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With the Olympics just aroundthe corner, some track andfield fans had begun to ques-tion if Usain Bolt would beready to defend his sprinttitles. The Jamaican’s magnifi-cent run in Rome last monthanswered the critics, page 6.

June is Caribbean AmericanHeritage Month. There arenumerous positives to cele-brate as many with roots fromthe region, such as MarcusGarvey, have made significantmarks on the history of theUnited States, page 7.

On July 10, The Bahamas will celebrate 39 years ofIndependence. Minister ofTourism and Aviation VincentVanderpool-Wallace recentlyspoke to Caribbean Todayabout that nation’s progressand what it offers to visitors,page 14.

INSIDE News ................................................................2Feature ............................................................7Viewpoint ........................................................9Arts/Entertainment ......................................11

Health/Environment ....................................12Local/FYI........................................................13Bahamas Independence ............................14Tourism/Travel ..............................................17

Election Watch ............................................18Caribbean American Heritage Month ....19Sport ..............................................................22Classifieds ....................................................23

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~ With constant questions over thestate of care for elderly when theyenter nursing homes in the UnitedStates, Caribbean Americans arebattling the issue of what to dowith their loved ones when theygrow old and become difficult tocare for, page 5.

~ Caribbean Americans whohave stashed large financialwealth abroad while residingin the United States areattracting the attention of a U.S. government eager to collect unpaid taxes byenforcing a relatively newlaw, page 2.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -The United StatesImmigration and CustomsEnforcement’s (ICE) agencysays it has arrested morethan 220 criminals and seizedmore than 142 illegal arms ina four-month enforcementoperation dubbed“Caribbean Resilience”.

ICE said OperationCaribbean Resilience, a jointinitiative that includes the

Puerto Rico PoliceDepartment (PRPD) and theSan Juan Police Department(SJPD), was launched inresponse to the unprecedent-ed number of violent crimescommitted here last year.

“The operation, whichbegan in January, has nettedhundreds of arrests andseizures of illegal arms as wellas narcotics,” ICE said in astatement issued in mid-May,

adding that U.S Customs andBorder Protection (CBP)recently joined the initiative.

“The results of this opera-tion show the commitment torid our communities of indi-viduals involved in criminalactivity,” said AngelMelendez, acting special agent in charge of the U.S. Homeland SecurityDepartment’s San Juan office.

BEGINNING“This is only the begin-

ning of a series of surges toreturn our communities to law abiding citizens fromunscrupulous criminals, whohave no respect for human lifeand dignity,” he added.

Melendez said the initia-tive had resulted in a drasticreduction in crime in varioushotbeds, including the entireregion of Carolina, PuertoRico, which covers the LuisMuñoz Marin InternationalAirport where more than 73criminal arrests had beenmade and 48 illegal weapons,1,747 rounds of ammunition,and more than $30,000 in cashseized.

ICE did not give thenationalities of those detainedin the sweep.

- Edited from CMC.

Æ

DAWN A. DAVIS

Caribbean nationals who havestashed large financial wealthabroad while residing in theUnited States are attractingthe attention of a U.S. govern-ment eager to collect unpaidtaxes by enforcing a relativelynew law.

The 2010 ForeignAccount Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) requires for-eign banks, financial andinvestment companies todeclare to the U.S. InternalRevenue Service (IRS)income and assets ofAmerican citizens held inoverseas accounts.

Earnings held in off-shorebanks, such as those in theCaribbean, may be subject toU.S. taxation. According to theIRS website, the law states:

“FATCA requires certainU.S. taxpayers holding foreignfinancial assets with an aggre-gate value exceeding $50,000to report certain informationabout those assets on a newform (Form 8938) that mustbe attached to the taxpayer’sannual tax return. Reportingapplies for assets held in taxable years beginning

after Mar. 18, 2010. For mosttaxpayers this will be the 2011tax return they file during the2012 tax-filing season. Failureto report foreign financialassets on Form 8938 will resultin a penalty of $10,000 (and apenalty up to $50,000 for con-tinued failure after IRS notifi-cation). Further, underpay-ments of tax attributable tonon-disclosed foreign financialassets will be subject to anadditional substantial under-statement penalty of 40 per-cent”.

The FACTA could affectmany Caribbean nationalswho hold dual citizenship withthe U.S., as permanent resi-dents or “green card” holders.Many financial centers acrossthe region that cater to U.S.-based investors may also besubject to the regulations.

Florida-based tax andasset protection attorneyLocksley Rhoden said compli-ance with FACTA is expected,

“We live in this veryextreme disclosure environ-ment where our laws ultimate-ly for residents and citizenssupersede the foreign lawsthat they conflict with,”Rhoden explained. “If the tax- payer is a citizen or resident

of the United States, disclo-sure is ultimately required ofthem.”

But there may be ways toreduce tax liability.

“You can do certain busi-ness utilizing foreign business

entities and/or foreign trustsas a U.S. taxpayer and a lot ofthat has to be income tax neu-tral,” Rhoden added.

“Meaning, you are going to follow the reportingrequirements, but the benefitis one of confidentiality... Youcan structure it the right waysuch that you do not personally own everythingabroad...You don’t eliminateit, but you can minimize it.”

Rhoden said that the U.S. tax system has becomemore complex, but cautionedAmericans citizens not topanic because the requiredforms are basically to gatherinformation.

“These are not tax forms,they are really just disclo-sures,” he explained. “TheIRS is trying to gain informa-tion.

“...At the end of the day,they may be just fishing forthose fringe folks who theycan determine are doingthings wrong, but it puts a bigburden on the broader cross-section of the population.”

Ivan Lewis, a tax account-ant and consultant whoseclient base is largely ofCaribbean descent, said tax-payers should not take the law

Operation Caribbean Resilience reaps success

TAX NET: Caribbean Americans’ off-shore earnings under IRS scrutiny

2 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

NEWS

(Continued on page 6)

WASHINGTON,D.C. - Despite strongopposition from gov-ernors of two states inthe United States andimmigrant groups, theadministration of U.S.President BarackObama says it willextend a controversialfingerprinting pro-gram that identifiesCaribbean and otherillegal immigrants.

In e-mails dis-patched last month to officials and the police in the U.S. states ofMassachusetts andNew York, officials ofthe U.S. Immigrationand CustomsEnforcement (ICE)said the program,known as SecureCommunities, wouldbe activated “in allremaining jurisdic-tions” on May 15.

“SecureCommunities hasproven to be the sin-gle most valuable toolin allowing the agency to elim-inate the ad hoc approach ofthe past and focus on criminalaliens and repeat immigrationlaw violators,” declared ICE

Spokeswoman BarbaraGonzalez in a statement.

“At the end of the day,this is a federal program. Wehave to make our own deci-sions based on our law

enforcement operationalneeds.”

CRITICISMLast June,

MassachusettsGovernor DevalPatrick refused to signan agreement with ICEto expand SecureCommunities beyond apilot program in theBoston area since 2006.At the same time,

New York’s GovernorAndrew Cuomo said hewanted to suspend theprogram, which hadalready been initiated ina number of counties inhis state.Critics claim Secure

Communities is an“overly wide dragnet”that seeks to deport asignificant number ofillegal Caribbean andother immigrants withno criminal record”.They also believe theseimmigrants were arrest-ed for minor infractions,and that the policy fos-ters racial profiling.A spokesman for Cuomo

said the New York governor,whose state has a significantnumber of Caribbean immi-grants, is “monitoring the situ-

ation”.Patrick said it is “very

important” to him that peoplenot see expansion of SecureCommunities as “a license toprofile.”

TARGETBoston Mayor Thomas

Menino said it is “dangerousto target immigrants when youare trying to build a communi-ty.

“The information gets putinto a computer and sent toWashington, and the wrongperson gets deported,” hesaid, adding, “I want to makethis city work; and, to havethe feds (federal government)come in and tell me you haveto do this or to do that is justwrong.”

In a letter sent last monthto U.S. Attorney General EricHolder, the son of Barbadianimmigrants, New York PublicAdvocate Bill de Blasio urgedthe U.S. federal governmentto halt the expansion of thecontroversial program to NewYork City, warning of the risksit poses to public safety.

“The Secure Communitiesprogram takes fingerprints ofsuspects in jail and sends themto the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation (FBI), which, inturn, shares the information

with the US Immigration andCustoms Enforcement,” deBlasio wrote.

“The program has result-ed in the deportation of thou-sands of people accused butnever convicted of committinga crime. As a law enforcementstrategy, Secure Communitieshas backfired, eroding thetrust between immigrant com-munities and law enforcementmaking our communities lesssafe,” de Blasio said.

He said local law enforce-ment requires the “active andsustained cooperation ofimmigrant communities toeffectively fight crime.

“The implementation ofthis program intimidatesimmigrants, reducing the like-lihood that they will reportcrimes or come forward aswitnesses for fear of riskingdeportation.

“The Secure Communitiesprogram sends exactly thewrong message to our immi-grant communities, at theexpense of public safety. Forthe sake of our security, I urgeyou to stop the expansion ofthis program at once,” he toldHolder.

- Edited from CMC.

Æ

U.S. expands controversial fingerprint program to include Caribbean nationals

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 3

NEWS

Obama

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Jamaican Christopher“Dudus” Coke is sched-uled to be sentenced June

8 in a New York court oncharges of racketeering andconspiracy.

Coke, the reputed “don”of the West Kingston commu-nity of TivoliGardens whowas extraditedfrom Jamaica,could get upto 23 years inprison whenhe returns tothe SouthernDistrict Courtin LowerManhattan.

Last month the prosecu-tion introduced multiple wit-nesses who testified about var-ious crimes they claim Cokecommitted while in Jamaica,including murder. Defenselawyers claimed the witnesses

had no credibility.One witness gave details

of four murders he claimedCoke committed in Tivoli.Another said Coke forced himto help acquire United Statesvisas for people involved inCoke’s drug trafficking busi-ness. The witness claimed hehad to flee Jamaica in fearwhen he failed to deliver someof the visas.

Coke was extradited tothe U.S. in June 2010. In May2010, law enforcement forcesseeking Coke entered TivoliGardens. Several days of gunbattles left more than 70 dead.Last year Coke admitted guiltto racketeering and conspira-cy.

U.S. blasts Caribbean forwide-ranging human rightsabuses, page 8.

Æ

PARIS, France – In anunprecedented move inFrench politics, three blacks –two of them women and allfrom France’s overseasdepartments in the Caribbean– have been named ministersin new President FrancoisHollande’s Cabinet.

Christiane Taubira, 60,from French Guiana is nowminister of justice in the newsocialist government, the first

black woman to be made afull minister.

Two from Guadeloupehave also been named minis-ters. Victorin Lurel is incharge of overseas depart-ments and George Pau-Langevin has been named jun-ior minister for educationalsuccess.

- Edited from CMC.

Æ

MIAMI, Florida – UnitedStates District Judge Jose E.Martinez has imposed anine-year jail term on JeanRene Duperval, a formersenior executive at Haiti’sstate-run telecommunica-tions company.

Duperval, 45, was jailedlast month after he was foundguilty on money launderingcharges linked to nearly$500,000 in bribes he accept-ed from U.S.-based compa-nies.

Duperval, who served asinternational relations directorfor eight months atTelecommunications D’Haiti,better known as Haiti Teleco,was found guilty of moneylaundering offenses by a juryhere in March. He is one ofeight people convicted so farin a massive case brought bythe Justice Department underthe Foreign Corrupt PracticesAct.

Robert Antoine, one ofDuperval’s predecessors, wassentenced to four years inprison after pleading guilty

and admitting he receivedmore than $1 million in simi-lar bribes.

NOTABLEAssistant U.S. Attorney

James Koukios saidDuperval’s crimes werenotable because he camefrom a prominent Haitianfamily with access to wealthand advantage. He wasappointed to the Haiti Telecoposition in 2003 by formerPresident Jean-BertrandAristide.

“This is a person who did-n’t have to steal. He didn’thave to take that money. Buthe did,” Koukios said, adding“that was money for the peo-ple of Haiti. It wasn’t for Mr.Duperval.”

The court was told thatthe payments were intendedto give certain U.S. telecom-munications companies favor-able rates and contracts withHaiti Teleco.

But Duperval told thecourt the payments throughshell companies he controlled

from Miami-based CinergyTelecommunications andTerra Telecommunicationswere not bribes but only“tokens of appreciation” fordoing his job well. But thejudge called that testimony“ludicrous” before findingDuperval had committed per-jury on the witness stand,grounds for adding to his sen-tence.

Duperval, who used thebribe money for personalexpenses such as mortgagepayments and children’s edu-cation costs, also was orderedto forfeit more than $433,000in assets.

He did not speak at lastmonth’s hearing, but his wife,Ingrid Duperval, asked formercy. Duperval, has threechildren and a home inMiramar, Florida.

“He is the best father, thebest son, the best husband,any woman could dream tohave,” she said.

Æ

‘Dudus’ sentencing set for June 8

Caribbean women get topposts in new French gov’t

Ex-Haitian telecom executive jailedin U.S. for bribery, money laundering

NOTTINGHAM, England -Police say that three suspectsin last month’s murder of aman in the United Kingdomhave fled the country for theCaribbean.

Up to press time theauthorities had declined toidentify the Caribbean coun-tries where the suspects in the

murder of Malakai McKenzie,19, may have fled to, but saidthey had arrested 11 people aspart of the inquiry, calledOperation Habitat, addingthat the three of those arrest-ed have also been chargedwith McKenzie’s murder.

“Despite the 11 arrests,three known suspects have

fled the U.K., and they are inthe Caribbean,” said prosecu-tor Graham Huston at a hear-ing at Nottingham CrownCourt.

“We know where theyare, but inquires are underway. Those inquiries are intheir infancy.”

CHARGED Police have so far charged

Ijah Lavelle-Moore, 20,Malcolm Vaughan Francis, 18,and Cameron Cashin, 20, withmurder and firearm offensesin McKenzie’s death.

Lavelle-Moore andFrancis appeared at theCrown Court last month for apreliminary hearing. Cashinappeared via video link beforea packed courtroom, prosecu-tors said.

The court has set a provi-sional trial date for Nov. 26.

McKenzie died after hewas shot outside the Hubb pub,in Sherwood, Nottingham, inthe early hours last month.

“The investigation contin-ues. We are actively seeking anumber of potential suspects,including those mentioned inthat part of the world,” apolice spokesman said.

- Edited from CMC.

Æ

Murder suspects flee to Caribbean from the U.K.~ British police

4 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

NEWS

Coke

DAWN A. DAVIS

Overwhelming econom-ic, familial and emo-tional pressures may

be testing the tradition ofCaribbean Americans takingcare of elderly family mem-bers who reside in the UnitedStates.

While looking after elder-ly relatives in the home is ahallmark in most Caribbeancountries, immediate andextended family members tiedto that job in the U.S. arefinding it more difficult tocope.

The idea of placing amother, grandmother orgrandfather in a nursing homeis foreign to many raised inthe Caribbean. It is seen as amark of respect, honor andresponsibility for adult chil-dren to care of their agingparents in a nurturing home.

However, some havenoticed a growing number ofCaribbean American elderlybeing placed in long-term carefacilities.

“We are seeing moreCaribbean families affected by the economic travails ofthe last ten years having tomake tough decisions abouttaking care of their lovesones,” said Dr. WentworthJarrett, a Miami, Florida-based primary family physi-cian who also works with hos-pice patients.

“They can’t take themback to the Caribbean so theyare choosing long-termoptions that includes assistedliving facilities or skilled nurs-ing facilities.”

Broward County-baseddoctor of internal medicineRegina Portnova, who treatsCaribbean American elderlypatients in similar living situa-tions, sees the same trend. She also noticed the graduallychanging profile of thosepatients.

“Our CaribbeanAmerican patients in thesetypes of facilities is growing,”Dr. Portnova explained.“They are also getting a littleyounger, especially heartattack victims, stroke patients,those classified as clinicallydepressed.”

Although suspected to be increasing in numbers, it isdifficult to estimate the pre-cise number of Caribbean-born residents who now live innursing homes, assisted livingfacilities or adult family carehomes. Generally, agencies donot track that level of detail.However, some surveys,although slightly dated, pointout age, gender and racial dif-ferences.

According to the NationalCenter for Health Statistics,

part of the Centers forDisease Control andPrevention (CDC), in 2010the majority of patients livingin residential care facilities

were non-Hispanic white andaged 85 or older, at 91 per-cent. Seventy percent of resi-dents were female. The CDCalso reported that in 2009

there were approximately 1.7million nursing home bedsacross the country among the16,000 certified homes, withoccupancy rates of 82 percentto 85 percent.

There is no shortage ofelderly care facilities in thestate of Florida explainedErica Wilson, Florida’s Long-Term Care OmbudsmanProgram public relationsdirector. She reported thatthere are currently 677 nurs-ing homes, 2,988 assisted liv-ing facilities, and 375 adultfamily-care homes in the state.

The decision to place anelderly loved one in a long-term care residence is tough.Besides evaluating costs, thetype of care needed also playsa major role. Whether or nota patient needs constant med-ical attention, a strict prescrip-tion regimen, help with day-to-day activities such asbathing or eating also affectsthe decision.

Nursing homes providecare for those who do notneed to be hospitalized butcannot be cared for at homebecause they require round-the-clock nursing care.Assisted living facilities arefor those who need help withdaily activities, while an adultfamily care home is a residen-tial group-care setting offeringpersonal care.

•Gary Lawrence recentlyhad to make the decision toput his 95-year-old mother ina nursing home. He and hiswife •Donna struggled withthe independent-minded•Agnes, who wanted to con-tinue living on her own.Agnes, a former nurse inJamaica, had done so formany years. However, accord-ing to the Lawrences, she issuffering from dementia,although she seems lucid attimes.

“When we went over to

Caribbean Americans wrestle with decision of placing elderly in homes

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 5

NEWS

More Caribbean Americans are ending up in nursing homes.

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ROME, Italy, CMC –Reigning double Olympicsprint champion Usain Boltsilenced his detractors, storm-ing to a world-leading 9.76seconds to win the 100 metersat the Rome Diamond Leagueon May 31.

Questions were raisedabout cracks in Bolt’s armorafter his sluggish 10.04 secondsin Ostrava earlier in themonth, but with the OlympicGames looming this summerin London, England, theJamaican answered emphati-cally, dismissing his opposition.

Fellow Jamaican AsafaPowell was second in 9.91 seconds with FrenchmanChristophe Lemaitre third.

EXPECTATIONS“People expect me to do

well all the time and I expectthat from myself also, it’s notreally pressure for me. I cameout here…not to prove any-thing but to tell myself I’ve stillgot it,” said Bolt, surpassed theprevious world-leading markof 9.82 seconds he posted inKingston in early May.

“After Ostrava I decidedI will make sure to go to bedearly and start eating right. Ifeel extremely well so it’s com-

ing back and I’m feelinggood.”

Veteran Kim Collins of St.Kitts and Nevis was fourth ina season-best 10.05, whileJamaican Lerone Clarke fin-ished fifth in 10.16.

In the women’s 400 metershurdles, Jamaican KalieseSpencer continued her won-derful start to the year, winningin a season-best 54.39 seconds.

Meanwhile, reigningOlympic champion Shelly-AnnFraser-Pryce of Jamaica suf-fered defeat in the 100 metersfor women, finishing second to Murielle Ahoure of theIvory Coast in 11.06. Ahoureclocked 11 seconds flat.

- Edited from CMC and othersources. For more sport, turnto page 22.

Æ

lightly.“A word of warning to

holders of certain assets inforeign countries and foreignbank account holders: Notonly are you required toreport, but in addition, theAct requires foreign financialinstitutions to report directlyto the IRS, any informationabout financial accounts heldby U.S. taxpayers,” saidLewis.

“It also requires foreignentities in which U.S. taxpay-ers have substantial ownershipinterest to report such hold-ings. Take heart, however, thatmulti-million dollar residencein the foreign country is notregarded as a specified finan-cial asset so it is not requiredto be disclosed.”

Lewis added that forthose who neglected to reporttheir holdings on their alreadyfiled tax return, the form canstill be submitted and the IRSmay be lenient with regard tothe penalty since this is a newlaw and reasonable causeshould be easy to establish.

Rhoden explained thatlegal recourse is unlikely forthose who do not want tocomply with federal law. Theonly way to get around filingrequirements is to give up res-idency keep active visits, busi-

ness interests and money flowto the U.S. at a minimum.

“It really comes down tothe laws of understanding howyou become a U.S. taxableperson under federal code,”he said. “When you relinquishyour citizenship you caninform the IRS and take stepslegally to do that by establish-ing residency in another coun-try. That’s just another plan-ning strategy that couldbecome more popular.”

The attorney said the IRShas been put in the position ofenforcing FACTA because offraudulent transfer of assetsinside and outside the U.S.during the increase in terror-ism.

“Our tax environment hasalways been one of the bigbrother who comes knockingon the door to force you toempty your pockets,” Rhodensaid.

“It’s become more bur-densome every year since the1900s...Ultimately taxpayersneed to know that the U.S.tax jurisdiction is the mostaggressive in the world, andthat tends to be overlooked,misunderstood and underesti-mated.”

Dawn A. Davis is a freelance writer for CaribbeanToday.

Æ

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti –The residents of a sprawlingcommunity heavily damagedby the Jan. 12, 2010 devastat-ing earthquake are settlingback into the neighborhoodthey rehabilitated with helpfrom the United States andtwo non-governmental organi-zations, U.S. officials here saidlast month.

The Katye project torebuild more than 600 homesin the Haitian capital’s RavinePintade neighborhood wasfunded by an $8.5 milliongrant from the U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment’s Office of U.S.Foreign Disaster Assistance(USAID/OFDA).

Together with two non-governmental groups, CHFInternational and ProjectConcern International (PCI),the residents cleared rubble,repaired houses, built transi-tional shelters, stabilizedslopes and fixed sanitationand drainage infrastructureand footpaths, USAID said. Itsaid they also redesigned pub-lic spaces for better safety,access, and disaster risk miti-gation.

“The Katye project was

much more than removingtons of rubble, repairing orbuilding shelters, and provid-ing clean water and otherbasic infrastructure. Workingalongside the people who livein the community, we rebuilt aneighborhood,” said U.S.Ambassador to Haiti KennethMerten.

KEYMerten said that key to

the project’s success was theintegrated nature of its activi-ties, including extensive com-munity engagement and a

commitment to upgrading allaspects of the neighborhoodfor the common good. Theproject also helped residentsre-establish their pre-earth-quake economic and socialstructures, the U.S. govern-ment aid agency said.

Working with maps andplans that the communityhelped develop, residents andUSAID’s partners removed35,000 cubic meters of rubble;repaired or built shelter for620 households; built morethan 2.5 kilometers of retain-ing walls to stabilize the land-scape; and built more thantwo kilometers of under-ground storm drainage.

USAID said RavinePintade homeowners agreedto re-draw their own propertylines to make way for accesspaths and other public spacesfor improved access and circu-lation.

The households are shar-ing innovative two-story tran-sitional shelters to make bet-ter use of available land, itadded.

- Edited from CMC.

Æ

TAX NET: Caribbean Americans’ earnings under IRS scrutiny

Haitians rehab ‘quake-hit community with U.S. help

6 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

NEWS

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(Continued from page 2)

Bolt silences detractors in Rome

June 1 marks the sixth yearsince the launch of CaribbeanAmerican Heritage Month inthe United States. Caribbeannationals’ migration to the U.S.may be subdivided into fourdistinct phases, according toWinston James in “The Historyof Afro-Caribbean Migrationto the United States”.

The first stretches fromthe colonial period to1900; the second from

1900 to the Great Depressionof the 1930s; the third fromthe late 1930s to 1965; and thefinal from 1965 to the present.

Caribbean people figuredprominently among the freepeople of color in the North.Prince Hall established blackfreemasonry in the U.S. andwas a distinguished leader ofblack Boston during the 18thcentury. Up to the 1970s, Hallwas generally said to havebeen Barbadian, but modernscholarship expresses uncer-tainty as to precisely where hewas born.

But given the preponder-ance of Barbadian slaves inBoston in the early 18th cen-tury (Hall is believed to havebeen born around 1735), it islikely that he was born on theisland. Despite substantialblack migration from theSouth, from Canada and fromEurope, as late as 1860 one infive black Bostonians hadbeen born in Barbados andother Caribbean islands.

GROWTHThe Caribbean population

in the U.S. was relatively smallduring the 19th century, butgrew significantly after theCivil War. The foreign-bornblack population, which wasalmost wholly Caribbean inorigin, increased five-foldbetween 1850 and 1900, from4,067 to 20,236. DistinguishedCaribbean migrants populatethe annals of 19th-centuryAfro-America. A briefreminder is in order.

Denmark Vesey (c.1767-1822) - In 1822he organizedin Charleston,SouthCarolina, whatone authorityaccuratelydescribed asthe most elab-orate insurrec-tionary projectever formed by Americanslaves. In boldness of concep-tion and thoroughness oforganization there has beennothing to compare with it.

The conspiracy wasbetrayed and Vesey, alongwith his coconspirators, exe-cuted. Vesey was from theVirgin Islands.

AlexanderHamilton,(1757-1804) -None of theU.S. FoundingFathers camefrom suchunpromisingorigins. Threeyears beforethe American Revolution,Hamilton was an illegitimateorphan who was born inNevis and then worked in theVirgin Islands as a merchant’sclerk.

Hamilton held his firstimportant public office(colonel on GeorgeWashington’s staff) when hewas 20, and retired from hislast one (inspector general ofthe army) when he was 43.Hamilton overcame hugeodds, left behind ideas andinstitutions that have lastedfor centuries, and never quiteescaped the shadows of hispast.

John B. Russwurm (1799-1851) of Jamaica - One of theearly New World settlers ofLiberia, he was also one ofthe first three black people tograduate from an Americancollege, Bowdoin College, inMaine, in 1826. In the springof 1827, Russwurm, with hisAfro-American colleagueSamuel E. Cornish, startedFreedom’s Journal, the firstblack newspaper published inthe U.S.

Russwurm’s compatriot,Peter Ogden, organized inNew York City the first Odd-Fellows Lodge among theblack population. RobertCampbell (1827-84), anotherJamaican, moved to NewYork in 1853. By 1855 he hadbecome assistant principal ofPhiladelphia’s Institute forColored Youth.

But exasperated by theracism he encountered in theU.S., he resigned his post in1858 to join Martin Delany ina two-man Niger ValleyExploring Party.

FIGHT FOR RIGHTSRobert Brown Elliott

(1842-84) - The brilliant fighter and orator of theReconstruction era, claimedJamaican parentage. DavidAugustus Straker (1842-1908),a law partner of Elliott’s, a

fighter for civil rights, educa-tionalist, journalist, chroniclerof the dark post-Reconstruction days, and adistinguished lawyer in hisown right, was fromBarbados.

Jan Earnst Matzeliger(1852-89), the inventor of arevolutionary shoe-makingmachine, had migrated fromSuriname.

Edward Wilmot Blyden(1832-1912), a brilliant manand major contributor to thestream of black nationalists inAmerica and abroad, wasborn in the Virgin Islands.

William Henry Crogman(1841- 1931), a Latin andGreek scholar, former presi-dent of Clark College and one of the founders of theAmerican Negro Academy,came from St. Martin. Joseph Sandiford Atwell, aBarbadian, in 1867 becamethe first black man after theCivil War to be ordained inthe Episcopal Church in theU.S.

Bert Williams (1875-1922), the famous comedian,was born in Antigua. And atthe beginning of the new cen-tury Robert Charles O’HaraBenjamin (1855-1900), jour-nalist, editor, lawyer andwriter, was gunned down, shotin the back six times, inLexington,Kentucky,because of hiswork of uplift-ing the race,including writ-ing and speak-ing out againstlynching, anddefending theconstitutionalright of blackpeople to vote. Benjamin hademigrated from St. Kitts.

W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963), James Weldon Johnson(1871-1938), his brotherRosamond Johnson (1873-1954), William StanleyBraithwaite (1878-1962) andGrace Campbell (1882-1943)were among some of the mostdistinguished sons and daugh-ters of these 19th centuryCaribbean immigrants toAmerica.

GARVEYISMBefore there was Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr., therewas Jamaican national MarcusMosiah Garvey, Jr., whosebeliefs inspired many to pushforward the rights of blacksacross the U.S. and the world. Many rememberGarvey as the founder of theUniversal Negro ImprovementAssociation and AfricanCommunities League, but lostlargely in the recognition is theroots of Garvey and theCaribbean immigrant contri-bution to the U.S., especiallyin Black History Month. Hepromoted business develop-ment and black pride in theera before the civil rightsmovement.

A UCLA historian arguesin the first book of a multi-volume serieson the Garveymovement andthe Caribbeanthat Garvey’sCaribbeanlinks wereindispensableto the move-ment’s successand the regionultimatelyproved to be its most impor-tant theater.

Garvey was not alone inhis contribution to the blackrights struggle. TrinidadianStokely Standiford ChurchillCarmichael, also known as

Kwame Ture, rose to promi-nence first as a leader of the Student NonviolentCoordinating Committee and later as the “HonoraryPrime Minister” of the BlackPanther Party during the civilrights era. Initially an integra-tionist, Carmichael laterbecame affiliated with blacknationalist and Pan-Africanistmovement.

EQUALITYOthers like Claude

Mckay, a Jamaican writer,were part of The HarlemRenaissance. By the end ofWorld War I, the poetry ofMcKay anticipated the litera-ture that would follow in the1920s in Harlem, as he helpeddescribe the reality of blacklife in America and the strug-gle for racial identity.

So too did EulalieSpence, the Nevis-born black,female writer, teacher, actressand playwright, who came tothe U.S. in 1902. Spencereached her writing zenithduring the HarlemRenaissance, alongside otherbetter-known writers such asLangston Hughes, CounteeCullen,RichardWright andW.E.B.DuBois.

ConstanceBaker Motleywas born toparents fromNevis. Shewas the firstblack woman elected to theNew York State Senate, firstwoman to become ManhattanBorough president and thefirst black federal court judge,named in 1966 to the post byPresident Lyndon Johnson.

She is remembered for

BUILDING BLOCKS: Outstanding Caribbean nationals in U.S. history

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 7

FEATURE

(Continued on page 8)

Hamilton

Du Bois

Garvey

Carmichael

Motley

Vesey

her condo to visit…she wasquite disoriented, disheveled,and looking thinner thanusual,” said Donna. “Wecalled 911 and it was deter-mined at the hospital that shewas severely anemic.

“We just can’t handle thesituation anymore. She is verystubborn and determined tolive alone. She doesn’t evenwant to live with us. Shestopped the home carehelpers we arranged for her.So, we are forced to put her in a nursing home where shewill get the medical care andsupervision she needs,”Donna added.

DEPRESSIONPortnova is familiar with

such situations.“The initial reaction is

depression,” the doctorexplained. “But, once they get used to the activities andmake friends, they get betteradjusted,” adding that “a verysmall percentage do notadjust.

“We have had to counselfamily members as well. Somedon’t know what to expectwhen they put their parents in these homes, so out of fearand lack of knowledge, theypanic and just don’t copewell,” Portnova explained.

Sonia Henry experiencedsimilar feelings when shereluctantly placed her ailingmother in a Miami nursinghome in March.

“I am still having someguilt about putting Mama in ahome, but I have to copebecause I don’t have a choice

right now,” said Henry, a reg-istered nurse.

Henry’s mother Lilly, aproud Jamaican woman, suf-fers from acute arthritis and isunable to walk. She also hasother medical issues. Makingmatters worse, Henry has lostthe ability to care for herbecause of ligament surgery toboth wrists.

“I simply could not physi-cally care for Mama any-more,” she said. “And,although she is adjusting tobeing in the home now, it wasdifficult at first.”

Henry is comfortable withthe nursing staff and the med-ical care her mother is receiv-ing, but has problems withsome nursing aides and assis-tants.

“They don’t report thepatients’ status to the nursesas they should, they areimpersonal,” she said.

“Truthfully, if I could Iwould take my mother out ofthere and bring her backhome and get somebody tocare for her full-time. If I winthe lotto that would be thefirst thing on my list.”

Among the issues thatplague these types of homesare complaints of neglect, illtreatment or abuse. Therewere 7,500 complaints to theOmbudsman Program lastyear. The program is seekingmore volunteers to advocatefor the elderly and handle thecaseload.

Ombudsmen work toimprove the quality of life andadvocate for the rights, safetyand welfare of long-term careresidents who may be victims

of abuse, neglect, disrespectand ill-treatment in thesehomes. Federal and state lawmandate the protection of res-idents’ rights in addition tospecial rights based on thetype of facility involved. Somespecial protections forpatients include private anduncensored communication,being fully informed in writingand orally, right to manage

his/her own financial affairsand the right to refuse med-ication and know the conse-quences.

Wilson confirmed that the top complaints to theOmbudsman Programinvolved medication adminis-tration, quality of meals/menu,and cleanliness/pests andhousekeeping issues.Complaints of disrespect also made the list.

Jamaican-born 85-year-old •John McKenzie, whorecently spent several weeksin one such facility located inSunrise, Florida, experiencedsome of the listed indignities.

“I was in this place foralmost a month, and believeme I thought I would die inthere,” he recounted, adding,“I would never recommendthat place to anybody.”

McKenzie added that itwas the help and persistenceof a close friend and familymembers that helped him sur-vive at the home. He enteredthe facility with a leg injuryand it got worse because ofneglect, McKenzie said.

“There were times when Ineeded help getting out of bed,but my calls for help (pushinga nurse call button) wentunanswered for hours,” heexplained. “It was horrible.”

McKenzie said many ofthe staff nurses and aideswere of Caribbean descent.

Dawn A. Davis is a freelancewriter for Caribbean Today.• Names changed to protectidentities.

Æ

WASHINGTON, D.C. - TheUnited States continues tocondemn human rights prac-tices in Caribbean community(CARICOM) countries, rip-ping the region for allegedwide-ranging violations.

In its Country Reports onHuman Rights Practices for2011, the U.S. Department ofState singled out Haiti, Trinidadand Tobago, Suriname,Guyana, Jamaica and Belize formost alleged abuses.

In Haiti, it said most seri-

ous human rights problemsincluded alleged abuses bygovernment security forcesand representatives of thejudiciary, including extrajudi-cial killings by police andgovernment officials; allega-tions of sexual exploitationby members of UnitedNations Peacekeeping Force(MINUSTAH); and “chronic,severe corruption in allbranches of government”.

The State Department

noted that in Trinidad andTobago, the most serioushuman rights problems werealleged police killings duringapprehension or custody, aswell as poor treatment of sus-pects, detainees and prison-ers. Other human rights prob-lems involved inmate illnessand injuries due to poorprison conditions, high-profilecases of alleged bribery, vio-lence against women, inade-quate services for vulnerablechildren and unsafe working

conditions.

NON-COMMITTALIt stated the government

or its agents did not commitany politically motivatedkillings, but alleged that policeshot and killed 39 personsduring the year. Washingtonsaid the authorities investigat-ed or opened inquests intoseveral of the killings andcharged police officers withmurder in one case.

The State Department

described as “harsh”, condi-tions in some of the island’sprison system’s eight facilities.

It noted that the twin-island republic’s constitutionand the law prohibit arbitraryarrest and detention, but thatduring the three-month state ofemergency, the Kamla PersadBissessar government “utilizedbroad powers of search andseizure granted by decree”.

- Edited from CMC.

Æ

U.S. blasts Caribbean for wide-ranging human rights violations

writing the original complaintin the case of Brown v. Boardof Education in 1950. She wasalso the first AfricanAmerican woman ever toargue a case before the U.S.Supreme Court. She was alsoa key legal strategist in thecivil rights movement, helpingto desegregate Southernschools, buses, and lunch

counters.

FOOTPRINTToday, the U.S. is home

to 3.5 million immigrantsfrom the Caribbean, whoaccounted for nine percent ofthe total foreign-born popula-tion, according to the U.S.Census. More than 90 percentof these immigrants camefrom Cuba, the Dominican

Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, andTrinidad and Tobago. Cubanimmigrants in particular havebeen among the top 10 for-eign-born groups in the U.S.each decade since 1970.

While the number ofCaribbean immigrants in theU.S. continues to increase, thepopulation’s rate of growthhas slowed a bit more eachdecade since 1970, and the

share of the foreign born thatis from the Caribbean hasgradually declined since 1990.

Compared to other immi-grant groups, the foreign bornfrom the Caribbean are lesslikely to be new arrivals, tend to have higher levels ofEnglish-language proficiency,and become naturalized U.S.citizens at higher rates.

At the same time

Caribbean immigrants aremore likely to be older thanother immigrant groups andCaribbean men have lowerrates of civilian labor forceparticipation.

- Edited from News Americas.More on Caribbean AmericanHeritage Month starting onpage 19.

Æ

BUILDING BLOCKS: Outstanding Caribbean nationals in U.S. history

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Decisions on care for the elderly havebecome more complex.

(Continued from page 5)

(Continued from page 7)

Caribbean Americans wrestle with decision of placing elderly in homes

Talk about trying tofocus on keeping thecoffee creamy! A

Republican senator fromMassachusetts has decided topush through legislation thatwould allow 10,500 Irishnationals to come to theUnited States to work eachyear.

Forget the millions ofLatino, Caribbean, Africanand other migrants workinghere already in the most backbreaking ofjobs; let’sbring in theIrish.

Let mebe clear – Ihave nothingagainst Irishnationals oragainst the40 millionAmericanswho identifythemselvesas being of Irish descent.That is not the issue here.The matter that has me hop-ping is the hypocrisy ofRepublicans like SenatorScott Brown.

It’s O.K. to say the brownand black migrants slaving infields, restaurant kitchens andsuper markets are takingaway jobs from Americansand should be deported, butit’s fine to bring in over10,000 Irish – pardon me –European migrants – eachyear to a country that has ahigh unemployment rate, has12 million immigrants whoneed to come out of the shad-ows and whose economy is intatters. So much for theFAIR argument that weshould stop immigration alltogether due to over popula-tion; let’s bring in more whitemigrants to ensure the coffeestays creamy!

Brown’s bill would makeIrish nationals eligible for aspecial visa program createdin 2005 to allow up to 10,500high-skilled Australians tocome to the U.S. on tempo-rary work visas known as E-3

visas. The program grew outof a trade pact with Australia,but it was also seen as areward for a country that sup-ported U.S. military action inIraq and Afghanistan.

The program allowsskilled workers with joboffers from U.S. employers toget a two-year work visa thatcan be renewed indefinitely.Workers with an E-3 visa canbring their spouses and chil-dren with them. Their spous-es also can work legally in theU.S.

RACIST MOVEFrom where I sit, this is a

blatant political and racistmove. One is to whiten thepopulation of the U.S., wherethe minority is fast becomingthe majority, and the other is to build a base for theRepublicans so they can con-tinue ensuring that their all-caucasian voting bloc remainssecured.

Suddenly, we are beingfed a cool aid that says thebill is simply to help reversediscrimination against Irishnationals that was inadver-tently created by a 1965 over-haul of the U.S. immigrationsystem.

Really? That’s almosthalf a century ago!

Sadly, we haveDemocrats like New YorkSenator Chuck Schumerdrinking the kool aid andbuying into the Brown crap.

HYPOCRISYIt is utter hypocrisy, espe-

cially since Brown opposesany measure that would pro-vide a pathway to citizenshipfor the nearly 12 millionundocumented immigrantsalready in the U.S. and isagainst the DREAM Act,which would provide legalstatus to children of illegalimmigrant parents if the chil-dren enroll in college or servein the U.S. military.

Brown’s spokesman has

Many people live inprisons, bound byinvisible shackles, tied

by unseen chains, fettered byintangible ropes, weigheddown by emotional bouldersand barricaded by ghost-likebars, trapped by events of theirpast and events that have a farreaching impact on their pres-ent and their future.

It was Sigmund Freud whotheorized that we are all shapedand affected by the behavior ofour parents and doomed torepeat what they did.

To take it even further, ithas been posited that childrenoften seek a partner who ismost like their parents. Girlsfind men who remind them oftheir fathers and boys seekwomen who remind them oftheir mothers.

We are the product of ouremotional intake, which isreally food for the soul. Inmany cases, this emotionaldiet results in many peoplebecoming basket cases, emo-tional wrecks, with the symp-tom not manifesting itself untilmuch later in life, when thatperson has affixed themselvesto someone else. These folksare emotional inmates, and thetragedy is, they also imprisontheir partner in their own darkworld.

NO ACCIDENTIf a child grew up with an

abusive father, abuse becomesits reality, so when he or shegrows up and gets hitched to aspouse, the outcome can bemighty interesting, but in a

negative way.There are

some womenwho arealwaysabused bymen, no mat-ter how manydifferent rela-tionships theyare involvedin. It’s noaccident.

The same goes for chil-dren who have alcoholic par-ents. You can rest assured that child will also become adrinker. They see nothingwrong with it, and treat their‘jail’ as normal life.

There are also subtle emo-tional jails that are difficult todetect, unless you are deeplyinvolved with the prisoner anddelve into their past. Thesepeople manifest the samecharacteristics, one of which islow self-esteem. They alwaysseek attention, approval andpraise...constantly, and maysuffer from bouts of depres-sion.

In many cases you will dis-cover that the child had a par-ent who constantly beratedthem. Now when that girlgrows up and gets a man ofher own, you cannot imagine

Racism or just business as usual? Invisible shackles in an emotional penitentiary

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 9

VIEWPOINT

FELICIAPERSAUD

TONYROBINSON

(Continued on page 10)

(Continued on page 10)

dismissed criticisms over thebill, insisting that the senatorcares about all immigrantsand supports a bipartisanU.S. House-passed immigra-tion bill that would removethe current limit on the num-ber of legal permanent resi-dents who may be admittedto the U.S. in any given yearfrom a single country.

What about a bill thatwould allow the immigrantsliving undocumented in theU.S. and their spouses andchildren who pay taxes, learnEnglish and have jobs toremains here on a work visaindefinitely? That is the solu-tion to the issue of illegalimmigration – plain and sim-ple.

DISCRIMINATION“Politicians don’t agree

on much, but even less soduring an election year. Butthis year, they think theyfound an immigration issuethat everyone can agree on;allowing more Irish immi-grants into the U.S…Bottomline? This is discrimination.

There isn’t any other way todescribe it,” said Rifkin &Fox-Isicoff, P.A., an immigra-tion law firm with offices inMiami and Orlando, Florida.

“Which is it? Equalaccess to the ability to obtaincitizenship or selective accessto the ability to get citizen-ship status? It ‘looks’ likeselective access, and as anation, we should have aproblem with that. As immi-gration attorneys, we do havea problem with that, for goodreasons.”

We all should have aproblem with this.

Discrimination is illegallast time I checked and dis-criminating against immi-grants, simply because someare lighter than others is completely unacceptable!

Brown and his bi-partisan supporters should beashamed of themselves.

Felicia Persaud is founder ofNewsAmericasNow, CaribPRWire and Hard BeatCommunications.

Æ

the untold hell that man will experience, as he nowbecomes her new emotionaljailer. She will always be seek-ing approval from him, and hedare not say anything that mayappear negative in her eyes.

ANGERIn many cases, disgruntled

mothers take out their angeron their sons, all because ofhis father.

“You are just like yourworthless father and have hisbad ways…just get out of mysight.”

That boy naturally growsup feeling anger and confusionand, of course, has low self-esteem. He too is a prisoner ofhis emotional upbringing.

The effects of this emo-tional prison can be devastat-ing and it takes a spouse withthe patience of Job to survive.Sadly most people don’t havethe training or the patience todeal with that.

There’s also the emotionalchains of neglect, and if a childwas neglected by a parent, orthat parent left when the childwas very young, then woe

betide the future spouse whenthat child grows up.

Many times it’s a recurringdecimal, as one day he or shemay just simply leave, never toreturn, replicating the behav-ior of their parents. This canbe torture for anyone to livewith. As a result, many emo-tional inmates choose not toget involved with anyone atall, for fear of abandonmentand rejection.

CHOICESThere are so many beauti-

ful women who have no manby choice, all because they areprisoners of their past. Anyonewho has been dumped by alover can relate to the pain,anguish and sense of loss.Most, but not all, get over it.

For some people, especial-ly women who have beendumped more than once bymen who they have loved, itcan be a life sentence in theiremotional penitentiary, with nopossibility of parole. So when apoor unsuspecting suitorcomes along, his advances willbe met by the cold metallicclanging of the prison doors.And she isn’t letting him in.

Sometimes he does man-age to breach the prison walls,but will encounter a night-mare. Sadly that spouse wasnot aware that his partner isan ‘ex-con’, until it’s too late.

Ah yes, emotional inmatesusually have messed up sexlives, and stories of womentotally physically shuttingdown, or of men who can onlyperform under certain condi-tions, are rife.

What is sad also, is thatone spouse is now pressured,and has to assume the mantleof husband, wife, therapist, lis-tener, fixer, counselor, allbecause the other partner is anemotional prisoner. Manycan’t cope. Others becomeprisoners themselves.

No wonder so many peo-ple live lives of quiet despera-tion. Men escape, womenwithdraw, and in many casesit’s a relief when the inmateleaves.

Emotional imprisonmentcan last forever, but some mayget a reprieve.

- seido1@hotmail.com

Æ

Racism or just business as usual? Invisible shackles in an emotional penitentiary

10 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

VIEWPOINT

(Continued from page 9) (Continued from page 9)

Top Jamaican singerBeres Hammond willheadline this year’s

“Grooving In The Park...ADay Of Reggae Rhythm &Blues” in Queens, New York.

On July 1 the reggae iconwill share the stage at RoyWilkins Park with veteranentertaineers Jimmy Cliff,AmericanR&B groupBoyz ToMen andR&B starR Kelly.

“I amvery excit-ed aboutthe lineup.The acts wehavebooked sofar -Jimmy, RKelly, Boyz 11 Men and Beres- represents the best of reggaeand R&B and I am confidentthey will deliver a spectacularconcert for fans. We are stilllooking to add more acts tocomplete the lineup, ” saidChristopher Roberts, chiefexecutive officer of GroovinInc.

Six years ago - the last

time Hammond was in townto perform at an outdoormusic festival - fans welcomedhim withthunderousapplausethroughouthis set.Supportedby theHarmonyHouse Band,the reggaeballadeer ranthrough hitslike“Rockaway”,“In LoveWith You”, “What One DanceCan Do”, “She Loves MeNow”, “Step Aside” “DoubleTrouble” and “Putting UpResistance”.

Hammond’s stellar careerwas launched in the 1970swith the release of his monsterhit “One Step Ahead”, whichstayed at number one onJamaica’s charts for over for14 weeks. He has been a hitmaker ever since.

Hammond’s success hasled to a series of high profileappearances at the worldfamous Madison SquareGardens in New York.

R. Kelly is a master pro-ducer, composer and per-former and he is known fordelivering music that isspiritual, inspirational andextremely sexual. He madehis mark with smash hitslike “I Believe I Can Fly”.Music legend Jimmy Cliffcreated history in 2010when he became the firstJamaican performer sinceBob Marley to be inductedin the United States’ Rock& Roll Hall of Fame. Heregularly plays in Africa,Brazil and Europe and isbest known for songs like

“Sitting in Limbo”, “You CanGet It If You Really Want”, “ICan See Clearly Now” and“Many Rivers to Cross”.

Boyz 11 Men is a multi-Grammy award-winning vocalgroup. The group is bestknown for hits like “End ofThe Road”, which remainedat the #1 position on theBillboard Hot 100 charts for13 weeks. The group also hadsuccess with hits “I’II MakeLove To You”, “One SweetDay (with Mariah Carey)”and “On Bended Knee”.

Æ

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC– Dancehall artiste BusySignal, real name GlendaleGoshia Gordon, was arrestedhere last month soon after hisreturn to the country from the

United Kingdom. He isfacing extradition to theUnited States on a war-rant in relation to drugcharges in the U.S.Gordon was held at

the Norman ManleyInternational Airport.According to mediareports here, Gordonwas returning from atour in Europe.The reports stated

that police said he wastravelling on a passportissued to a “ReannoGordon”, whose Britishvisa had been cancelled.The media reports

stated that the entertain-er had been on the runsince 2002 after he wasallegedly implicated in anarcotics offence com-mitted in Minnesota.Busy Signal rose to

stardom after releasing astring of hits in 2003 and 2004and climbed the local singleschart with his tune “StepOut”.

Æ

Reggae, R&B stars for ‘Grooving In The Park’ Busy Signal faces extradition to U.S.

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 11

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

Busy Signal

Hammond

Cliff

UNITED NATIONS – Thenumber of Caribbean peoplewith high blood pressure anddiabetes is drastically increas-ing, as elsewhere in bothdeveloped and developingcountries, according to aUnited Nations report.

“This report is furtherevidence of the dramaticincrease in the conditionsthat trigger heart disease andother chronic illnesses, partic-ularly in low- and middle-income countries,” said theDirector-General of theWorld Health Organization(WHO) Margaret Chan.

WHO’s World HealthStatistics 2012 report, whichincludes data from 194 coun-tries, noted that one in threeadults worldwide has raisedblood pressure and one in 10suffers from diabetes. Theglobal average prevalence ofdiabetes is around 10 percent,with up to one in three peo-ple in some Pacific Islandcountries having this condi-tion, the report said.

Left untreated, diabetescan lead to cardiovasculardisease, blindness, amputa-tion of limbs and kidney failure.

RISKAn increase in obesity is

also highlighted in the reportas being a major health risk.

“In every region of theworld, obesity doubledbetween 1980 and 2008,” saidTies Boerma, director of theDepartment of HealthStatistics and InformationSystems at WHO. “Today,half a billion people – 12 per-cent of the world’s population– are considered obese.”

The highest obesity levelsare in the Americas, with 26percent of adults sufferingfrom obesity, and the lowestin the South-East Asianregion, where only three per-cent of the population isobese, the report says.

According to WHO, non-communicable diseases cur-rently cause almost two thirdsof all deaths worldwide.

Concern about the risein the numbers of deathsfrom heart and lung disease,diabetes and cancer prompt-ed the U.N. to hold a high-level meeting on non-com-municable diseases in NewYork in September last year,spearheaded by Caribbeancommunity (CARICOM)states.

- Edited from CMC.

Æ

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts,CMC – St. Kitts and Nevis is reporting a decline inHIV/AIDS deaths with thegovernment being praised forits efforts to have patientsreceive anti-retroviral drugs todeal with the deadly virus.

The Global AIDSResponse Progress Report2012 noted that the availabili-ty of free anti-retroviral thera-py (ART), together with

improved access to HIV/AIDS treatment and betterinformation and educationprograms, had resulted in thedecline of people who havedied from the virus.

The annual prevalence ofAIDS-related deaths hasremained at five percent orless for the last 10 years, withone and four deaths recordedin 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Æ

We all know the drill:Use sunscreen toavoid sunburn - and

reapply frequently. But some-times, we just forget. Or wefall asleep in the sun. Or weget caught up in a killer gameof beach volleyball.

For serious burns (i.e.blistering red skin), get to thedoctor STAT. But to getthrough the first 24 hours of amild sunburn (read: no blis-ters) that stings and causesdiscomfort, we asked SkinCancer Foundation spokes-woman Francesca Fusco for afew tips:

1. Got milk?Make cold milkcompresses by soaking a cleancloth in a bowl with equalparts milk, ice cubes andwater. Then hold the cloth onthe burned area for five min-utes. Repeat three times. Thefat, protein and pH of milkhave a soothing anti-inflam-matory effect on the skin.What’s more, cold tempera-tures constrict blood vesselsand reduce swelling.

2. Take a pill! Aspirin acts asan anti-inflammatory, sup-pressing chemicals in the skinthat cause redness andswelling.

3. Follow the light - LEDtreatments use gentle wavelight technology to helpdecrease inflammatory cells.The only drawback: you haveto visit the doc’s office fortreatments — and that can bepricey (or at least more priceythan Noxema or aloe gel).

4. Slather onrefrigeratedaloe gel - Aloeis a botanicalthat has pow-erful anti-inflammatoryproperties.Store it in thefridge andyou’ll get theadded bonus ofcold temps(and reducedswelling). Rehydrate!After a week-

end in the sun, water is key -particularly if you’re sun-burned. Liquids are critical torehydrating your body andreplenishing lost fluids fromthe sun. Hate water? Try guz-zling decaf iced tea with mintfor an added antioxidantpunch.

The article above was writtenby Amy Paturel for SELFand published onMSNBC.com.

Æ

MIAMI, Florida – BaptistHealth International (BHI), adivision of Baptist HealthSouth Florida, has recognizedscientist Dr. Samuel Rawlins,with the award for“Outstanding Contribution to Health Research andEpidemiology in theCaribbean”.

The award was presentedto Dr. Rawlins by Dr. JosephBarcie, assistant vice presidentfor BHI at the 57th annualCaribbean Health andResearch Council/CaribbeanPublic Health Agency scientif-ic conference held recently inGrand Cayman.

Dr. Rawlins, a specialist inthe study of insect vectors ofdisease and professor emeritusat the Caribbean Researchand Epidemiology Centre,was honored for his lifelongdedication to public health inthe Caribbean.

“As Baptist Health

Internationalprides itself onworkingalongsideCaribbeandoctors andhealth practi-tioners in aneffort to sharethe best publichealth initia-tives, this award recognizesthose parallel efforts by Dr.Rawlins,” said Dr. Barcie.

‘PIONEER’“Dr. Rawlins has commit-

ted his entire career to improv-ing the lives of the Caribbeancommunity, and for this reasonwe honor him for being a truepioneer in his field seekingavenues to improve healthcareand quality of life in theCaribbean region and congrat-ulate him for receiving thisprestigious award,” he added.

BHI sponsored the award

reception at the Grand OldHouse which was attended bymore than 200 delegates, sci-entific researchers and health-care providers. The researchconference serves to developmedical and healthcare part-nerships to bring affordablehealthcare to the Caribbean,and focus on scientificresearch for the cure andmanagement of diseases in theregion.

In 2007 Dr. Rawlins wasone of a group of scientistswho received the Nobel PeacePrize, in collaboration withthe University of the WestIndies, on data and researchfocused on understanding thephenomenon of climatechange. Dr. Rawlins dedicateshis research to the study ofpublic health issues associatedwith climate change.

Æ

Despite a rare prema-ture start to theAtlantic hurricane

season, with the emergenceof two off-season storms,forecasters are predicting the2012 season - that officiallystarts June 1 - to be quieterthan last year’s, with a rough-ly one-in-three chance of amajor hurricane barrelingthrough the Caribbean.

For only the second timesince 1908, two tropical

cyclones – Alberto and Beryl -formed before the June 1 toNov. 30 season, but the world’sleading team of hurricaneexperts predict 10 namedstorms and four hurricanes,down from last year’s tally of 19storms and seven hurricanes.

Colorado StateUniversity’s team of theworld’s foremost expert ontropical cyclones, EmeritusProfessor William Gray andDr. Philip Klotzbach, alsopredicts that two of the four

hurricanes will be major.Gray and Klotzbach predictthe probability of at least onemajor hurricane – categoriesthree to five on the Saffir-Simpson scale – tracking intothe Caribbean area (from lat-itude 10-20 degrees north tolongitude 60-88 degrees west)at 34 percent, below the 42percent average for the lastcentury.

UPDATEThe team updated its

predicted weather patternsearly April, but had notchanged them up to the eveof the tropical Atlantic sea-son.

Based on 29 years of pastdata, the forecast predicts a“somewhat below-averageAtlantic basin hurricane sea-son” linked to unusually coolsea temperatures in the tropi-cal Atlantic and the potentialdevelopment of El Niño, thewarmer phase of a five-yearcycle.

So far, two tropicalstorms, Alberto, whichformed off South Carolina onMay 20, and Beryl, whichformed May 27 to becomethe strongest-ever off-seasontropical storm to make land-fall in the United States as itcrossed over northern Floridaand southeast Georgia.

- Edited from CMC.

Æ

Sharp increase in diabetes,obesity, hypertension inCaribbean ~ U.N. report

HIV/AIDS deaths decline in St. Kitts

SUMMER SOOTHE: Tips for treating sunburn

Baptist Health honors Caribbean scientist

Forecasters predict quiet 2012 hurricane season in Caribbean, U.S.

12 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

HEALTH/ENVIRONMENT

Enjoy the sun, but don’t overdo it.

Rawlins

The United StatesDepartment of State’sMiami Passport Agency

is advising all newly natural-ized U.S. citizens that prior totravel to the Caribbean, it isimperative they have validU.S. passports.

The U.S. law requires citi-zens traveling by air to enteror depart the country usingvalid passports.

Airlines traveling betweenthe U.S. and Caribbean willnot board American citizensattempting to use an expiredU.S. passport or a naturaliza-tion certificate or any non-American travel document,including passports fromCaribbean countries.

All U.S. citizens intendingto travel to the Caribbeanmust submit their applicationsto the U.S. Passport Office ina timely fashion prior to trav-el. Failure to do so results incostly delays and inconven-ience.

U.S embassies in theCaribbean provide all pass-port services, but usuallyrequire appointments bemade. The embassies havewarned that there are noemergency appointments forpeople who failed to checktheir passport expiration datesprior to booking travel or whotraveled without ever obtain-ing a passport.

INCIDENTSDuring a recent communi-

ty forum organized by the

Jamaican Diaspora SouthernUSA, Ryan Dooley, directorof the U.S. Department ofState, Miami Passport Agency,indicated that there had beenseveral incidents recently, ofJamaican nationals, who hadrecently become U.S. citizens,travelling to Jamaica withtheir U.S. naturalization docu-ments only. Those persons,although American citizens,were not able to return to theU.S. as they did not hold avalid U.S. passport.

“Citizens are no longerallowed to travel on their nat-uralization papers,” saidDooley. “A valid U.S. pass-port is required for entry intothe U.S.A.”

He advised that personsvisit the U.S. immigration web-site at www.travel.stage.gov forrelevant information pertain-ing to U.S. passports, includingforms, instructions and loca-tions, noting that the MiamiPassport Agency of the U.S.Department of State serves byappointment only. To make anappointment, applicants maycall 877-487-2778.

The meeting was part of atwo-part series held at theHoly Family EpiscopalChurch in Miami. It was thefirst for the new AdvisoryBoard and alternates for theSouthern U.S. Region, includ-ing Dr. Susan Lycett Davis,Pamela Gordon and GeorgePedlar.

Æ

Several students receivedscholarship grants whileother Jamaicans residing

in the United States were rec-ognized for outstanding con-tributions during the JamaicanAssociation of Miami-DadeEducators’ (JAMDE) 18thannual awards banquet anddinner dance last month inSouth Florida.

Yasmeen Battle, JataraJames and Tariq McLean, students of Jamaican ancestry,received “OutstandingScholars Awards”, worth$1,000 each, from JAMDE,formerly referred to as JADE.

A fourth scholarship, the “Humanitarian Award”,was presented to StephenClaunch, who is not ofJamaican origin. He alsoreceived $1,000. The main cri-terion for that award is show-ing proof that the student ishaving financial difficulty.

The opening ceremony at

the event, held at KendallHotel and Suites, included thesinging of Jamaica’s NationalAnthem, led by MiddlesexCorner Primary School fromHanover, which JAMDE visited last year. Dr. WinstonWhyte, past president ofJAMDE, narrated a video,showing presentations of closeto 3,000 books, plus instruc-tional materials, to the school,gifts to the teachers, andsnacks, refreshment and giftbags to the students.

SCHOOL FOCUSThe event also included

an invocation by the ReverendDr. Richard Legister, who,along with Don Daly and Dr.Lloyd Cohen reminisced abouttheir days as schoolmates.

Robert Runcie, superin-tendent of Broward CountyPublic Schools in Florida, wasthe keynote speaker. He dis-cussed his humble beginnings

growing up in Trelawny,Jamaica, describing hisparents as hard workers.

Runcie, a HarvardUniversity graduate,recounted his earlyschooling after migratingto the U.S. and howbreaking school ruleswas met with harsh cor-poral punishment byboth parents. He toldawardees that anyonecan overcome adversityand succeed.

Runcie also spokeabout the misuse of theFlorida ComprehensiveAssessment Test(FCAT), saying toomuch emphasis is beingplaced on the test, whichis being used as one cri-teria to promote orretain students at certaingrade levels. It is alsoused to assess the per-formance of teachers.

Students are being drilledto take the test, Runcieexplained, while crucial areas,such as critical thinking andthe arts, are being neglected.He received a plaque for out-standing leadership, visionand commitment.

Carmen Johnson was pre-sented with a plaque for devo-tion, support and dedication.She has been treasurer sincethe inception of JAMDE.

Catheline Annakie alsoreceived a plaque for loyalty,devotion and hospitality. Sotoo Paulette Thorpe-Taylor,

for her generosity and serviceto humanity.

Jamaica’s Consul GeneralSandra Grant-Griffith alsoattended the event. JoanChristie gave the vote ofthanks.

Æ

U.S. urges Caribbean Americansto obtain proper documentsbefore traveling abroad

JAMDE honors students, contributors at Florida awards banquet

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 13

LOCAL/FYI

Scholarship winner Tariq McLean, left, is greeted by Dr. Lloyd Cohen.

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC –Sixty-nine year-old PerryGladstone Christie was swornin for a second stint as primeminister of the archipelago of700 islands of The Bahamasafter he led his ProgressiveLiberal Party (PLP) to aresounding victory in lastmonth’s general elections.

Christie, who first headeda government here from 2002-2007, led the PLP to win atleast 29 of the 38 seats con-

tested in theelections.

“Beassured that inthe days andmonths aheadyou will wit-ness thatsteady system-atic fulfillmentof all that we have promisedyou,” the new prime ministersaid soon after taking theoath.

The PLP reversed the2007 defeat to the FreeNational Movement (FNM) ofHubert Ingraham. The formerprime minister immediatelyannounced his resignationfrom active politics.

The Democratic NationalAlliance (DNA), which hadpromised to “shake up theestablishment”, failed to win aseat in the elections.

Æ

On July 10, The Bahamas will celebrate 39 years ofIndependence. Spread over100,000 square miles of ocean,the Bahamian islands willmark this special day withevents honoring its people,environment, culinary experi-ences and features that makethis group of islands special.Minister of Tourism andAviation VincentVanderpool-Wallace recentlyspoke to Caribbean Today’sfreelance writer Dawn Davisabout the Caribbean nation.

QUESTION: What is The Bahamas brand? Whatmakes these islands uniquelyBahamian? ANSWER: The Islands ofThe Bahamas is identified andknown by the multiplicity ofdestinations offered to visitorswithin one nation. We are nota single destination. In fact,we are a region, spanning adistance equal to the distancebetween Puerto Rico andTrinidad.

In the Caribbean, which isislands, beaches and clearwarm waters are major assets.The Islands of The Bahamashas more islands, more beach-es and more territorial watersthan the rest of the Caribbeancombined.

Q: How did The Bahamas dolast year in terms of tourismnumbers?A: Overall, for the entireBahamas, air arrivals weredown 2.1 percent compared to2010. In addition to the falloutof the recession in the UnitedStates, this slight decline is aresult of a very slow start forarrivals in 2011.

Bitter winter storms in theUnited States caused manyflights to The Bahamas to becancelled. The disastrousweather in the northeast ofthe United States caused ourbusiness to be down about 11percent in January 2011.The good news is that airarrivals at the end of 2011were very strong, making up

much of the ground that waslost at the beginning of theyear.

Q: Where do most of your vis-itors originate from? A:Most of our visitors comefrom the United States ofAmerica. However, we contin-ue to promote all our islandsand increase awareness of ourdestinations in Europe, otherCaribbean islands and in otherareas of the world.

Q: Cruise passengers seem tobe a large chunk of yourtourist numbers. How do youconvert them into long-stayvisitors? A: Seventy percent of thecruise passengers to The

Bahamas are on a Bahamasonly cruise, so they go to mul-tiple islands in The Bahamas.They get a variety of experi-ences, and it is hoped thatthese experiences would causethem to return for a land-based stay.

Q: What is the most lucrativeattraction for The Bahamasoverall and how do you sus-tain it? A: Our beaches and waterscontinue to be the mostimportant attraction for thiscountry. The Bahamas isknown for having the clearestwaters on earth and our guestsconstantly tell us that theycome to our country to experi-ence our beaches. We take a

comprehensive approach tosustaining this naturalresource. We enlist the sup-port of all our residents inthis. We ensure that everyoneknows the importance ofmaintaining our pristine envi-ronment.

Q: Grand Lucayan Resort onGrand Bahama is an exampleof several large resorts scat-tered across the islands. Howwell do small inns and bou-tique hotels do in comparisonto these large properties? A: The Ministry of Tourismsupports small hotel proper-ties through training and otherprograms. The Ministry alsoenjoys an excellent workingrelationship with private sec-tor partners throughout TheBahamas. This allows cooper-ation on many different proj-ects that benefit small andlarge hotels.

Q: What is the one memoryvisitors should come awaywith after a stay in theBahamas? A: There are a variety ofpleasant memories that wewould wish our guests to have,especially about the warmthof our people. Whatever theirexperience, we would wish itto be so satisfying that it caus-es them to have a specialplace in their heart for us andto recommend us to theirfriends and families.

Æ

Christie returns to power in The Bahamas

The Bahamas at 39: One nation, a special place in the heart of visitors

14 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

BAHAMAS INDEPENDENCE

Christie

Vanderpool-Wallace

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 15

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MURPHY TOWN, TheBahamas, CMC – TheNational EmergencyManagement Agency(NEMA) said no one waskilled or seriously injuredafter a tornado passedthrough here late last monthcausing widespread damage.

“We are thankful to Godthat there were no fatalities orinjuries during the passage ofthat severe weather system,”said NEMA Director CaptainStephen Russell, who led anassessment team to the area

on May 28.An official statement said

that the team discovered thatfour properties were “clearlyimpacted” by the severeweather system, which passedthrough the islands of Bimini,Grand Bahama, Abaco andadjacent waters.

The Met Department hadissued a warning of a thunder-storm, which can cause stronggusty winds, dangerous light-ning, heavy downpour andpossible tornado activity.

The statement said that at

12 people had to be tem-porarily relocated and thatthe tornado had tossed a4,000 gallon fuel tank about500 feet away from its originallocation. It said that produc-tion at the Abaco Block andConcrete Company had beenaffected and that officials esti-mate it would take at leastthree weeks to be back inoperation.

- Edited from CMC.

Æ

JASON WALKER

On July 10, 1973, whenthe British Union Jackwas replaced by the

current flag of The Bahamas,one country made up of 700islands made the most cele-brated representation ofnation birth a powerful mani-festation.

The Bahamas, birthplaceof actor Sidney Poitier,junkanoo, actress EstherRolle, and so much more, hasbeen a major force in theCaribbean region.

The country has been atourism powerhouse and anadvocate for diplomacy in theCaribbean. Recent electionsagain made Perry Christieprime minister. The country isnow gearing up for the cele-brations.

The Progressive LiberalParty (PLP) won the electionsin 1967. The PLP was headedby Sir Lyndon Pindling, whobecame the first black premierin Bahamian history. WithIndependence, Pindlingbecame the country’s firstprime minister.

Bahamians have carriedtheir culture around theworld. The United States isone of the top destinationsand Bahamians were some ofthe first Caribbean people tohave a community in the U.S.state of Florida. However,they retain pride in theirhomeland.

“When it comes toBahamian Independence myfondest and most importantmemories are the festivitiesheld every year on July 10th,”Dwight Bootle, a Bahamiancommunity activist in Florida

explained toCaribbean Today.

“I stood onClifford Park onJuly 10, 1973 andwatched thepomp and cir-cumstance as theBritish UnionJack was loweredfor the last timein The Bahamas,and theBahamian flag aswe know it todaywas simultane-ously raised.

“In all of myyears I havenever seen, felt orheard of any formof nationalismexperienced by

Bahamians which was able toovershadow that moment,” headded.

“From that night to thismoment Bahamians havebeen rallying around the flag.Bahamians abroad, in particu-lar, continue to rally aroundthe flag in the most simplistic

ways. The aquamarine,gold and black colors ofthe flag, symbolizes thenational pride which weas Bahamians outrightlydisplay.

“We hang the colorsin our cars, we wear themin our clothing, and wegravitate to others whoare wearing them and ask‘where you from?’”

According to Bootle,“when it comes toBahamian Independence,the most important eventsare the IndependenceDay celebration, andcommemoration atClifford Park. This eventfeatures the annualaddress by the governorgeneral, the honorableprime minister of TheBahamas. It showcasesour world famousBahamas Police ForceBand and the now com-

petitive Royal BahamasDefense Force Band in a“Beat Retreat”.

“Many other marchingbands in The Bahamas alsoparticipate in the parade. Theannual parade is always closedout with a tattoo of fireworks.

This is one of the times in TheBahamas when the colors ofthe flag are on display. A seaof aquamarine, gold and blackcovers Clifford Park. Ofcourse, no Bahamian paradeis a parade without theauthentic sights and sounds ofjunkanoo.”

“This year the BahamasNational Independence Daycelebrations are going to beheld in Nassau at its regularplace, Clifford Park.Celebrations will also be held throughout the FamilyIslands, from Abaco in thenorth, to Inagua in the south.”

The Bahamas Consulatein Miami, Florida has organ-ized the annual Independencecelebrations, scheduled forJuly 14, 2012 at McTyre Parkin the City of West Park.Festivities will begin at noonand end at 8 p.m.

The event will featurevarious Bahamian associations

in Florida. More informationmay be obtained by contactingThe Bahamas consul generalin Miami.

Jason Walker is a freelancewriter for Caribbean Today.

Æ

No deaths as tornado rips The Bahamas

Nothing overshadows Bahamians’ embrace of Independence

16 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

BAHAMAS INDEPENDENCE

The Bahamas

Colorful celebrations mark Independence in The Bahamas.

Jamaica has plannednumerous events to cele-brate its 50th year of

Independence in 2012 andtourism interests are urgingpeople to visit the island tosample them.

“This is a significant yearfor us as a destination andwe’re encouraging visitorsincluding Jamaicans livingoverseas to come celebratethis milestone and experiencea host of on-island eventsthroughout the year,” said

John Lynch, Jamaica’s direc-tor of tourism.

“Now is a great time tobook a Jamaican vacation andbenefit from the special offersfrom a range of hotels andattractions.”

Below are some of theevents available to visitors theremainder of the year:

• Caribbean FashionWeek, June 7-11 - The venuefor the 11th staging of theevent is again the NationalIndoor Sports Centre in

Kingston.• Live Music Nation -

Those eager to check outKingston’s music scene canexperience Live Music Nationyearlong by attending one ofthe city’s weekly live musicevents. It’s free and open tothe public.

• Ocho Rios Jazz Festival,June 9-16 - The event willoffer pure jazz with perform-ers from Jamaica, Europe, theUnited States and the rest ofthe Caribbean.

• Reggae Sumfest, July15-22 - Features top Jamaicanand international acts.

• Kingston on the EdgeUrban Art Festival, June 16-24 - A platform for contempo-rary artists to showcase work.

• Wine and Food Festival,Sept. 24 - Funds raised benefitthe Heart Foundation’s ongo-ing fight against heart diseasein Jamaica.

• Caribbean Broilers(CB) Pan Chicken Festival,Nov. 18 - Lovers of pan chick-en, a unique Jamaican-stylegrill, are in for a tasty treat atthe grand finale in Kingston.

• Makka Pro SurfContest, July 13-15 - Bringstogether amateur and profes-sional surfers from across theworld for this CaribbeanChallenge Cup series event.

• Reggae Marathon, Dec.1 - The Reggae MarathonGrand Prix Series – ReggaeMarathon, Half Marathon &10K – is now in its 12th year.

To plan your Jamaicangetaway, go to www.visitja-maica.com or to obtain acomprehensive list of cele-bratory events, visitwww.jamaica50.com.

Æ

NEW YORK – St. Vincentand the Grenadines’ UnitedNations Ambassador CamilloGonsalves has appealed tonationals here to contributefinancially towards completionof St. Vincent’s first interna-tional airport.

“What are you going todo?” Gonsalves asked a townhall meeting at the Friends ofCrown Heights EducationalCentre in Brooklyn lastmonth.

“The wealthiest

Vincentians in the entireworld live in Brooklyn, NewYork. And, if you look at thefacts, the smallest contributorsto the international airport arein Brooklyn, New York.”

Gonsalves suggested to thetown hall meeting that $50 eachfrom 20,000 Vincentians livingin Brooklyn, who return homeannually for carnival, for exam-ple, would help significantly inthe airport’s completion.

Æ

St. Vincent appeals to U.S. diaspora

Effective Dec. 15, Delta AirLines will offer daily year-round service from NewYork’s John F. KennedyInternational Airport (JFK)to Montego Bay’s SangsterInternational Airport (MBJ)in Jamaica.

“We’re thrilled to wel-come Delta’s new daily serv-ice, offering travelers evenmore convenient options fromNew York to Jamaica,” JohnLynch, Jamaica’s director oftourism said in press releaseissued last month.

“Jamaica continues togrow in popularity as a vaca-tion destination, and Delta’sgrowing service enhances theaccessibility and opportunitiesfor nonstop travel.”

“It’s another step towardachieving our goal of becom-ing the preferred airline inNew York,” said

Gail Grimmett, Delta’ssenior vice president for NewYork.

The daily service willdepart JFK at 8:45 a.m., witha 1:02 p.m. arrival at MBJ.

The return flight will departMBJ at 2 p.m., arriving at JFK5:58 p.m.

Æ

Delta offers daily N.Y., MoBay flights

Jamaica rolls out multiple events to mark 50th Independence year

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 17

TOURISM/TRAVEL

SWEET OPENING

The Sugarcane singers from Jamaica were part of the entertainment package at last month’s opening ceremony for a new termi-nal at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States. The Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminalopened its doors to the world, showing off its sweeping roof line, gentle metallic curves and glass façade. The $1.4 billion terminaladds 12 gates to an airport that already had 195. Local officials believe the new terminal is necessary to keep Atlanta and its air-port at the forefront of global aviation. The opening included a distinct Caribbean flavor, with official representatives from severalcountries such as Jamaica, Barbados and Haiti in attendance.

“This is a significant yearfor us as a destination andwe’re encouraging visitorsincluding Jamaicans livingoverseas to come celebratethis milestone and experi-ence a host of on-islandevents throughout theyear”

- John Lynch

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,CMC – At the stroke of mid-night June 1, the West Indiesas a single nation ceased toexist 50 years ago – themoment that the three-and-half-year-old BritishFederation of the West Indiesdissolved on May 31, 1962.

In the federal govern-ment’s last official act in itscapital, Port of Spain, SirStephen Luke, the Britishinterim commissioner for theCaribbean, dispatched to wrapup the paperwork, signed theproclamation to dissolve thefederation.

Barbadian Sir GrantleyAdams had been the onlyprime minister of the West

Indies.For Sir Shridath

Ramphal, considered a lead-ing Caribbean statesmen andregionalist, May 31, 1962 sig-

nifies not what was, butmight have been –Independence for all 10nations that made upthe English-speakingCaribbean’s only experi-ment in political union.“The day the

Federation of The WestIndies was to becomeindependent as onenation, May 31, 1962 -was the very day onwhich the Federationwas formally dissolved,”said Sir Shridath in

Nov. 2008.“We had come that close

to West Indian nationhood.”

Æ

DAWN A. DAVIS

With the Florida stateprimaries scheduledfor Aug. 14, the 2012

election season is heating upas political candidates vie forvoters’ attention.

And, although the UnitedStates presidential race topsthe major headlines and tele-vision sound bites, local candi-dates are also jostling for topbilling come Nov. 6, the all-important Election Day.

Constituents in Floridawill cast their votes for statesenator, state representative,county and city commission-ers, state attorney, publicdefender and school board.

Among the field ofFlorida hopefuls are a numberof Caribbean American candi-dates who have declared theirintention to run for office inNovember. Depending onwhen officials were elected,some offices will not come upfor re-election this year. Thismonth, Caribbean Todayoffers a sample of CaribbeanAmerican candidates.

FLORIDA HOUSE OFREPRESENTATIVES

• Haitian-born Dr.Rudolph Moise (Democrat) - An osteopathic physician, heis running for Congress to represent Florida’s District 24, which includes parts ofMiramar, Miami Gardens,

North Miami Beach and someof Dade County. Moise will beup against U.S.Representative FredericaWilson, whopreviously rep-resentedDistrict 17.

Platform:Fight highcrime rate,reduce unem-ploymentamong minori-ties and devel-op skilledworkforce.

• Hazelle Rogers, nativeof Jamaica(Democrat) -Rogers hasbeen a fixturein theCaribbeancommunitysince 1996when she waselected to theLauderdale

Lakes City Commission. Shewas elected to the FloridaHouse of Representatives in2008 and is seeking re-electionto represent District 94, which includes the cities ofLauderhill, Plantation,Margate, Lauderdale Lakes,North Lauderdale, OaklandPark, Tamarac and Sunrise.

Platform: Economicdevelopment, jobs creation,repeal the stand-your-groundlaw and end tuition discrimi-

nation for U.S.-born childrenof immigrants.

• Mack Bernard, born inHaiti(Democrat) -RepresentingDistrict 84(West PalmBeach, Jupiter,Wellington,Palm BeachGardens,Delray Beach,BoyntonBeach), Bernard was electedto the House in 2009. Theattorney served on the DelrayBeach City Commission for ayear before winning the dis-trict seat.

Platform: Balance thestate’s budget, Improve healthcare services and reformFlorida’s Medicaid system,raise educational standardsand protect the safety andsecurity of the public througha balanced justice system.

• DouglasA. Harrison,Born inJamaica(Republican) -An attorneyand formerMiami-Dadeprosecutor,Harrison is

running to represent District104, which includes parts ofPembroke Pines, Weston,Southwest Ranches andDavie.

• John Patrick Julien,born in Haiti (Democrat) - Inlocal politics since 2002, Julienserved on North MiamiBeach’s City Council for threeconsecutive terms. He ran suc-

cessfully forstate represen-tative forDistrict 104 in2010. Julienwill now runfor District107 (cities inMiami-DadeCounty) basedon new districtlines.

Platform: A voice for allcommunities no matter theculture, tradition, party affilia-tion; crime reduction; eco-nomic stimulation.

• Ashira Ann Mohammed,Jamaican(Democrat) -Currentlymayor of thecity ofPembrokePark, border-ing Miami-Dade County,

Mohammed will run for theDistrict 101 seat, which coversneighboring cities. She is anattorney recently admitted tothe Florida Bar.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER

• Dale Holness,Jamaican-born (Democrat) -Currently Broward Countycommissioner representingDistrict 9, which includes FortLauderdale, Plantation,Sunrise,Lauderhill,Tamarac,Oakland Park,NorthLauderdaleandLauderdaleLakes,Holness wonthe seat in2010. Prior tothat Holness spent six years asLauderhill Hill CityCommissioner. He is alicensed real estate agent andmortgage broker.

Platform: Job creationand economic development,international trade andenhanced tourism for thecounty.

Dawn A. Davis is a freelancewriter for Caribbean Today.

Æ

50th anniversary of W.I. Federation’s end passes

The Miami-DadeCommission on Ethicsand Public Trust is

sponsoring seminar nextmonth to help those consider-ing running for public office.

The next Campaign SkillsSeminar will be held from 6:30to 8:30 p.m. July 10 in thePalmetto Bay Village Hall,South Florida.

Participants will have theopportunity to learn the rules

for running a clean racebefore the qualifying periodopens for municipal elections,candidates and campaigntreasurers.

Speakers, including repre-sentatives from the EthicsCommission and the ElectionsDepartment, will provideinformation to anyone elsewho wants to understand thelegal and ethical obligations ofseeking public office.

The event is free and

open to the public. Attorneyscan earn Continuing LegalEducation credits from theFlorida Bar by participating.

The Palmetto Bay VillageHall is located at 9705 EastHibiscus St. in Palmetto Bay.

For more information orto reserve a seat, call RobertThompson at 305-350-0630 ore-mail robthom@miami-dade.gov.

Æ

Caribbean American candidates lining up on Florida’s election ballots

18 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

ELECTION WATCH

Ramphal

Moise

Rogers

Bernard

Harrison

Julien

Mohammed

Holness

Campaign skills seminar for potential candidates

The Caribbean Hotel andTourism Association(CHTA) is inviting the

public to savor Caribbean cui-sine at the annual “Taste ofthe Caribbean” competitionthis month in Miami, Florida.

Consumers will be able tosample combination of flavorsin multiple taste testingopportunities as Caribbeanculinary experts from 11 dif-ferent teams converge in anall out food and beverage bat-tle from June 20-24 at theHyatt Regency hotel.

The consumer aspect ofthe four-day event will com-mence with “Taste of theIslands” from 7 p.m. to 9 June22. The event will a variety ofCaribbean gourmet appetiz-ers, a dessert and a rum-basedisland signature cocktail.

On June 23, the publiccan attend “Taste of theCaribbean” events accordingto the following schedule:

• Noon to 1:30 p.m. -International CaribbeanCulinary Team Challenge(lunch) - A three-course mealprepared for guests and pairedwith wine. Competing teamsinclude Barbados, BritishVirgin Islands, Curacao, Haitiand Jamaica.

• 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. -Bartender competition featur-ing rum and vodka. Samplethe creations of 11 Caribbeanbartenders as they preparetheir creations for judging.

• 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. -International CaribbeanCulinary Team Challenge(dinner). A three-course mealprepared for guests and pairedwith wine. Competing Teamsinclude Anguilla, TheBahamas, Puerto Rico, St.Lucia, Trinidad and Tobagoand U.S. Virgin Islands.

‘MYSTERY BASKET’Teams competing in the

“Taste of the CaribbeanInternational CaribbeanCulinary Team ChallengeLuncheon and Dinner” aregiven a “mystery basket” ofingredients (the provisions forthe competition consisting of ameat, fish, poultry or game),which they must use to devel-op a three-course menu. Thechefs have an hour to createand submit the menu andthree hours to prepare andserve an appetizer, entrée anddessert for attendees at theluncheon or dinner.

Currently there are 11registered teams, fromAnguilla, The Bahamas,Barbados, British VirginIslands, Curacao, Haiti,Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St.Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago,and U.S. Virgin Islands. Theteams are vying for honorsincluding “Caribbean Culinary Team of the Year”,“Caribbean Chef of the Year”,

RAS DON RICO

The people-politicalattainment of having amonth officially named

in the United States in honorof Caribbean heritage is inter-esting for what the meaning ofsuch a designation may - ormay not - signify.

In any case, the Instituteof Caribbean Studies, and itsPresident Dr. Claire Nelson,as well as the other organiza-tions, groups and individualswho were the prime movers inbringing about the officialCaribbean American HeritageMonth designation are to beapplauded.

There remains, however,

the matter of just what thesubstance of CaribbeanAmerican Heritage Month(CAHM) is going to be -deliberately, incidentally orcoincidentally. The measure ofCAHM ultimately will bedefined by how useful (or not)the annual occasion becomesin the day-to-day life and cul-ture of people whose histori-cal presence in the Americashas been as long-standing, andas valid, as any of those whoarrived after1492.

The equally long-standingdemand by many post-1492Americans, that people whobear much the same appear-ance as people from theCaribbean, must (like manyyoung Caribbean males in2012) prove that they have

legitimate reasons for beingwherever they are accosted(or risk being killed out-of-hand, immediately and extra-judicially) grows increasinglyinsistent. It is a demand madeeven more onerous whenasked of an entire group ofpeople, some of whose ances-tors arrived centuries beforethe ancestors of the ones mak-ing the demand of them.

STAND WHOSEGROUND?

Decades ago, Guyana’sIvan Van Sertima, and manyothers before him, made theunchallengeable case for thepresence of ancient Africans(possibly Ethiopians) in theAmericas many centuriesbefore Europeans stumbledupon them.

Planting flags, markingterritory – with weapons readyto keep out ‘intruders’ – isnothing new.

But the right to ‘stand’one’s ‘ground’ takes on differ-

ent colors and shapes whenthe deeper questions are pon-dered: Who really came first?Who gives the right-to-ownand what, anyway? How so?

In the face of the obviousfailure of the undifferentiated‘melting pot’ approach to thede-culturization and accultur-ization required by an often-chauvinistic nationalism, willthis Caribbean addition to thevarious official celebrations ofAmerica’s new salad-bowl mixprove to be simply ironic? Or,

will CAHM turn out to betruly iconic, i.e. marking – ifnothing else – a move fromisland-parochial nationalismto regional (even if only cul-tural) openness and expan-sionism? We can hope so.

COLONIALIZATION INREVERSE

Evidently, despite thenegatives that attend nativism,there is much latent and har-nessable energy in anotheropportunity for Caribbean-heritaged people to “show-offdem stuff” “to di worl” inways that range across a widespectrum of potential ideasand activities. Jamaica’s MissLou (Louise Bennett-Coverley) long ago pointed tocolonialization-in-reverse,mindful of the extensive andimpressive impact ofCaribbean people and theirculture on the world, a pres-ence and reality reaching backmany generations, even to theestablishing moments of whatwould become the UnitedStates of America.

Still, there are many who,out of ignorant bigotry orover-exuberant chauvinism,often openly express doubtsabout – or conversely andnervously claim much onbehalf of – the contributionsof the millions of migrants, orrelatives, or descendants ofimmigrants who comprise thepopulation of “A MerryMacka”.

Population estimateshave, for a long time now,been pointing to a certain nat-ural fact: So-called ‘ethnicminorities’ are about to com-prise the new majority in theland of Jefferson, Washington,Hamilton and the rest.America is slowly waking upto the potential that, indeed,Yellow Will Be Mellow, whenBlacks are Not Turned Back,when Brown is Welcome Allaround, and Whites StopBeing So Uptight.

The suspiciousness withwhich black immigrants are

‘Taste of the Caribbean’ comesto South Florida June 20-24

A“Culture in the Night”concert celebratingCaribbean American

Heritage Month will be stagedthis month in the SouthFlorida city of Miramar, hometo many CaribbeanAmericans.

The free family event isset for 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. June23 at the Perry/Wellman Field,Southwest 34th Street and

Southwest 68th Avenue.It will include perform-

ances by romantic reggaetonartist Jay Maly, Latin singersRandy Y El Chavo, reggaeartiste Red Rat, reggae bandMoksha Roots Allstars andDJ Money D.

For more information,call 954-602-3319.

Æ

‘Culture in the Night’ concertcomes to Miramar, Florida

In recognition of their con-tribution to the Caribbeanway of life, several persons

will be honored by JamaicaAwareness of South Floridathis month.

This year is special forJamaica and Trinidad andTobago, as both countries celebrate 50 years ofIndependence. Honorees willcome from both nations.

The outstanding scholaraward recipient is Dr. OrlandoPatterson. Cultural

Ambassador Award will go toPeter Minshall.

Singers Bob Andy andDavid Rudder will receive theMusical Icon Award.

“Unsung Heroes” includeDr. Celia Earle, June Minto,Mike Andrews, StephanieSylvestre, Nancy St. Leges andDr. Michelle Kirwan.

For more informationabout Jamaica Awareness,visit www.jamaware.org or call 305-405-2712.

Æ

Caribbean icons to get recognition

Caribbean gifts to the United States: Iconic or ironic?

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 19

CARIBBEAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

(Continued on page 20)

(Continued on page 20)

Van Sertima

Garvey

assessed is ironic in light ofhow, and by whom, Americahas been populated from theearliest years.

ME IREE, YOU IREENonetheless, the perennial

and increasingly louder agita-tion around the matter ofmigration – or ‘immigration’ –continues to beg the question ofhow much are migrants reallyworth to a nation. What deter-mines whether some migrantsare regarded as more valuableand welcome than others?

Are some migrantsregarded as so potentiallydangerous (or powerful) thatshaping social policy and cre-ating draconian immigrationslaws – such as those passed inthe 1920s panic over MarcusGarvey’s call “Up, YouMighty People. You CanAccomplish Whatever YouWill” – become the way todrum up money and politicalinfluence? Politicians andother demagogues know howuseful (for them) the mix ofalleged ‘patriotism’ and dis-trust/fear/hatred of ‘outsiders’can be, in the short-term andthe long-term.

For example, the long-term effects of the indictment,imprisonment, and hasty andextra-judicial deportation ofMarcus Garvey, and the rabiddemonization that has beenattached to that greatCaribbean man ever since –despite him being made into aNational Hero in Jamaica andregarded as an internationalhero elsewhere – has bornemuch fruit for almost a centu-ry, so far. The display of igno-rance, fear, hostility, embar-rassment or plain defensive-ness by many of Garvey’s ownJamaican people, at the men-tion of his name and works,are proofs of the effectiveness

of the negative propaganda.Unfortunately, people are

often influenced into using suchdeliberate misrepresentationsas guides to how they shouldthink about ‘The Immigrant’ -especially if the immigrant’sskin is of darker hue.

Fortunately, knowledgehas increased significantly.People have much opportuni-ty to find the other sides ofany story, including those longtold about the Caribbean andits peoples.

How numerous have beenthe varied Caribbean Gifts toAmerica? And how great hasbeen the net contribution toAmerican society? Iconic orironic? We are all a part of theon-going assessment.

While the assessment isongoing, we are invited tonote and recognize a few ofthe uncounted tens of thou-sands of Caribbean Gifts toAmerica. Visit http://yaadb-woyintergalactica.wordpress.com.

The above is an edited ver-sion of an article by Ras DonRico Ricketts, a guest writerfor Caribbean Today.

Æ

Caribbean gifts to the United States: Iconic or ironic?

Caribbean celebs ‘At The Feet Of The Masters’

“Caribbean Pastry Chef of theYear”, “Caribbean Bartenderof the Year” and “CaribbeanJunior Chef of the Year”.

Taste of the Caribbeanalso features a trade show,which provides a one-stop

forum for gathering practicalinformation, sampling, pur-chasing, strengthening suppli-er relationships and meetingnew vendors who help regis-trants build their food andbeverage business.

For more information on

the Taste of the Caribbean,including ticket prices, visithttp://www.caribbeanhoteland-tourism.com/events-taste/event-taste-about.php or contact CHTA at 305-443-3040.

Æ

‘Taste of the Caribbean’ comes to South Florida June 20-24

20 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

CARIBBEAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

Miss Lou

(Continued from page 19)

(Continued from page 19)

WHAT’S HAPPENINGFLORIDA

June 15Big Night in Little Haiti,6 p.m. to10 p.m. FreeHaitian Cultural Arts Alliance,225 N.E. 59th St., Miami 33137free

Call: 305-756-3037E-mail: info@haitianartsal-liance.org

June 16Colors of the Caribbean4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Free Performances by David Rudder and Leon Coldero,Hollywood Arts Park at YoungCircle,Visit: http://colorsofthe-caribbean.info

June 23Taste of the Caribbean and JerkFestivalFestival Field (across from theCitrus Bowl)West Church Street, OrlandoVisit: http://www.caalc.org

GEORGIA

June 3Caribbean American HeritageMonth Opening CeremonyJamaica celebrating 50 years ofIndependence,4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free.Fulton County Atrium,141 Pryor St. S.W., Atlanta

Caribbean Film Festival 20126 p.m. every Wednesday in June5 p.m. pre-screening reception at Featured films:• June 6: Fire in Babylon• June 13: Calypso Dreams(Trinidad and Tobago)• June 20: Troubled Waters (St. Lucia)• June 27: Africa Unite (Jamaica)Free.Atlanta-Fulton Public LibrarySystemCentral Library, 1 Margaret MitchellSquare, Atlanta.Call: 404-730-1700.

Æ

Several Caribbean celebri-ties will participate in thelive conversation series

“At The Feet Of The Masters”this month in New York.

The program is expectedto provide insight into thepersonal narratives, life sto-ries and autobiographicalmemories of five icons ofTrinidad and Tobago culture:calypso star Mighty Sparrow;artist David Moore; steelband innovator Dr. EllieMannette; record producerRawlston Charles; and pro-moter Flag Woman Janet.

The series takes place atTropical Paradise Ballroom,1367 Utica Ave. in Brooklyn.

Leading the conversa-tions, which will include inter-views, performance highlights,film footage and audiencequestions, will be Caribbeanbroadcast pioneers DaveElcock and Eric St. Bernard,as well as, international pho-tojournalist Colin “Soulboy”Williams.

The series schedule is asfollows:

• June 3, 5 p.m. - ArtistDavid Moore, whose life’swork has been dedicated todocumenting disappearingscenes of Caribbean traditionson canvas.

• June 8, 8 p.m. - MightySparrow (Slinger Francisco),heralded as the king of calyp-

so.• June 15, 8 p.m. - Dr.

Elle Mannette, who at86 is celebrating his 75thanniversary in develop-ing the steel pan.• June 22, 8 p.m. -

Rawlston Charles,owner of Charlie’sCalypso City recordstore in Brooklyn andfounder of Charlie’sRecords, an independ-ent record label estab-lished in the 1970s thatproduced some of theCaribbean’s greatestcalypso hits.• June 29, 8 p.m. -

Flag Woman Janet is aformer dancer in Trinidad andTobago who brought her sig-nature dynamism to promot-ing cultural and social eventsin New York.

For more information,call 347-636-0079 or e-mailashenandi@gmail.com.

Æ

Mighty Sparrow

JASON WALKER

In 2006, then PresidentGeorge W. Bush signedinto law bill H. Con 71 that

designated June NationalCaribbean-American HeritageMonth in the United States.

The bill was introduced byCongresswoman Barbara Lee,a Democrat from Californiaand came as a result of morethan a decade of work by Dr.Claire Nelson, founder andpresident of the Institute ofCaribbean Studies (ICS) basedin Washington D.C.

Caribbean AmericanHeritage Month (CAHM)acknowledges the growingpolitical and economic influ-ence of the Caribbean diaspo-ra and itsimportance tothe develop-ment of thecultural diver-sity of the U.S.CAHM cele-brates the his-tory, evolutionand contribu-tion of those ofthe Caribbean and Caribbeandiaspora, along with theirdescendants.

Lee cites a member of theCaribbean American commu-nity as the reason she is evenin politics. Shirley Chisholm,of Barbadian and Guyanesedescent, was the first femaleCaribbean American ofAfrican descent elected to theU.S. Congress and she wasalso the first female CaribbeanAmerican and person ofAfrican descent to run for U.S.president. Chisholm’s historic1972 run was the inspirationfor Lee to enter politics.

BEGINNINGThe passing of the law was

only the beginning. Nelsonbegan the work of cementingCaribbean American HeritageMonth by reaching out toCaribbean activists and mediain the U.S. to help her spreadthe word and get peopleinvolved with celebrating it.Starting with a committee sheformed in D.C., Nelson wentfrom state to state recruitingpeople to become that state’sCaribbean American HeritageMonth (CAHM) committee.

She recruited members asfar north as Chicago, Illinois,California in the west, south inFlorida and Georgia, and eastcoast locations such as NewYork. The committees haveeducated people, organizedevents, encouraged and alignedwith other institutions to advo-cate issues that impactCaribbean Americans. In 2010the major issue that the commit-tees tackled was the Caribbeancount in the U.S. census.

Every year, the sittingU.S. president signs a procla-

mation declaring JuneCaribbean American month.

GOALS“From the beginning one

of the main regional goals wasto have our community recog-nized for their contributions tothe U.S.,” said Asa Sealy, amember of the Florida CAHMcommittee.

“We represent a huge per-centage of the population andhelp to shape policy inWashington so it is necessarythat our voices be heard, andCAHM makes it possible.”

According to Sealy,Caribbean American HeritageFlorida Inc. set out to bringindividual island organizationstogether on a local level, assist-ing in promoting their culture,activities, nationals and theircontributions to the U.S.

“The celebration of ourCaribbean American heritage isso important for us to carry onour legacy and value to ourchildren and the communitiesin which choose to live,” TraceyLettsome, a member of theCAHM committee for Georgia.

“Great contributions havebeen made worldwide byCaribbean nationals and to cel-ebrate this is just a tip of ice-berg. Passing it on and educat-ing others brings to focus whyCAHM is so important and therole we can continue to play onthe world stage.”

Lettsome believes “thegoals on a broader scale havenot been attained.

“To some degree it couldbe the fact that the move-ment and celebration ofCAHM are still young and hasnot achieved the goals to bringnationwide attention to themonth as a whole…The lackof sponsorship andavailable funds affect themeans of outreach and net-working opportunities thatwould benefit CAHM.”

Tanya Ragbeer, also a vol-unteer of the CAHM inFlorida, said “the biggestproblem with CAHM inFlorida is that there is noorganized arm of the ICS thatcomprises of representationfrom each country, collaborat-ing to create a unified vision ofCAHM here in South Florida.With the ICS being inWashington D.C., trying tocoordinate events nationwideis difficult. It would be great ifthe consulates would getinvolved in making this monu-mental here in South Florida.”

Because CAHM is inJune, the schools, generallyclosed for holidays then, areunable to participate in cele-brating Caribbean heritage.According to Ragbeer, othermethods to encourage partici-pation are used.

“One attempt that mygroup TATI, Inc. continues to

do, in collaboration with ICS,the GCACC and the GCACultural Coalition, is theannual CAHM Youth EssayCompetition, which is promot-ed and open to high schoolstudents in the tri-countyarea,” she said. “This goes outto the schools in January,though, for judging and is

awarded in May (ahead ofJune events).”

Observers believe there isa promising future for CAHM.

“In terms of the futurethough, the future looksbright,” said Sealy.

“We have come a longway since we celebrated ourfirst CAHM, and with individ-

uals from various communitiesthroughout the U.S. steppingup to promote their culturethe month will only grow.”

Story and photographs sub-mitted by Jason Walker, afreelance writer for CaribbeanToday.

Æ

CULTURE EMBRACE: Celebration of Caribbean heritage growing in U.S.

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 21

CARIBBEAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

~ Photograph by Walter Drayton.Community activists gather for CAHM.

Lee

Top class cricket, featur-ing New Zealand andCaribbean representa-

tives West Indies, will beplayed in the United Statesthis summer.

The teams will clash intwo Twenty/20 matches onJune 30 and July 1 at theCentral Broward RegionalPark in Lauderhill, Florida.

The games open NewZealand’s tour of the region,which also includes two Testmatches and five one-dayinternationals to be played inthe Caribbean between July 5and Aug. 6.

“We are delighted andexcited to finally to bring inter-national cricket to the U.S.,”said Nelecia Yeates, commer-cial manager of the WestIndies Cricket Board (WICB)in a recent press release.

“We are confident of

overwhelming support for thematches, especially from theWest Indians resident in theU.S. and Canada, but alsofrom the wider Asian commu-nities in the U.S. as well.”

The West Indies team, ledby Darren Sammy, will be onits way home following a tourof England.

Æ

BUDAPEST, Hungary, CMC– As expected, CaymanIslands soccer chief JeffreyWebb was last month electedunopposed as the fourth presi-dent of CONCACAF herelast month.

The 47-year-old, whoalready holds several positionswith soccer’s world governingbody FIFA, will complete thefour-year term started by JackWarner of Trinidad andTobago, who ran the powerfulbody for 21 years beforeresigning last year amidst cor-ruption allegations during thecash-for-votes scandal.

CONCACAF, the govern-ing body for football in North,Central America and theCaribbean, was thrown intoturmoil with the interimPresident Lisle Austin ofBarbados also being suspend-ed by FIFA and eventuallybanned.

MOTIVATIONWebb told the gathering

here the scandalwould not be allowedto shape CONCA-CAF and stressedthat the organizationwould use it as moti-vation to rebuild.

“The events overthe past year will notdefine and determineour destiny,” Webbsaid. “We have aresponsibility toensure that historyisn’t repeated.

“Let us use the eventsover the past year as a catalystto promote positive change.Let’s see it as an opportunityto return to the core values ofthe beautiful game – the val-ues which enchanted andsparked our love affair withthis game.”

Webb currently serves asdeputy chairman of FIFA’sInternal Audit Committeeand also sits on the FIFATransparency and ComplianceCommittee. He is also chair-

man ofCONCACAF’sYouth Committeeand carried outduties as chairmanof the CaribbeanFootball Union’sNormalizationCommittee whilethat organizationwent without lead-ership in the wakeof the cash-for-votesscandal.

Webb told members hehad come to the position out ofa commitment to serve soccer.

“Over the last year ourmission and our vision havebeen blurred, from lawyers, toaudit reports to compensation,we have deviated from ourmission,” Webb said.

“I am here, we are here,because of our love for (soc-cer); the passion for the gamedrives and motivates ourevery action.”

Æ

West Indies, New Zealand clashin 20/20 cricket in South Florida

HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC– Bermudian teenage goal-keeper Dale Eve has signedhis first professional deal thatwill keep him at EnglishLeague club Stoke City until2014, the Royal Gazettereported late last month.

Eve, 17, was the only first-year scholar handed profes-sional terms by the Midlandsclub following eye-catchingdisplays in goal for Stoke’sUnder-18s last season, thedaily newspaper noted.

Having only signed StokeAcademy terms 12 monthsago, Eve said he was surprisedto turn professional so quickly,but was determined to repaythe faith shown in him by theclub.

“Because I did so well forthe Under-18s they have givenme a two-year pro deal,” saidthe 6 foot 4 inch ‘keeper.

PRESSURE“It puts more pressure on

me, but it gives me the beliefto continue to improve,” headded.

“I was very surprisedbecause no first-year (schol-ars) get pro contracts, espe-cially goalkeepers, who take

longer to come into the game.“Nothing changes really

though. The biggest change isthe amount of money I get.Everything else is the same.”

Eve started the season inthe Under-16s but benefitedfrom injury misfortune when

first-choice under-18 keeperDaniel Bachmann hurt hisback, ruling him out for fivemonths.

Eve returned home lastmonth and has been trainingwith Gary Darrell’s BermudaUnder-20 team, which headsto Puerto Rico for World Cupqualifiers next month.

- Edited from CMC.

Æ

Bermudian teen signs procontract with English club

New CONCACAF president is Jeffrey Webb

Four Caribbean countrieswill this month resumetheir campaign for a

place in soccer’s premier eventwhen they participate in 2014World Cup qualifying games.

Antigua and Barbuda,Cuba, Guyana and Jamaica arescattered across three groups,which make up the semi-finalround for countries in theCaribbean, North and CentralAmerica (CONCACAF)region. Group play involveshome and away fixtures.

On June 8, Cuba will hostCanada, Antigua and Barbudatravels to the United States,Guyana to Mexico andJamaica hosts Guatemala.On June 12, Antigua andBarbuda hosts Jamaica,Guyana is at home to CostaRica and Cuba travels toPanama.

Antigua and Barbuda,Jamaica, the U.S. andGuatemala are in Group A.Guyana, Mexico, Costa Ricaand El Salvador compete inGroup B, while Group C hasCuba, Canada, Honduras and

Panama.

U.S. GAMEWhen group play resumes

in September and October,Caribbean Americans in theU.S. diaspora will be able tosee one regional team inaction. Jamaica will play athome against U.S. on Sept. 7,but the Reggae Boyz travel toColumbus, Ohio for the return

leg on Sept. 11.The top two teamsfrom each groupadvance to the finalCONCACAF roundwhere the best threeearn a place in WorldCup 2014 in Brazil. Thefourth place CONCA-CAF team competes ina playoff with a countryfrom another region fora chance to qualify forthe game’s premiershowcase.Caribbean teams havebeen active in the lead-up to qualifiers.Jamaica, for example,beat Guyana 1-0 in afriendly international

last month in Montego Bay.Of the four remaining

Caribbean teams, only Cuba(1938) and Jamaica (1998)have ever qualified for WorldCup finals. Two otherCaribbean nations, Haiti(1974) and Trinidad andTobago (2006) have made it tothe finals.

Æ

Caribbean teams resume bid for places in2014 World Cup soccer finals

22 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

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Cayman Islands’ Webb isnew CONCACAF boss

CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012• 23

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C L A S S I F I E D A D S

24 • CARIBBEAN TODAY • JUNE 2012

publix.com ©2012 Publix Asset Management Company

A Culture so Rich You Can Taste It.

With everything from spectacular celebrations of history like Carnival to the creation of world-class cuisines to achieving numerous musical, political and historical firsts, Caribbean Americans

have made innumerable and valuable contributions to the culturally rich American mosaic. For hundreds of years, their influence on this country, and the world, has been priceless.

Proud to Celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month!

Both of our lovely Carnival ladies are made from favorite island foods: Aloe Vera, Pineapple Leaves, Raspberries, Strawberries, Kiwi, White Cherries, Grapes, Cilantro, Jalapeno Peppers, Vanilla Beans, Brown Rice, Kidney Beans, Coffee Beans, Wild Rice, Lemons, Oranges, Limes, Bok Choy.