenplay, as well as, James and the Fireburn, to an enthusiastic audience. It is always a pleasure when we are able to fulfill our mission of sharing the proud Virgin Islands’ history and culture.
While in pre-production for upcoming projects, we are partnering with First Wesleyan Community Church of Hollywood, FL (FWCC) to feed residents in the immediate and surrounding neighborhoods.FWCC is hosting food distributions with food supplied by Feeding South Florida. On several occasions, with more planned for the future, we fed over 200 families each time. We are grateful to be a part of such a worthy cause and look forward to continued partnerships with other great organizations.
Fireburn the Documentary was featured as part of Serendipity’s International Women’s Day 2022 – Women of Resistance Film Sharing and Discussion. Serendipity – Institute for Black Arts and Heritage is committed to honoring revolutionary women who have fought to make the world a better place for their communities and we are honored that Fireburn was selected as a part of their lineup. We are thrilled that our products continue to meet global audiences who desire to share our story. Thank you, Serendipity, for the partnership opportunity!
Artlantic screens "Fireburn the Documentary" 2022 artlantic's event 10_2022-cmp Three Women James and the Fireburn ALL ALURELS Fireburn-Poster_Dec-cmp USVI Diaspora Event Photo On October 21, 2022 we were honored that Artlantic chose to screen our award winning film, Fireburn the Documentary, as a part of their Fireburn commemorative event. This free event was in memory [...]
As a kickoff to the Library of Congress’ National Book Fair, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands hosted an intimate gathering on September 1st, 2022. The invitation-only event was held on the rooftop terrace of Planet Word Museum in Washington, DC and featured stunning views, delicious food and drink, and an opportunity to mingle with family and friends of CFVI. CFVI gave out t-shirts, branded bags, masks and many other goodies. Fireburn Heritage board members, Lou Golden and Erin Bryan were in attendance, along with family and friends of Fireburn Heritage. As guest of honor, Angela, Executive Director of Fireburn Heritage, gave a few words and signed books.
“Short films are making progressive waves this past year, especially one project by artist and filmmaker Angela Golden Bryan.”
“The documentary explores the inhumane work and living conditions that existed prior to the revolt and takes an in depth look at the women who were called “Queens” due to their leadership.”
“[…] a short documentary that pays homage to an event significant to Virgin Islands history.”
“The documentary helps bring the story to a global stage and new audiences.”
“This documentary is an insightful look into Virgin Islands history and culture. Not only is it visually stunning, it puts a whole new meaning and depth behind the Fireburn.”
“This screenplay had me riveted and feeling spellbound, shocked, saddened, uplifted and joyous…all at the same time.”
“Once I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down. Although it’s written in a movie script format, it only took me a couple of pages to get used to it and get into a rhythm. Super interesting and educational. Would love to see this on the big screen one day!”
“Anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially the history of the islands, will love this. The angst and frustration of our ancestors during and after slavery supposedly ended was deeply felt as I read the lines of this screenplay.”
“This book is amazing! As a teacher from the Virgin Islands, I appreciate that I can teach about bullying and incorporate aspects of our history!”
“This is a wonderfully written and illustrated book! Children and adults will benefit from the author’s message. Every child should be able to read this inspirational book and hopefully schools will make this a part of their curriculum.”
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