Panamanian Americans

Panamanian Americans (Spanish: panameño-americano, norteamericano de origen panameño or estadounidense de origen panameño) are Americans of Panamanian descent.
The history of Panamanian immigration to the United States is intertwined with the complex diplomatic relationship between the two nations, which formally began in 1903 following Panama's separation from Colombia. Early migration patterns were significantly influenced by the construction and operation of the Panama Canal.
Panamanian Americans are the second smallest Central American ethnic group in the United States as of 2010.
The Panamanian-American population in the United States grew significantly from 100,000 in 2000 to 240,000 in 2021, representing a 134% increase over two decades. Many Panamanian-Americans reside near army-based cities. As of 2021, Panamanian Americans are primarily concentrated in five states including Florida, New York, California, Texas, and Georgia.
Panamanians settled in the United States before the 19th century, however they were not recorded in immigration records. U.S. Immigration officials did not differentiate between Latin American immigrants at the time. The 1940 Census recorded 7,000 Americans of Central American descent, with several hundred likely being Panamanian or of Colombian heritage from areas that later formed the Republic of Panama.
After World War II, immigration from Panama to the United States increased significantly, with the Census Bureau noting in 1960 that Panamanians were among the largest Central American groups in the nation.
Approximately twice as many women as men immigrated to the United States, with many women finding employment in housekeeping, service industries, or as low-level white-collar workers, while sending remittances back to their families. As of 2013, about 20% of Panamanian migrants were employed in the domestic sector.
Panamanian Americans were the second smallest Central American ethnic group in the United States as of the 2010 Census. The Panamanian-American population in the United States grew significantly from 100,000 in 2000 to 240,000 in 2021, representing a 134% increase over two decades. As of 2021, Panamanian Americans are primarily concentrated in five states including Florida (17%), New York (17%), California (10%), Texas (9%), and Georgia (8%).
A mass migration of Afro-Caribbean Panamanians to New York City began in the 1940s due to Panama's 1941 Constitution. Immigration patterns show that over 10,000 non-US citizens departed from Panama for the United States between 1946 and 1949. This constitution denationalized individuals with foreign-born parents from "prohibited races," which significantly impacted the Afro-Caribbean Panamanian community.
Though Harlem was the initial home for many Panamanian immigrants, the expansion of subway lines connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn in the late 1930s led more Afro-Caribbean Panamanians to settle in Brooklyn during the 1940s. Brooklyn's residential patterns were characterized by racial segregation, with North and Central Brooklyn areas designated for non-white residents. These residential restrictions reflected similar segregation practices implemented in both the Canal Zone and Panama. These communities maintained Panamanian cultural traditions while integrating into New York City culture. Many participated in both Spanish and English-speaking social spheres, where they formed connections with broader Black diaspora communities throughout the borough.
Las Servidoras was a scholarship-granting organization founded by Afro-Panamanian women in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1950s. On April 20, 1963, on the tenth anniversary of the organization’s founding, all of its members became lifelong NAACP members. The organization Las Servidoras promoted a broader concept of Panamanian identity (ser panameño) that included communities living outside Panama's borders, expanding the traditional nation-based definition of citizenship.
A 1952 Amsterdam News article documented the cultural practices of Brooklyn's Afro-Caribbean Panamanian community through its coverage of a birthday celebration. The event featured traditional elements such as tamborito dances and folkloric attire, illustrating how the community preserved Panamanian customs in their new urban setting.
Panamanian Americans made significant contributions to the development of reggaeton music, particularly through their work in New York during the late 1980s and early 1990s. While the initial reggae en Español movement originated in Panama, the Panamanian-American music scene in New York played a crucial role in transforming it into early reggaeton through the incorporation of urban American music styles. This fusion occurred primarily through production work in New York studios, where Panamanian-American producers and artists combined Caribbean rhythms with elements of hip-hop and house music, creating a distinctive sound that would later influence reggaeton's development in Puerto Rico and other regions.
From 1904, the Panama Canal Zone fostered a distinct American community known as "Zonians", who enjoyed U.S.-style amenities and infrastructure. The Zone maintained a rigid social system dividing white "gold roll" workers from West Indian "silver roll" laborers, who faced discrimination and hazardous work conditions. After the Zone's closure in 1979, former residents continued their community connections through yearly gatherings in Tampa, Florida.
The Panamanian American Chamber of Commerce was established in Miami during the 1990s to support Panamanian exiles who fled to South Florida during the Noriega dictatorship.
As of 2010, there were 17,301 Panamanians living in Florida, with Miami hosting 13,529 and Tampa with 3,772. This is due to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.
The Panamanian-American dance troupe named Orgullo Panameño from Hinesville, Georgia performed at the Fiesta Latina festival on River Street in Savannah, Georgia in 2013. They performed dressed in polleras and diablicos sucios.
Billy Cobham, born in 1944, is a Panamanian-American drummer, composer, and bandleader who played a pivotal role in developing jazz fusion music. His 1973 debut solo album "Spectrum" became a landmark recording in the genre, blending rock instrumentation with jazz complexity. Cobham is known for his drumming technique, including the use of two drumsticks in each hand, and has collaborated with notable artists including Miles Davis, John McLaughlin in the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Carlos Santana, and the Grateful Dead.
Panamanian Americans made significant contributions to the development of reggaeton music, particularly through their work in New York during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The most notable Panamanian-American figure was producer Michael Ellis, who worked from New York City to create fusions of Spanish reggae, hip-hop, and house music that helped define the early reggaeton sound. Ellis's production work, particularly with Panamanian artists, was instrumental in introducing Spanish reggae to Puerto Rico and other parts of Latin America.
Singer and rapper Aloe Blacc is Panamanian-American.
Making Movies is a Kansas City-based band formed by two sets of brothers; Panamanian-American siblings Enrique Chi (guitar) and Diego Chi (bass), alongside Mexican-American brothers Andres Chaurand (drums) and Juan-Carlos Chaurand (percussion/keyboards). The band's personal experiences inform their work. Due to changes in U.S. immigration law, Enrique and Diego Chi held different citizenship statuses despite being born to the same American citizen father. They have collaborated with the Panamanian singer and activist Rubén Blades.
Los Rakas are a Panamanian-American hip-hop duo.
Quibián Salazar-Moreno, a Panamanian-American writer named after a 16th-century chief who resisted Columbus, immigrated to Denver as a child and navigated multiple cultural transitions including his mother's death, his grandmother's arrival from Panama, and his father's remarriage to an Italian-American. Now living in Los Angeles, he maintains ties to his Panamanian heritage while raising his children to embrace their multicultural Afro-Latina background.
Panamanian-American Debi Hasky is a visual artist that spotlights daily street harassment faced by women.
Sabrina Shumaker is a Panamanian American visual artist based in Central Florida. Born in Texas, she works across multiple mediums including sculpture, oil painting, and illustration, with a particular focus on murals. One of her well-known works is "Night Owl," a 15-foot-tall mural located on Burton's Thornton Park in Downtown Orlando, Florida.
Sarunas Jackson's, a Panamanian-American actor, role as Dro on the television series Insecure initially called for a Black Mexican character. However, Jackson advocated for changing the character's background to Afro-Latino of Panamanian descent. This change represented a significant milestone in the representation of Afro-Latino identities in U.S. mainstream media.
Liliana Damaris Pope is a Panamanian American apparel and accessories designer based in Austin, Texas. She is known for discussing her Afro-Latina identity on social media, inspired by a Google Doodle featuring a Panamanian American nurse who founded the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.
Angela Spring, a Panamanian and Puerto Rican American entrepreneur, founded Duende District, a pop-up bookstore business in Washington, D.C. that operates through multiple locations and focuses on serving communities of color through curated literature and cultural programming.