Lila Genus Martinez was born on 21 October 1950 near Punta Gorda in a disputed border region, now known as the "adjacency zone", between British Honduras and Guatemala.

Her father was descended of Jemima Hariniah Hause, a runaway slave originally from Sierra Leone, who fled Mexico to Belize and married a Belizean named Harrison.

[2] Her mother's father, Henry Genus had migrated from Jamaica to work for United Fruit in 1897, before settling in British Honduras with his Belizean wife, Jemima.

Leela, as she was called, grew up traveling around the small villages of southern British Honduras(Belize), until around the age of five, when she moved to Punta Gorda to live with her maternal grandparents.

In 1997, the group joined with the Belize National Dance Company on a trip to France and Spain, where Vernon worked as a cultural choreographer for more than fifty performances.

When in 1995, The National Kriol Council was formed in Belize City, Vernon was one of the drivers of the organization and was elected the inaugural vice president.