HAITI /DR

week ending february
Carib
10, 2015
VOL XXX111 NO 1706 WEEK OF JULY 8 - JULY 14, 2015
NEW YORK
Page 14
DE BLASIO
BLASTS CUOMO
On city policies
Gets Support from
Community Leaders
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Page 4
JOINT FORCE TO
FIGHT CRIME
Soldiers and cops gear
up to tackle gang
violence that has been
plaguing the country
WWW.NYCARIBNEWS.COM (OUT OF TOWN $1.50)
HAITI /DR
PRESIDENT MARTELLY WANTS
PEACEFUL
RESOLUTION
END DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
Against women and girls
- wants Caribbean to
lead in the campaign
CARICOM
JAMAICA
Page 5
US WRONG
No spying on citizens
using the internet says
Government Minister
UN SHOULD
TAKE THE LEAD
PANAMA - WANTS
CLOSER TIES
TO CARICOM
Page 4
HAITIANS IN THE US
Which would lead to improved Security and Trade
MOBILIZE PUBLIC
OPINION
NEW YORK
Page 7
INCLUSIVE
OPERATION
Urged on Labor Day
Carnival organizers to
involve all the
countries in the
Caribbean
PRESIDENT OBAMA
SILENCE
GUYANA
NIGEL HARRIS TO
HEAD UNIVERSITY
Page 8
$1.00
CRISIS
UN SECRETARY GENERAL
Page
1
Former Vice Chancellor of
UWI to Head University
of Guyana
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CaribNews
OPED
Race and the Republican Posse
By Basil Wilson - P10
OPED
Thurgood Marshall’s Legacy: Equal
Justice Matters
by Ben Chavis Jr. - P10
RELIGION
Think on these things
By Frank Wiliams = P21
SPORTS
Lara to stage clinic on eve of
CPL final
P23
week ending
AFRICA
Nigeria’s Boko Haram
crisis: Zaria bomb
‘kills 25’
A bomb attack has killed at least 25 people and wounded 32 others in
northern Nigeria’s Zaria city, the state governor has said.
A suspected suicide bomber targeted civil servants at a government
building in the city, witnesses said.
Emergency workers have rushed to the scene to help evacuate the wounded.
Militant Islamist group Boko Haram, which often targets northern Nigeria,
has stepped up attacks since President Muhammudu Buhari took office in
May.
The group has not yet commented on the latest attack.
It came a day after police chief Solomon Arase announced new measures to
curb the rise in bombings. They include:
banning street trading and hawking in the capital, Abuja
strengthening security at all mosques and churches countrywide.
Kenya: Al-Shabab
kills quarry workers in
Mandera gun attack
Kenya Red Cross are flying some of the casualties to the capital
At least 14 people have been killed and several others wounded in a gun
attack near a military camp at the Kenyan border with Somalia.
It is believed the victims were workers from a local quarry in Mandera
county in the north-east of the country.
Witnesses heard two explosions, followed by heavy gunfire in the middle
of a night.
Militia group al-Shabab, which operates out of Somalia confirmed, it
carried out the attack.
Mandera County Commissioner Alex Ole Nkoyo told AFP that people were
sleeping when the gunmen struck.
“They just came and hurled explosives in the houses,” he said.
Mandera County Commissioner Alex Ole Nkoyo told AFP that people were
sleeping when the gunmen struck.
“They just came and hurled explosives in the houses,” he said.
Kenya Red Cross said it was sending an aircraft to the scene to fly the
injured to hospitals in Nairobi.
Nigeria’s Boko Haram
crisis: Jos blasts kill scores
Two bomb attacks on the central Nigerian city of Jos have left at least 44
people dead, the authorities say.
A restaurant and a mosque were targeted on Sunday night.
No group has said it carried out the attack, but militant group Boko Haram
has attacked Jos before, even though it is not in north-east Nigeria where
the Islamists normally operate.
The blasts are the latest in a series of deadly attacks in recent days which
have seen more than 200 people killed.
The attacks came shortly after the Ramadan fast was broken, with both sites
full of people.
Of the 44 dead, 23 were killed at the restaurant and 21 at the mosque,
Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) says.
JULY 14, 2015
WORLD
BRIEFS
Cuba’s Fidel Castro in rare
appearance at cheese meeting
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has
appeared in public for the first time in
more than a month.
State television showed images of
Mr Castro at a meeting with cheese
experts near the capital, Havana.
Fidel Castro, 8, handed power to his
younger brother Raul in 2006 after
struggling to recover from illness.
His appearance comes days after Cuba
and the United States announced they
were reopening embassies in each
other’s capitals on 20 July.
Mr Castro is rarely seen in public, and
secrecy about his health means his
public appearances are scrutinised by
the media.
The historic thaw between the old
Cold War enemies was announced on
17 December, in joint media conferences by Presidents Barack Obama
and Raul Castro.
There was no immediate comment
from Fidel Castro, and analysts said
the rapprochement would not have
happened if he was still in power.
Just over a month later, he broke his
silence in a letter published on the
Cuban Communist Party newspaper,
Granma.
“ Wikileaks: US ‘routinely spied’
on Brazil
The Wikileaks website says it has
evidence that a number of senior
Brazilian government officials were
routinely spied on by the National
Security Agency in the United States.
It says the NSA was particularly active
in economic espionage against Brazil.
Wikileaks published a list of 29 phone
numbers of Brazilians in banking,
finance and the economy.
According to the website the espionage apparently began in early 2011
or even earlier.
President Dilma Rousseff cancelled
a state visit to Washington two years
ago when former CIA contractor
Edward Snowden revealed that her
phones and emails were being spied
on.
“
Mexico gunmen attack Navy
helicopter in Tamaulipas
A Mexican Navy helicopter came
under fire in the violence-wracked
northern state of Tamaulipas on
Sunday.
The Navy said that “the attack was
repelled, resulting in the deaths of six
people among the group of assailants”.
The incident comes two months after
six soldiers and a policewoman were
killed when their helicopter was shot
down by suspected cartel members.
Tamaulipas is at the center of a turf
war between rival drugs cartels.
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
Carib NEWS
3
Martelly wants peaceful solution to
deportation crisis
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC)
— Haiti’s President Michel Martelly
yesterday called for a peaceful solution to
the crisis facing Dominicans of Haitian
descent who are being deported from the
Dominican Republic because the Spanishspeaking country insists they do not have
proper documentation to remain there.
The policy has been criticised by the
Caribbean Community (Caricom)
countries as well as the international
community, with both the United Nations
and the African Caribbean and Pacific
(ACP) grouping indicating that it would
seek to intervene in the matter.
“Haiti would prefer to stay at the table
with the Dominican to resolve that crisis
peacefully,” he said, noting that many
people had appeared at the border in a bid
to leave the Spanish speaking country.
He said within a few days “we had more
than 20,000 people come back, including
a someone claining to be a Nigerian
national. It is not yet confirmed, the
person is claiming he is Nigerian and
because of lack of identification we cannot
know if it is true or not.
“But one thing I know is that two nights
ago...21 people were forced back to Haiti.
They did not come voluntarily, they
were arrested and brought back to Haiti
[and] it seems that all 21 of them are not
Haitians,” he added.
The Dominican Republic gave a deadline
of June 17, 2015 for people of Haitian
descent to apply for legal residency. The
Dominican Republic has said migrants
who can prove they entered the country
before October 2011 can qualify for legal
residency. Otherwise they could face
deportation.
Martelly described the situation facing his
country as a “humanitarian crisis because
we are talking about non-Haitians, most
likely Dominicans (who are) taken out of
their country.
“We prefer not to even mention
Dominicans or even talk about it. We care
about Haitians that would be coming back
to their country with no means, because
most of the times they leave what they
have at home, they are forced out of the
DR (Dominican Republic)...
“We focus on Haitians and that’s why we
feel comfortable asking for a protocol ...so
we could agree on who do you bring back,
where do you bring them back because a
problem is that we have seen people all
around the border so there is no control as
to what is happening,” he told reporters.
“In order for the Haitian Government to
be prepared we need to have an idea how
many of them, how, when, what do we
do with 1,000 per day and whether we
stop on weekends. We need to do it in an
orderly manner.
“It is not that we do not want Haitians at
home , we do, we are ready to keep our
Haitians at home, we just want to make
sure that it is done properly,”’ he added.
Humanitarian crisis looms large in Haiti
as the Dominican Republic Deports Thousands of Haitians; Human rights and dignity abused
by Tony Best
As the international community raise the
alarm about the “awful” impact of the
Dominican Republic’s “inhumane” scheme to
deport hundreds of thousands Haitians, calls
for economic sanctions against the DR are
gathering steam.
The calls are coming from dozens of Haitian
immigrants elected to legislatures, the judiciary
and municipal bodies in New York, Florida,
Illinois, New Jersey and other parts of the
country as well as from their supporters who
believe a threat of tough economic sanction
would help force the DR to recognize the pain
the ejections were causing Haitians who were
being uprooted from the only country they
have known for several decades.
“Economic sanctions and the involvement
of the private sector are important if we are
going to stop this cruel and inhumane policy
that will transform hundreds of thousands of
people into stateless persons,” said New York
State Assembly member, Rodneyse Bichotte, a
Brooklyn Democrat and a driving force behind
the campaign in the U.S. to halt the evictions.
“We believe a reduction in investment
flowing to the DR, a fall-off in tourisms and
a slowdown in trade would bring the message
home to the government in Santo Domingo
that what it is going is wrong and must be
stopped.”
By “we” Bichotte was referring to dozens
of Haitians serving in state assemblies and
senates, as judges, mayors and members of
municipal councils. The “drive is attracting
support outside of the Haitian and Caribbean
immigrant communities,” said Bichotte.
In New York where three Haitian immigrants
are members of the lower chamber of the
legislature, the lawmakers have passed a
resolution condemning “the actions of the
Dominican Republic’s Constitution Court”
which stripped hundreds of thousands of
Haitians of their citizenship and blames
Dominicans for committing human and civil
rights violations,” said Bichotte. Two other
Haitian members of the Assembly, Kimberley
Jean-Pierre and Michaelle Solages are also
backing the call for sanctions.
“We are all members of the National HaitianAmerican Elected Officials Network and
we are determined to raise the concerns of
institutions and individuals who can help
stop this policy from hurting Haitians,” said
Bichotte.
At the same time, Assemblyman Nick Perry, a
Brooklyn Democrat, said that it was important
that “influential voices join” the campaign to
end the deportations.
“We want more done and more voices raised to
end the evictions in the Dominican Republic,”
said Perry, Chairman of the New York State
Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Legislative
Caucus, a group of more than 50 law makers
in Albany.
State Senator Kevin Parker said that he was
“disappointed, appalled,” that the United
Nations and Washington hadn’t acted more
aggressively to exert pressure on the DR to end
the deportations.
“The UN should have passed a resolution
calling on its members to impose sanctions
on the DR for what it is doing with Haitians
many of whom were born in the DR or have
lived there for decades contributing to the
economic well-being of the country,” he said.
“The Congress in Washington and the Obama
Administration should also have spoken
out forcibly on this matter. I find the silence
stunning.”
Just last week, Ban Ki-Moon, UN SecretaryGeneral, told Caribbean presidents and prime
ministers at their summit in Barbados that he
was worried about the deportations impact,
describing them as a “matter of human rights
and human dignity. I have discussed this with
the President of the Dominican Republic and
trust there will be further progress in resolving
this matter.”
In Haiti, the country’s Prime Minister, Evans
Paul described the return of 14,000 Haitians,
many of them women and children in recent
weeks was creating a humanitarian crisis in the
Creole speaking country. Some of the Haitians
were deported by Dominican Republic
immigration authorities while others went
back voluntarily, fearing that they would be
deported.
Meanwhile, the Organization of American
States in Washington is launching an
investigation into the deportations, the policies
which have led to the evictions and their
impact on people.
The DR has agreed to cooperate with OAS
investigation.
“We have nothing to hide because what we
are doing is applying our laws on migration as
every country in the world does and to do this
we have done what was needed,” said Ramon
Fadul, the Dominican Republic’s Minister of
the Interior.
However, Human Rights Watch, a global
human rights body charged that many of
the Haitian deportees had been detained and
then “shoved across the border” of the two
countries.
Haiti and the DR share the island of
Hispaniola.
It is estimated that as many as 500,000
people of Haitian descent live in the DR and
at least 200,000 of them could end up being
forcibly deported to a country they don’t know
anything about and don’t speak its language.
4
CaribNEWS
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
CARICOM letting UN take lead in resolving HaitiDominican Republic matter
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, – CARICOM
has pledged not to ease the pressure on the
Dominican Republic in response to the
country’s immigration crackdown.
But it will only be doing so through
diplomatic channels, while allowing
the United Nations to take the lead in
attempting to resolve the matter that has
left thousands of undocumented people
of Haitian descent, who were born in the
Dominican Republic, stateless.
The declaration was made over the
weekend by chairman of the community,
Barbados’ Prime Minister Freundel
Stuart who stated: “We cannot condone
behaviour that, in our view, enshrines
barbarity into the constitutional practices
of the Dominican Republic.”
“As a community, as a movement, we
have to be careful that we do not race
ahead of the Haitian government itself
because they are on the spot, they know
the realities . . . and we, therefore, have
particularly its human rights agencies,
and to exert additional pressure through
the Organisation of American States and,
at the CARICOM level, of course, to
continue our diplomatic efforts to bring
this very difficult matter under some sort
of control.
”
The 15-member CARICOM grouping
and the Dominican Republic comprise
CARIFORUM, which signed an economic
partnership agreement with the European
Union in 2008.
However, Stuart said this would not be
hindrance to the region’s position on the
issue.
to be guided by them,” he said during
the press conference held at the end of
the CARICOM Heads of Government
meeting in Barbados during which
leaders met with Haitian President Michel
Martelly.
“We therefore decided to invoke the
assistance of the United Nations,
Discussions have taken place between
representatives of the regional body
and a high-level Dominican official,
but CARICOM said the country did not
remain faithful to its promises.
Panama wants closer relations with Caricom
would lead to improved security as well as
trade and commerce.
“My current administration firmly believes that
the time has come to re-launch the relations
between Panama and the countries of Caricom,
with the purpose of reaching new and better
levels of understanding and cooperation to
tackle the challenges and improve the quality
of life of our citizens,” Panama President Juan
Carlos Varela told regional leaders at their
summit here.
The Panamanian leader, who was the only
foreign head of state to address the regional
leaders at their 36th annual summit, said that
ever since the Caribbean and Panama had
become “more than strategic partners and
allies”, dating back to the efforts of thousands
of Caribbean nationals in the construction
of the Panama Canal, “we are siblings...
that share a historical and cultural heritage
full of customs, traditions, dances and other
expressions...that unite us.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) -- Panama
on Saturday called for a deepening of relations
with the 15-member Caribbean Community
(Caricom) grouping, saying such relationship
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) —
Trinidad and Tobago’s leader has created
a combined national security force to
combat gang violence in a crime-troubled
community.
She says the combined security forces “will
operate 24/7 in that community to detect and
suppress acts of violence.”
Persad-Bissessar met with the joint unit
during a Saturday visit to the central area
following the close of a Barbados summit of
Caribbean Community leaders.
Joint unit of police, soldiers to
combat gangs in T&T
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar
says the initiative dubbed “Operation
Restore” will join together police officers
and soldiers to “restore peace” in the central
area of Enterprise, where gun violence by
feuding gangs has recently escalated.
Trinidad is preparing for September 7
general elections. Opinion polls suggest
the elections will be a tight race between
the ruling coalition People’s Partnership
and the main opposition People’s National
Movement.
“At a global and hemispheric scope, I am
confined that the main challenge we face is the
insecurity resulting from the illegal activities
of criminal organisations that are recruiting our
youth,” he said.
He said as a result, criminal gangs have
become a “major cause of violence in the
poorest neighbourhoods of our countries”.
He said the era of social networks, instant
communication and air connectivity makes the
region more vulnerable against these criminal
and terrorist organisations that continue
to spread panic among the international
community.
He recalled that Panama had proposed the
creation of a Regional Security Centre
involving the countries of the Integration
System of Central America (SICA) and that
while it had been approved by SICA in 2011 its
implementation has not been easy.
“Because of Panama’s connectivity and
logistic hub we can’t wait any longer and have
to move forward,” he said, adding that it is
for this reason he has come to Caricom “to
begin the negotiation of a Memorandum of
Understanding on the matter”.
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
Carib NEWS
Guyana’s Opposition
moves to unseat two
Government Ministers
5
.

a
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — A
candidate of the main Opposition People’s
Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) is challenging
the constitutionality of two government
legislators sitting in the National Assembly
because their names have not been extracted
from the coalition’s list of candidates.
Desmond Morian, a PPPC candidate in the
It appears the United States has withdrawn
its allegation that the Jamaican government
has been illegally monitoring the online
communications of Jamaicans.
In its 2014 human rights report released last
week, the US claimed that “there were credible
reports that the government monitored private
online communications without appropriate
legal authority”.
However, today, the report on the US
State Department’s website was changed
to say “there were no credible reports that
the government monitored private online
communications without appropriate legal
authority.”
A reason for the change was not stated.
However, it follows Jamaica’s demand for
the evidence that led to the US government
making the allegation.
May 11, 2015 general and regional elections,
said Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix
and Minister in the Ministry of Communities,
Keith Scott should be barred from sitting in the
House.
His attorney, Anil Nandlall, the former attorney
general, wants the High Court to declare that
the two ministers are not lawful members of
and cannot sit in the National Assembly of the
11th Parliament of Guyana.
Morian has named Attorney General Basil
Williams and Dr Barton Scotland, the Speaker
of the National Assembly as respondents.
Morian also wants the court to issue an order
directing the respondent to prevent the two
ministers from sitting in the Parliament,
“unless and until their names are extracted
from A Partnership For National Unity +
Alliance For Change National Top-up List
of Candidates for the May 11, 2015 general
elections”.
He said his actions were based on the Guyana
Constitution that sets out the qualifications
of persons who are elected and non-elected,
members of the National Assembly as well
as for voting and non-voting members of the
National Assembly.
Members of the Opposition PPP/C have so
far failed to take up their seats in the National
Assembly, claiming that the May 11 polls were
flawed.
The coalition grouping won 33 of the 65 seats
in the National Assembly, ending 22 years of
PPP/C rule.
US On Jamaica Monitors Citizens Online Allegation
Speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing
yesterday, Minister with responsibility for
Information, Senator Sandrea Falconer
denied local authorities are engaged in illegal
monitoring.
However, she said Jamaica takes the claim by
the US seriously and wants to see the evidence.
Senator Falconer also said a process has been
initiated to get the US to provide the evidence.
She said further details will be provided later.
Study finds decreasing condom use among Caribbean youth
ONTARIO, Canada (CMC) — A study
examining the rates of HIV infection among
local African, Caribbean and black youth
here has found they are using condoms less
often than their peers, though their sexual
activities are otherwise the same as the
broader population of youth that has a lower
rate of infection.
More than 500 youths in these groups in
Windsor and Essex County here took part in
a survey over the past two calendar years,
according to the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation (CBC). The participants were
all 16 to 25 years of age.
Eleanor Maticka-Tindale, a University of
Windsor professor and Canada Research
Chair in social justice and sexual health,
told CBC News that the researchers found
that “they don’t look very different than
Canadian youth in general in terms of their
sexual activities”.
This includes the age at which sexual
activity begins and the number of sexual
partners these youth report.
Maticka-Tindale said the survey found that
local African, Caribbean and black youths
“don’t use condoms as often as Canadian
youth in general”.
In the survey, participants were asked if they
were HIV positive. The reported rate of HIV
infection was approximately 15 in 1,000, a
rate that is similar to African, Caribbean and
black youth across the country, but well
above the 1 in 1,000 Canadians in the same
age group, according to CBC.
At the provincial level, according to CBC,
Maticka-Tindale said individuals in these
same groups have a higher rate of infection
than the broader population.
“African, Caribbean and black people
account for between four and five per cent of
the population of Ontario, but they account
for approximately 18 to 19 per cent of HIV
infections,” Maticka-Tindale said.
“So that’s roughly four to five times
higher than it should be proportional to the
population and that’s what we pay attention
to,” she added. Kenny Gbadebo, the coprincipal investigator on the study, said
there is a need for outreach to the young
people in the African, Caribbean and black
communities. “We don’t seem to have any
programmes, per se, to engage some of these
young people, which is very concerning and
disturbing to me,” he said.
JULY 14, 2015
CaribNEWS
UN Secretary General joins END violence campaign
6
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
on Thursday urged Caribbean states to lead
the world in ending violence against women
and girls.
Ban, who is here to hold talks with Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders at their
36th annual summit, joined government
officials, diplomats and sectoral leaders from
across Barbados to commit to the UNICEF
global #ENDviolence Against Children
campaign.
The UN head told the audience at a joint
UNWOMEN/UNICEF event that the Caribbean has one of the highest rates of sexual
assaults in the world and must begin to act
on the problem.
“In the Eastern Caribbean, UNICEF
estimates that child sexual abuse rates are
between 20 and 45 per cent -- meaning at
least one in five precious children are affected. Most are girls who have no choice but to
live close to their attacker. They desperately
need our help,” Ban said.
He called for a change of mindset, especially
among men, and for girls and women to be
empowered to report cases of sexual assault.
“Too many women are afraid to seek help.
week ending
education and health sectors to increasingly
ensure that all frontline professionals know
the signs of possible abuse of children; and
when they see it, how to manage and refer
to the appropriate specialized agencies,” the
minister said.
Blackett said a national mandatory reporting protocol for child sexual abuse is being
finalised and laws are being updated in an
attempt to tackle what he termed unacceptably high levels of child sexual abuse being
recorded.
One study showed that up to two thirds of
all victims suffer without ever reporting the
crime. I am outraged by this. Shame belongs
to the perpetrators, not the victims,” he
added.
Barbados’ Minister of Social Care Steven
Blackett said Government’s desire to tackle
abuse against children led to the decision
to fully endorse the Break the Silence
campaign which seeks to end the shroud of
secrecy around child sexual abuse.
“The Break the Silence campaign is touching many sectors. It is reaching out to the
“Barbados is committed to a zero tolerance
policy on all forms of violence against women and children, as no violence against them
is justifiable and all violence is preventable.
I pledge that we will continue our efforts
to create a safer Barbados for our girls and
boys, our men and women,” he added.
Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite also
pledged that the Barbados Government
would do all in its power to address the
problem of abuse against women and children.
Caricom slams Venezuela for action against Guyana
Says action against Guyana could poison relations with grouping
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) —
Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders
ended a three-day summit here on Saturday
night, warning Venezuela that its action
regarding the border dispute with Guyana
could “poison relations” with the regional
integration grouping
It also condemned the action of the Dominican Republic in deporting people of Haitian
descent and making them stateless.
At the same time, Barbados Prime Minister
Freundel Stuart, the new Caricom chairman, acknowledged that the leaders had not
agreed on a candidate for the position of
Commonwealth Secretary General, but said
moves are afoot to have that matter settled
as quickly as possible.
“There is no doubt that we have had a most
successful and productive engagement over
the past three days. We focused on policy
positions and strategies for getting the best
out of the negotiations in the three major
policy-setting global conferences, how to
ensure our education system bolsters our
efforts at building our social and economic
resilience, securing our energy future (and)
border issues, in particular recent actions of
one of our neighbours as they affected the
community,” Stuart told reporters.
He said the decree issued by Venezuela in
May, which laid claim to much of the coastline and most of the exclusive economic
zone of Guyana, was raised by member
states and discussed at the meeting.
“This decree has created great concern for
us and could poison relations between the
community and Venezuela,” Stuart warned.
Stuart confirmed that a delegation of regional heads of governments had met with
the Venezuelan delegation that was headed
by Executive Vice President, Jorge Arreaza, and included Foreign Affairs Minister,
Delcy Rodriquez. He noted that while “Caricom stands very firmly behind Guy
ana” it is also aware of the “good relations”
Caracas has with the region.
Venezuela supplies oil to a number of
Caribbean countries under the PetroCaribe
arrangement.
“We aren’t about to disrupt that relationship or to pollute it in any way by anything
that we as a community say or do. At the
same time we have to insist that Venezuela
plays by the rules and there is no evidence
available to us that Venezuela is not so
committed,” Prime Minister Stuart said,
adding that Venezuela “has committed itself
to maintaining peace and tranquillity in this
region”.
He said both Venezuela and Guyana belong
to regional organisations “so there are a
number of organisations, membership of
which both Venezuela and Guyana share, so
we think there is scope for an amicable
resolution of present difficulties....”
President David Granger, who at the start of
the conference on Thursday night called on
his regional colleagues to send a strongly
worded message to Caracas, said he was
pleased with the position arrived at by Caricom on the matter.
He said he would be informing his country
that Caricom “is committed to ensuring that
the region remains a zone of peace and will
do everything possible to ensure nothing
happens to disrupt peace in the region”.
“I compliment the chairman of Caricom,
Prime Minister Stuart, who actually led a
small team and engaged the Venezuelans
last evening (Friday) and demonstrated
leadership in stating Caricom’s position to
the Venezuelan team.
“So I would tell them (Guyana population)
that Caricom is united, is solidly behind
ensuring that there is no disruption to the
peace and stability of the region, that it is in
support of the sovereignty of states of the
region and that as far as the specific decree
is concerned that is the fly in the ointment
that is what has brought us to the present
situation...
“I think the news will be good and I will
take it back to Guyana, I think the Guyanese
people could be satisfied in the solidarity of
the Caribbean Community,” Granger said.
Prime Minister Stuart had also taken an
opportunity to review the situation in the
Dominican Republic, adding “we are very
concerned at the actions of the Dominican
Republic government which have resulted
in a looming humanitarian crisis in our
region”.
He said the regional leaders will issue a full
statement on the matter, but St Vincent and
the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph
Gonsalves told reporters that Caricom
would maintain the pressure on the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country to reverse
its policy of deporting people to a country
where they have no links.
Gonsalves said he was also disappointed
that commitments made by the Dominican
Republic during a meeting in Brussels had
not been kept and said the Caribbean had
also been under pressure by the European
Union not to have a political discussion on
the matter during the meeting in Brussels.
But he said the region did not adhere to
such a request.
Prime Minister Stuart said that the regional
leaders had also discussed the decision by
the European Union to name 13 Caribbean
countries on a blacklist, labelling them tax
havens, saying “this is a most unfair decision which is damaging to our economies
which had been pointed out to the commission in a letter by Prime Minister Perry
Christie (of the Bahamas).
“We are demanding that the EU rescind
that decision immediately,” Prime Minister
Stuart told reporters.
CaribNEWS
Pleas for West Indian carnival body’s diversity grow
louder; WIADCA defends track record,
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
7
asserting membership reflects City’s Caribbean community
BY Tony Best
The West Indian American Day Carnival
Association, which plans and runs America’s
largest cultural festival must broaden its
membership, especially its board of directors
to reflect the diverse Caribbean immigrant
community.
That plea came from a cross section of
public figures in response to a raging dispute
between WIADCA and the CaribbeanGuyana Institute for Democracy, a human
and civil rights group in New York City.
The CGID accused WIADCA of
discriminating against Guyanese and
other national groups who wish to join the
Association and it has threatened to mount
a competing festival if things don’t change.
But while some key prominent elected
officials and community leaders sidestep
complaints about discrimination, they have
urged WIADCA to take steps to reach out
to more Guyanese, Jamaicans, Barbadians,
Grenadians, Antiguans, Vincentians,
Haitians and others and give them decisionmaking roles.
But as the pleas for diversity grow louder,
WIADCA said in a statement yesterday
said that “inclusion and celebration of the
rich cultural contributions of all Caribbean
nations to the world” was a long-standing
Association tradition.
“Over the course of its almost 50 year
existence, WIADCA has persevered with
a diverse set of cultural organization and
individuals with origins from both within
and outside of the Caribbean,” asserted the
Association. “WIADCA’s current leadership
and volunteers who make substantial
contributions to the organization on a
regular basis have roots in countries such
as Grenada, Guyana, St. Vincent, Italy, the
United States, Anguilla, Trinidad, Tobago
Jamaica, Dominica, Barbados Haiti and
Panama amongst others. In fact, WIADCA
has always embraced persons from other
nationalities in its membership and Board of
Directors. Persons from Guyana, Grenada,
Italy Jamaica and the U.S. have been part
of WIADCA for more than 35 years. The
organization continues to seek out partners,
members and volunteers with specialized
expertise from a diverse set of cultural
backgrounds.
“Operating solely due to the year round
efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers,
general members and board members,
WIADCA is always working to improve,
expand and partner as much as possible,
while reserving the right to foster
partnerships and volunteerism that will
serve the best interests of the organization,”
it went on. “We determine the eligibility of
those roles based on criteria that support
cultural stewardship, goodwill and overall
cultural advancement in a manner that is
in furtherance of WIADCA’s mission. At
the same time, we applaud the efforts of,
and stand in solidarity with, other groups/
individuals that wish to promote and make
public their enthusiasm and support for
Caribbean Heritage and traditions.
“As we have done in the past, we will
continue to strengthen those relationships
based upon community feedback,” it
insisted.
New York State Assemblyman Nick Perry,
an Assistant speaker pro tem of the lower
chamber in Albany and a leading voice for
carnival in the State capital urged WIADCA
to expand its board of directors to make it
“truly” Caribbean.
“More can be done to make WIADCA a
more diverse body,” said Perry, a Brooklyn
Democrat. “Traditionally, WIADCA has
been associated with Trinidad and Tobago
more so than with any other country in
the Caribbean. That’s a matter of history.
The West Indian carnival is what its name
suggests, West Indian, and its membership
should reflect that fact.
“Carnival belongs to all West Indians
and that means Haitians, Guyanese,
Trinidadians, Jamaicans, Barbadians, you
name them,” Perry insisted.
Dr. Lemuel Stanislaus, a former Grenada
Ambassador at the United Nations, agreed
with Perry.
“There is ample room for the inclusion of
more Caribbean people in the running of the
festival and in its design,” said the retired
Brooklyn dentist who was a member of
WIADCA for many years. “A more diverse
membership is not simply desirable but it
is long overdue. I tried for years to make
it more diverse but unfortunately it didn’t
happen.”
In its complaint CGID led by Rickford
Burke charged that despite his contributions
to WIADCA as a volunteer, his application
for membership was recently rejected. In
addition, the Institute charged that
unnamed board members expressed fears
that a Guyanese wanted to take over the
Association “at the behest” of certain elected
officials.
“It is inconceivable that an entity,
which receives public funding as well
as participation from all facets of our
(Caribbean) community, comprises members
who engage in prejudice based on national
origin, as alleged,” stated the Institute. “
Una Clarke, a former New York
City Council member and mother of
Congresswoman Una Clarke, also called for
and its board of directors.
“There is an urgent need to bring more
people from the rest of the Caribbean
community in the City into the Association
and its board of directors,” said Clarke. “The
carnival belongs to all of us, not just one
national group.
If there is discrimination it must stop.”
A Caribbean diplomat in New York who
requested anonymity said bias towards
Trinidadians “was a fact of life” known to
most members of the Caribbean Consular
Corps.
“We have raised with WIADCA the issue
of discrimination but the question went
unanswered,” said the Consul official.
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CaribNEWS
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
Kappa Omicron Chapter Of Omega PSI Fraternity Awarded $6,000 To Food Pantries Located In The 5 Boros Of New York City
-At Fraternity Brownstone in Sugar Hill,
Kappa Omicron Chapter of Omega PSI
PHI awarded $6, 000 to six food pantries
in all five boroughs in New York City. Each
food pantry received $1,000 to feed Veterans, families and individuals in need of
food. One pantry in each Borough received
an award. Since 2009 when the project started the
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Kappa Omicron
Chapter has awarded food pantries over
$24,000 in assistance. Food Pantries that received awards this
year were Manhattan-Convent Avenue
Baptist Church and Cathedral Community
Cares, Bronx-The Salvation Army, Brooklyn-The Black Veterans for Social Justice,
and Queens-The St. Albans Congregational
Church and Stapleton AME church Staten
Island, NY.Funds were donated by 80 donors, the brothers of Omega Psi Phi, Kappa
Omicron chapter, businesses, and families,
and friends. Kappa Omicron chapter is
thankful to the generous donors. Prof E Nigel Harris heading to
University of Guyana
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The Guyana Government says it intends to nominate
the former Vice Chancellor of the University of
the West Indies (UWI) Professor E Nigel Harris
for the post of Chancellor of the University of
Guyana (UG). Education Minister Rupert Roopnaraine said the new David Granger Administration will nominate Professor Harris, through
its representative on the Council to serve as UG
Chancellor.
Professor Harris served as UWI Vice
Chancellor from 2004 to 2015. Prior to his
appointment at UWI, he served as dean and
senior vice-president for academic affairs at
the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta,
Georgia and held several leadership posts, including chairman of Barbados-based Caribbean
Examinations Council; chairman of the
Association of Commonwealth Universities;
and he is currently president of the
Caribbean Association of Universities, Colleges
and Institutes.The Guyanese-born academic is a
rheumatologist who is best known academically
for identifying with collaborators a disorder
called the Antiphospholipid Syndrome and for
developing the test for its diagnosis and has
published extensively on these subjects.
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
CaribEDITORIAL
9
President Obama’s silence on Haitians in the DR is deafening,
Time forWhite House Action to help end madness of deportations
With 18 months to go before he leaves the
White House and having gained a second wind
from U.S. Supreme Court decisions and an
unusual move by the Republican controlled
Congress, President Barack Obama is in a
good position to add to his legacy.
He can achieve that cherished goal by becoming a standard bearer for fairness and justice in
the Western Hemisphere. That would involve
showing the Dominican Republic the error of
its ways in implementing an abhorrent program
of ethnic purging which it seems bent on undertaking in the weeks and months ahead.
The burning international issue is the planned
deportations of upwards of 400,000 Haitians from the DR. The Haitians have lived
there for most, if not all, of their lives, often
working for a pittance and sleeping in shacks.
Now they are facing the real danger of being
pushed across the border into a land many of
them don’t know. So far, more than 12,000
people of Haitian backgrounds have either
been deported or decided to leave on their
own, too terrified to face the harsh treatment
of Dominican justice, all because they were
Black and have Haitian roots. It’s a terrible
case of the sword of Damocles hanging over
their collective heads. The victims were either
unable to or were too afraid to file immigration
papers with the government in Santo Domingo
to prove they belong in the country. So they
are being told they have to leave. What’s so
terrible about their predicament is that many of
the fathers, mothers and children were actually
born in the Spanish-speaking country, don’t
know anything about Haiti and can’t speak its
Creole language.
Evictions would make them stateless persons,
something the rest of the world hasn’t experienced in recent years and which Obama should
abhor.
The trouble is that the administration in Washington has been largely silent on the ruthless
policy that has evolved in the last three years
and which is crying out for reversal.
When the U.S. Supreme Court gave the President some clear victories last month by turning
back the efforts of uncaring Republicans,
Obama felt strong winds beneath his wings.
The top court blocked a Republican drive to
gut the much-heralded and vital Affordable
Care Act, the President’s flagship program.
His opponents wanted to remove the crucial
subsidies for the poor seeking access to health
insurance and when a majority of the justices
said no way, Obama justifiably shouted with
delight from the mountain-top. Within days,
the court acted in his favor again when it put a
constitutional stamp of approval on same sex
marriage in all 50 states, a right Obama had
championed for years. And as if those victories
weren’t enough, the Republican Congress gave
him the fast track authority he had sought to
negotiate trade pacts with Europe and Asia.
Little wonder that Obama let the world know
he was in a fearless mood to take on many
of the most contentious issues as well as his
vociferous critics. That’s why we are so deeply
disappointed with his silence and appalling
inaction on the issue of the Dominican Republic’s abusive treatment of Haitians who earned
dignity and respect in the DR but are being
abused and denied fundamental rights.
It boggles the mind that the Obama Administration has virtually ignored the terrible
tragedy brewing right next door to the U.S.
What’s urgently needed is executive action
and some well-timed words to stop a modern
day ethnic purge in the Western Hemisphere.
Just last week the U.S. Secretary-General, Ban
KI- Moon told Caricom leaders at a summit
in Barbados that the largescale deportations of
Haitians by the DR was a “matter of human
rights and human dignity” and should be
stopped. We couldn’t agree more.
Given his new found strength, President
Obama is in an excellent position to lend his
voice to the cries for justice and to tell the
DR that there is a price it may be forced to
pay for its odious behavior. That price can be
a warning that economic and other sanctions
would be considered if the Republic persists in
continuing the evictions. The DR understands
how the power of words alone can bring about
crucial change in international relations.
When Obama went to Charleston and delivered a touching and masterful eulogy for Clementa Pinckney, the pastor of Emanuel African
Methodist Episcopal church where the religious leader and South Carolina State Senator
and eight other victims were murdered in the
historic religious edifice by a poorly educated
white supremacist, Obama showed the world
once again that his oratorical skills and powers
of persuasion knew few boundaries. Just as
important, he was prepared to strike a powerful
note against racial divisiveness and injustice.
He can do that again in the case of the Haitian
mess created by racism in the DR.
Putting American boots on the ground is
out of the question. So too is any action that
adversely affects the health and education of
Dominicans.
But President Obama and his Secretary of
State, John Kerry, can bring about important
change in the racist attitude of the DR’s rulers
and their court system.
Why Governor Andrew Cuomo should end his fight with
New York City
Although they are both Democrats, New
York’s most powerful political leaders, Mayor
Bill de Blasio and the State’s Governor,
Andrew Cuomo have publicly disagreed in an
extra-ordinary way.
Perhaps, reflecting his deep frustrations,
which he had managed to keep in check for 18
months since taking command of the Executive
Branch of the City Government, de Blasio apparently decided that enough was enough and
he spoke candidly about his poor relationship
with the Governor whose “game-playing” and
pettiness were hurting the City and had reached
the boiling point. Few, if any can blame the
Mayor for moving with such a broad stroke.
We certainly don’t blame him.
Cuomo, de Blasio complained , “did not act in
the interest” of the City when he derailed efforts to reform the City’s rent laws that would
have helped as many as a million apartment
dwellers. As if that wasn’t bad enough the
Governor declined to extend Mayoral control
over the nation’s largest school system to the
much desired four year period. Instead, Cuomo
imposed a mere one year extension. It was a
clear and unnecessary insult directed at the
Mayor.
There is more. Cuomo shielded certain groups
from tax increases and engineered cuts in funds
for public housing in the City and mass transit,
all directed at the five boroughs.
The Mayor’s exasperation was summed up
succinctly when he told reporters: “I started
a year and a half ago with a hope of a very
strong partnership. (But) I have been disappointed at every turn,”
The message de Blasio sent to the City and to
Albany was that he has the intestinal fortitude
to stand up to the Governor bent on demeaning
him. The trouble is that Cuomo’s actions are
adversely affecting hard working New Yorkers.
Admittedly, disagreements between mayors
and governors are not new. They have feuded
for decades over differences in public policy
or clashes in personalities. What different
in this case is the depth of the bitterness and
the fact that they aren’t trying to keep their
quarrels from full public view any longer. The
Mayor has obviously taken a calculated risk
by placing the issue before the public. The
Governor whom he said exacts revenge when
people disagree with him can use the power
of his office to do that during the next two and
a half years de Blasio has remaining in his
four year term. Cuomo can even encourage a
primary challenge for the Democratic mayoral
nomination.
De Blasio isn’t helpless, He can also promote
a gubernatorial challenge to Cuomo when the
time times. Next, he has taken his case to the
public and savvy New Yorkers can see through
the shabby treatment he has received at the
Governor’s hands and it would be clear to New
Yorkers that the mayor has achieved quite a
lot in housing, education and help for the poor,
three of his signature progressive initiatives.
It doesn’t take rocket science to figure out that
Cuomo is erecting a national political platform,
perhaps a run for the presidency should Hillary
Clinton, the Democratic Party’s presumptive
nominee in 2016 fails to reach the White
House, the promised land, in 2016. But he has
a long way to go before 2020 and the potential
pitfalls and minefields are numerous.
Realistically, there is little reason why Cuomo
would seek to show de Blasio who’s the boss
in Albany. His power is well-known. What we
have witnessed is an unnecessary flexing of the
muscle. Few people, including the Mayor himself are unaware of the Governor’s influence
over the City programs.
That’s why what he is doing is pointless and
can backfire. He should set out to achieve a
number of important goals.
The first is to bring harmony and compromise
to decision making in Albany so that New York
City, which supported heavily in the recent
election would continue its backing.
Secondly, he should concentrate on getting the
Republican controlled Senate back into the
hands of the Democrats who would give the
kind of backing he needs to get his full agenda
implemented.
It is in the City and state’s best interest to have
a well-oiled partnership of which de Blasio
spoke and which would benefit New Yorkers.
CaribOPINION
Race and the Republican Posse
10
By
Basil Wilson
The murder of nine members of the Emanuel
A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina
has had a cathartic impact on the politics of the
former Confederate states. Governor Nikki
Haley of South Carolina and other principals
in the Republican Party in South Carolina have
opted to shatter the mythology of the
Confederacy.
The Civil War ended in 1865 with the defeat
of the Confederacy but the survivors of the
Confederacy clung to the notion that there was
something ennobling about fighting to preserve
slavery. And thus a whole paraphernalia of
Confederate symbols including the Confederate flag endured as a tribute to that legacy.
Even President Abraham Lincoln had
difficulty in the early stages of the Civil War
to definitively state that it was a war to end
slavery. Lincoln argued that if he could save
the union without ending slavery, he would. But Lincoln also recognized that the nation
could not continue with half of the Union in
bondage and the other half characterized by
free labor. The forces of free labor triumphed
but by 1877 the carcass of the Confederacy
rose from the ashes and established the vicious
system of Jim Crow. With the resurrection
of Jim Crow came the mythology of what
the Confederacy represented. At the time
the Democrats ruled the South and the racist
enforced the asymmetrical racial order often
resorting to mob lynching and other forms of
terrorism. The white supremacist way of life
ruled supreme.
The rise of the Civil Rights Movement precipitated a re-alignment in Southern politics as the
Dixiecrats left the Democratic Party in droves
and found refuge in the Republican Party. The Party of Lincoln readily accommodated
the white backlash movement and under the
guidance of strategist like the late Lee Atwater,
adopted what became known as the Southern
Strategy.
The position of the son of Strom Thurmond, a
member of the State Legislature of South
Carolina, is that the Confederate flag should
not be a symbol endorsed by a multi-racial
state and should be dismantled. Strom
Thurmond, an avowed segregationist never
accepted the death of the southern way of life
in which slavery was an integral part of the
nefarious social order. What his son, Paul
Thurmond, is now saying is that the South
can no longer embrace its odious past. Other
elected officials in the South have also come
to a similar realization. As we have seen
with the recent burning of black churches,
there is still a fringe element clinging to the
anachronistic way of life and as in the past,
still willing to use terrorism to intimidate the
black community.
The Republican Party read carefully the
results of the 2012 Presidential election and
published a document that it was in the Party’s
week ending
interest to appeal to minority voters, particularly the burgeoning Hispanic vote. Appealing to
the African American vote is nigh impossible
as the black electorate is too sophisticated to
take Republican appeals seriously. There is a
sentiment in the Republican Party that
Hispanic voters are more conservatively
inclined and would be more resonate to the
policy propensities of the Republican Party.
The Republican Party is trying to turn
around a battleship that has for decades tapped
into white nationalism and white privilege. Immigration is a difficult pill to swallow as it
hastens the browning of America. Representatives like Steve King of Iowa and Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, utter the most
asinine comments that expose their hostility to
Mexicans and/or to immigrants. The Presidential debates may very well determine whether
the Republican Party can increase the number
of Hispanics supporting the conservative
cause. With Trump on the stage, that will be
made even more challenging. Trump’s
unscientific remarks about Mexicans will
invariably alienate the Hispanic voters.
In 2012, the Republicans primary paraded
quite a few jokers including Herman Cain, the
pizza man, and Michele Bachman, a sirenish
Congressional Representative from Minnesota. Also included in the pack is Rick Perry, the
Governor of Texas who wanted to close three
Federal Departments but could only recall two
of the three while on national television.
For the presidential quest of 2016, the field
is broad and the number of aspirants keeps
climbing. The Republican Presidential posse
includes Senators, Governors, Entrepreneurs
and former elected officials. There is a core of
JULY 14, 2015
belief among the Republican primary voters
which would include pro-life, anti-immigration, hostility to big government, uncritical
support for big corporations and obstinacy on
the raising of taxes yet a commitment to
eliminating the deficit. All candidates toe
that line of march. Also, candidates and the
Republican electorate remain adamant about
increasing the number of Americans who are
eligible for health care. The terrorist act of Dylan Roof seemed to have
enabled the Republican Party to distance itself
from the more odious forms of racism. But in
the age of science and globalization, the Party
has demonstrated an inability to deal with
climate change as it has not been able to
extricate itself from the neanderthal forces that
have a vested interest in fossil fuel.
Although the United States Senate in the
previous Congress passed an Immigration Bill,
the House of Representatives under Republican control would not deal with the question of
the fourteen million undocumented residents
living in our midst, an issue dear to the heart of
Hispanic voters. Trump’s unscientific
utterances about Mexicans will make it
difficult for Hispanic voters to hold their
nose and vote for the Republican Presidential
nominee.
Trump’s surge in the polls reflect his name
recognition but also that there remains an
element in the Republican Party that is both
racist and xenophobic. Trump’s presence in
the Fox staged debates will make it easier for
the Democratic Party nominee to hold together
the Obama coalition of which Hispanics are an
essential component. Thurgood Marshall’s Legacy: Equal Justice Matters
After all the flag waving and boisterous
patriotic proclamations that accompanied
the recent Independence Day celebrations,
the undisputable truth is racism and racial
injustice prevail in every region of the
nation. “Black Lives Matters” is more than
simply a protest slogan or popular social
media hashtag. It is an affirmation that all
the lives of Black Americans, as well as the
lives of all people, are not to be diminished
or extinguished by the ignorance and acts of
racial hatred and bigotry.

By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
NNPA Columnist
This month marks what would have been
the 107th birthday of the late United States
Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Given our long struggle for equal justice in
America and the need to continue to press
forward to ensure freedom, justice and
equality for all, it is important to reflect on
the key principles upon which Thurgood
Marshall achieved his monumental success.
The mounting cries for justice from Black
Americans, Latino Americans and from
others denied equality and freedom deserves
not only to be heard, but to be acted on by
those that have the power to change America
for the better. One of the enduring legacies
of Thurgood Marshall was to challenge and
change laws that would make our democrcy
more fair and equal.
Thurgood Marshall said, “Racism separates,
but it never liberates. Hatred generates
fear, and fear once given a foothold; binds,
consumes and imprisons. Nothing is gained
from prejudice. No one benefits from
racism.” Marshall was right. The ideology
and practice of White supremacy continues
to be a deadly contradiction of an America’s
professed ideals and affront to all humanity.
Racially motivated police brutality, racial
terrorism against Black Americans,
resurgence of the mindset that rationalizes
the Confederacy, voter suppression, mass
incarceration, miseducation, and the
growing economic inequalities all point to
the urgency for a sustained long-term equal
justice movement. Consequently, equal
justice also matters.
One of Marshall’s most profound public
addresses was in 1987 to commemorate
the U.S. bicentennial. He stated, “What is
striking is the role legal principles have
played throughout America’s history in
determining the condition of Negroes. They
were enslaved by law, emancipated by law,
disenfranchised and segregated by law; and,
finally, they have begun to win equality by
law. Along the way, new constitutional principles have emerged to meet the challenges
of a changing society. The progress has been
dramatic, and it will continue.”
Again, Marshall was on target. Today,
Congress needs to restore Section 4 of the
Voting Rights Act that requires political
subdivisions with a proven history of racial
discrimination to pre-clear any proposed
election law change with the U.S. Attorney
General or a district federal judge in
Washington, D.C. to avoid injury to voters
of color. The Supreme Court invalidated that
provision two years ago by a vote of 5-4
and activists have been pressing Congress to
undo that damage. All citizens of the United
States should have the equal right to vote in
every state without racial discrimination and
without the voter suppression measures that
many states are now engaging.
A few days ago, I had the pleasure of having
a discussion with Cecilia Suyat Marshall,
the devoted widow of Justice Marshall, at
the Thurgood Marshall Center in Washington, D.C., where my employer, the National
Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA),
maintains its national office. We briefly
reflected on Justice Marshall’s worldwide
contributions to advance the cause of
equality and freedom. Equally important, we
discussed the continuing struggle to define,
extend and maintain constitutionally-protected civil and human rights to all people in
the United States.
What became clear in our conversation was
that each generation of African Americans,
as well as others, has a responsibility to
continue the quest for equal justice. It is a
matter of principle. It is also a matter of faith
and belief in the oneness of God and in the
oneness of humanity.
I am encouraged by the youth of today who
are marching anew and are raising their fists
to boldly insist that “Black Lives Matter.”
There can be no justice for anyone without
equal justice for all. This is the legacy of
Justice Marshall: “Equal Justice Matters.”
Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the President
and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and can be
reached for national advertisement sales
and partnership proposals at: [email protected]; and for lectures and other
professional consultations at: drbfc
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
Carib NEWS
11
12
CaribAROUND
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
The First Burnett’s High School Reunion Celebration
Alumni of the Normal Educational Institute (NEI) commonly known as Burnett High School met to celebrate the positive impact of the
school on the individual and collective lives of its students. Mr. Edwin Elijah Burnett, Director of Studies and Principal, Mrs. Orna Merle
Burnett, were both instrumental in the establishment of this awesomeacademic institution. The Burnetts’ provided the vision, energy and
dynamic leadership requiredto nurture and fashion young minds into brilliant academics and productive citizens. The magnitude of their
scholastic impact and influence can simply be measured by their students’ academic and professional achievements. Several past NEI
teachers were also honored for their role and contribution to the lives of the alumni.The consensus among Burnetts’ students is that they
were a special light that came to the planet to effect changes in the approach to education. In the process of imparting knowledge they
employed a successful format which produced leaders globally. week ending
JULY 14 , 2015
CaribAROUND
13
EAST HARLEM BLOCK NURSERY, INC. CELEBRATES TWO MAJOR EVENTS
L/R-Gardenia White (Honoree), Quintina Brown (presenter, Educator Director)
Civil War Area performers in Civil War dresses
-State Senator Bill Perkins with EHB Nursery and P.S. 197M students
R-Lt. Eugene Jordan (Guardians), Lola Rozier (Program Coordinator), Sariah
Washington (Nursery student), Quintina Brown (Educator Director), Keith
Petersen (director training for juvenile justice)
East Harlem Block Nursery (EHBN) #2, located in the Abraham Lincoln Housing Development, celebrated its 10th Anniversary (2005-2015) at the Adam Clayton Powell State Office
Building. Gardenia White, EHBN Inc. , Board Chair was presented a Certificate of Appreciation for her 45 years of service to the organization. State Senator Bill Perkins presented
a Proclamation and asked the audience to give Ms. White a standing ovation. All participants brought a positive message about African-American history and culture through the arts. Young children from the nursery and students from P.S. 197M played
the drums. Student participants of the Graham -Windham Beacon Program (P.S. 123M) displayed their original artwork. Other youth from the community offered ‘spoken word’,
sang, and performed positive rap. Honoree Lt. Eugene Jordan (Guardians) was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for his efforts to keep our youth safe. Guest Keith Petersen,
Juvenile Justice Director of Training, spoke of the importance of Juneteenth. For additional information about EHBN #2’s programs and Juneteenth celebration, call 212-234-3333/347-380-3177. Gideon Manasseh / photojournalist 2015 YOUNG ACHIEVERS GRADUATING SENIORS
(Sitting) NY Metro Manhattan Links, Inc. (Young Achievers Committee
Members) Standing) 2015 Young Achievers Graduating Seniors with
Alpha Gamma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
(Sitting L/R) John Burnett, President, Alpha Gamma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Inez N. Richardson, President, Metro-Manhattan (NY) Chapter
The Links, Incorporated (Standing Rear) 2015 Young Achievers Graduating Seniors
receiving Scholarship Awards from Metro Links and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
Metro-Manhattan Links, Incorporated and Alpha Gamma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. held its 16th Anniversary Graduation Dinner for class of
2015 Young Achievers, “Go High School Go College” for 29 college bound students, at City College of New York, with this year’s theme “And Still I Rise.”
The evening dinner was filled with joy and awards for the students and their family, of the young minority students entering colleges this coming fall, and the year
of unwavering support for Metro-Manhattan Links, Inc. and Alpha Gamma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.The evening guest speaker was Phillip
A. Berry , Vice Chairperson, Board of Trustees City University of New York, and Master of Ceremonies Aaron Caesar, Oumar Coulibaly.
Gideon Manasseh / photojournalist
14
CaribNEWS
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
The feud between the Mayor and the Governor, a case of taking sides
or Staying on the political sidelines, City politician tends to agree with
Mayor
Advantage Mayor de Blasio.
That’s the score card as public officials either
pick sides or stay on the sidelines in the public
spat between New York States two powerful
Democrats, the City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio
and the Empire State’s chief executive, Andrew
Cuomo.
From Albany to City Hall, elected officials
and others, especially in Brooklyn are
either linking arms with Mayor de Blasio ,
complaining that the Governor was seeking
to undermine the Mayor’s progressive agenda
or short-changing New York City in housing,
education, and mass transportation. St the
same time, though some are remaining neutral,
asserting that the public disagreement was
either “much to do about nothing” or that their
constituents may end up being trampled by
“elephants engaged in a fight.”
A highly vocal mayoral supporter was
Rodneyse Bichotte, a newly elected member of
the State Assembly who told the Carib News
that she was standing firm with de Blasio
because his progressive program which found
favor with the electorate in the 2013 election
campaign offered people the best chance of
improving their living conditions, educating
their children, finding affordable housing and
earning higher wages and therefore must be
supported.
“What’s happening between the Mayor and the
Governor is unfortunate but I agree with the
mayor,” was the way she put it. “The
Governor seems to be more in tune with the
conservative Republicans in the Senate than
with the Democrats who have progressive
programs to undertake and that’s particularly
true of the Mayor whose plans stand above
what the Governor wants enacted. Universal
Pre-K, affordable housing, rent stabilization
and mayoral control of the schools are what
New Yorkers have put the Mayor in office to
undertake but his efforts are being stymied by
the Governor.
“I stand with the Mayor,” she added.
“Governor Cuomo is not doing enough to
help get the progressive policies on housing,
education and rent control on track,” she
added.
The issues of housing and the Governor’s stand
on rent control and stabilized apartment have
irked City Councilmember Jumaane Williams,
Chairman of the Council’s Housing and
Buildings Committee.
Williams complained that Cuomo “had
completely and thoroughly let New York City
tenants down” and he has vowed “to solve our
affordable housing crisis so that New York City
can become a place for all to thrive.” Williams
called out the Governor at a meeting of the
Rent Stabilization Board contending that while
the Board “for the first time in history voted
to freeze rent for 1.2 million rent stabilized
tenants,” the Governor and Albany enacted
“detrimental rent laws that could eliminate
approximately 90,000 affordable housing units
due to de-regulation over the next four years.”
Like Williams and Bichotte, former City
Councilmember Una Clarke criticized the
Governor, contending that he had “failed to
back initiatives that would benefit the City”
and on that list were Albany’s failure to extend
mayoral control over City schools for another
four years, preferring instead to give de Blasio
a one-year extension.
“The Mayor should have been given a longer
extension so he could move ahead with his
plans for the schools,” said Clarke. “It’s clear
that the Governor is not supportive of the
Mayor and that’s unfortunate. It hurts the City.
We expected much more of the Governor. We
deserve better.”
Assemblyman Nick Perry, an Assistant
Speaker pro tem in Albany, struck a centrist
pose, describing de Blasio as “my mayor”
and Cuomo as the state’s chief executive with
whom he must work to get things done.
“I have a state responsibility in the Assembly
as assistant speaker pro tem and as Chairman
of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and
Asian Legislative Caucus for the next two
years. I have to work with the Governor,” he
explained. “I hope the Mayor and the Governor
can iron out their differences. It is clear the
Mayor has to project strength and I think that’s
what he did recently in speaking out about his
relationship with the Governor. The Mayor has
to project an image of a person with guts, to
put forward his case.”
State Senator Kevin Parker described the
“feud” between the two Democrats as
something that was being over-played and
the Governor was being unfairly chastised by
critics.
“The problem is the state Senate which is in
Republican hands and is blocking many of
the City’s programs. It is not the fault of the
Governor,” said Parker. “You can’t blame him
for the refusal of the Senate to approve the
progressive programs of the Mayor.”
CaribLEGAL
Brooklyn District Attorney Announces Initiative to
Address Backlog of Summons Warrants
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson
announced an initiative aimed at helping Brooklyn residents make a fresh start
and have the weight of an open summons
warrant lifted from their shoulders. Titled
Begin Again, the program is designed to
offer a solution to thousands of individuals
who have an outstanding warrant because
they failed to answer a citation for low-level
offenses. Those estimated 1.2 million open
warrants citywide carry a host of negative
consequences.
District Attorney Thompson said, “Many of
our Brooklyn neighbors are in danger of being placed in handcuffs and put through the
system for failing to respond to a ticket for
drinking alcohol in public, riding a bike on
the sidewalk, walking a dog without a leash
or being in a park after dark. The summons
itself might have been for a minor offense,
but the warrant can have – and may have
already had – a major negative impact and
can put our police officers at risk unnecessarily. During Begin Again events across
Brooklyn, law-enforcement agencies and the
communities we serve will work together
to resolve this burden in a fair, efficient and
supportive way.”
U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries said,
“Over 200,000 Brooklynites have outstanding warrants as a result of low-level,
15
non-violent offenses. We must be proactive
in cleaning up this issue so that our justice
system can be free to prosecute violent
crime and keep hardened criminals off the
streets. This initiative is a win-win for all
involved and a good first step toward our
goal of preventing nuisance offenses from
ruining the lives of our young people across
New York City. District Attorney Thompson
should be commended for his commitment
in bringing this essential program to life.”
Public Advocate Letitia James said, “Over
one million New Yorkers have open arrest
warrants because they did not to respond
to citations for low-level offenses, such
as riding their bicycle on the sidewalk or
being in parks after sundown. Begin Again
is a means for individuals to resolve their
warrants in a supportive way, without
having to be arrested and spend a night in
jail for minor offenses. Our criminal justice
system should be a foundation that stabilizes
our community, not an anchor that weighs
us down. The cooperative, non-confrontational process of Begin Again will foster
trust in the New York City legal system and
help numerous individuals who have been
victimized by the crackdown on low-level
offenses.”
The District Attorney noted that, according
to court records, there are approximately 1.2
million open warrants across the city – most
of them issued over a year ago and some
older than a decade – which were ordered
after recipients failed to answer their summonses. About one quarter, or over 260,000,
stem from summonses issued in Brooklyn.
These summons warrants, when left unresolved, can impede one’s ability to get a job,
apply for citizenship or obtain public housing. They mean that any future contact with
law-enforcement, even for a minor violation,
will result in handcuffs, a trip to the precinct
and possibly a night in jail. Moreover, the
city’s already-overburdened courts must deal
with an additional strain whenever those arrested for summons warrants are brought in
front of a judge, delaying other proceedings.
And warrants can put officers in unnecessary
peril when they approach a person on the
street or make a traffic stop as that person
may resist or attempt to flee simply because
of an old outstanding warrant.
Begin Again was created to address this
problem. Participants will be taking an
affirmative step by clearing up their warrants
in a non-traditional, non-confrontational
manner within a safe environment so they
can move on with their lives. In addition,
the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office will
host a neighborhood resource fair outside
Emmanuel Baptist Church during the hours
of the initiative. Over 30 local community-based organizations will offer vital information related to job training, legal advice,
health services and more.
All outstanding summons warrants are eligible for Begin Again. Applicable offenses
include, but are not limited to the following:
unlawful possession of marijuana, unlawful
possession of alcohol under the age of 21,
consumption of alcohol in public, unlawful
possession of handcuffs, littering, riding
a bicycle on the sidewalk, making unreasonable noise, animal nuisance, failure to
have a dog license, unleashed dog, spitting,
trespass, disorderly conduct, loitering, being
in the park after closing, failure to comply
with a posted sign in the park and transit
fare evasion.
Aroldo Castillo-Serrano, 33, Ana Angelica
Pedro Juan, 21, both of Guatemala, and
Conrado Salgado Soto, 52, of Mexico, are
charged with labor trafficking conspiracy.
Castillo-Serrano is also charged with 10
counts of forced labor, and Salgado Soto
and Pedro Juan are charged in 8 of those 10
counts. Castillo-Serrano and Salgado Soto
are also charged with related immigration
offenses, along with a fourth defendant,
Pablo Duran Jr., 23, an American citizen.
According to the indictment, the defendants
and their associates recruited workers from
Guatemala, some as young as 14 or 15
years old, falsely promising them good jobs
and a chance to attend school in the United
States. The defendants then smuggled and
transported the workers to a trailer park in
Marion, Ohio, where they ordered them to
live in dilapidated trailers and to work at
physically demanding jobs at Trillium Farms
for up to 12 hours a day. The work included
cleaning chicken coops, loading and unloading crates of chickens, de-beaking chickens
and vaccinating chickens.
The defendants threatened workers with
physical harm and withheld their paychecks
in order to compel them to work. Eight
minors and two adults are identified in the
indictment as victims of the forced labor
scheme. Castillo-Serrano and Pedro Juan are
also charged with witness tampering, and
Pedro Juan is further charged with making
false statements to law enforcement.
Each of the 11 forced labor and forced labor
conspiracy counts carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The
charges involving immigration violations,
witness tampering and false statements carry
statutory maximum sentences of five years
in prison.
Three Defendants Charged with operating forced labor
A federal court in the Northern District
of Ohio unsealed a 15-count superseding
indictment charging three defendants with
luring Guatemalan minors and adults into
the United States on false pretenses, then
using threats of physical harm to compel
their labor at egg farms in Ohio. The
indictment was announced by Head of the
CIvil Rights Division, Vanita Gupta, and
U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach of
the Northern District of Ohio. A fourth
defendant was charged with related
immigration offenses.
NAME CHANGE
NAME CHANGE
JULY 14, 2015
CaribBRIEFS
FIFA fraud accused now charged in Cayman Islands
healthcare fraud case
16
GEORGETOWN, Grand Cayman, –
Disgraced FIFA vice-president and
CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb, who
is already facing charges in soccer’s global
bribery scandal, has now been charged in a
healthcare fraud case in his native Cayman
Islands.
Cayman 27 television reports that Cayman
authorities have issued an arrest warrant
for Webb and are expected to seek his
extradition.
Webb, 50, is currently detained in
Switzerland after being arrested and indicted
by the FBI last month. He already faces an
extradition request from the United States
in relation to the soccer corruption charges
brought by the Department of Justice.
As Webb’s legal troubles continue to
escalate, he has now been charged by
the Cayman Islands Anti-Corruption
Commission in connection with the ongoing
probe into the 2010 award of a card swipe
payment system at the Health Services
Authority, known as CarePay.
“The Chairman of the Anti-Corruption
Commission can confirm that in connection
with the ongoing investigation into the
week ending
CarePay project, further charges have
today been laid at Court in relation to
Canover Watson, Jeffrey Webb and Miriam
Rodriguez,” said a Cayman Islands AntiCorruption Commission statement on
Friday, according to Cayman 27 television’s
website.
“A warrant for Mr. Webb’s arrest has
today been issued. We understand that
he is currently being detained by the
authorities in Switzerland. It is anticipated
that proceedings will be instigated for his
extradition to answer these charges,” the
statement added.
It said Watson and Webb have been jointly
charged with the following offences: two
charges of Conspiracy to Defraud (contrary
to Common Law); and one charge of Breach
of Trust (contrary to section 13 AntiCorruption Law 2008). Webb, Watson and
Rodriguez have been jointly charged with
conspiracy to convert criminal property
(contrary to section 321 of the Penal Code
2010 Revision and section 133 Proceeds of
Crime Law 2010 Revision).
Watson and his former personal assistant,
Rodriguez, will appear at the Summary
Court today to answer the charges. These
are in addition to other charges they face in
connection with the same case.
Webb and Watson have been known
associates for years.
Watson was one of eight members of FIFA’s
audit and compliance committee and a vicepresident of the Caribbean Football Union
up until his arrest last year.
Webb was one of seven senior officials
arrested in Zurich on May 27 two days
before FIFA’s annual congress, stunning
world soccer.
Bermuda ex-policeman
jailed for importing ganja
HAMILTON, Bermuda (CMC) — A former
policeman who said financial pressures had
“backed him into a corner” has been jailed for
four years after he was caught trying to smuggle
more than US$200,000 worth of cannabis into
Bermuda from Canada.
Owen Simons, a 43-year-old Bermudian, hid the
drugs inside 35 small black packages that were
folded into two new air beds before boarding a
flight from Toronto to Bermuda in July last year,
the Supreme Court was told.
Simons, who was living in Canada at the
time, was stopped at Bermuda’s L F Wade
International Airport as he picked up his luggage.
As customs officers searched his bags and found
the packages wrapped in carbon paper they asked
Simons what they contained, to which he replied:
“Weed.”
He was detained and later pleaded guilty to
importing a controlled drug into Bermuda.
The drugs were examined and found to have an
estimated street value of $206,000.
Simons told the court his actions were “the most
detrimental thing I could have possibly done to
my life, my family and my own standing in the
community”.
He apologised, saying financial and family
pressures made him feel like he was “backed into
a corner”.
Antigua PM denies victimization in arrest of former
House Speaker
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) —
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has denied
allegations that his administration played a
role in the arrest of former Speaker of the
Parliament, D Gisele Isaac, who is facing
fraud charges in Antigua.
Browne, who was attending the 36th
annual summit of Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) leaders that ended in Barbados
on the weekend, told reporters that the
allegations were nothing more than a “kneejerk reaction of every single person who finds
themselves in trouble with the law.
“Almost invariably, especially where they
have political connection, they tend to
blame the government. I can assure you my
government has absolutely no interest in
interfering in the work of the DPP (Director of
Public Prosecution) or the police, we have a
policy of non-interference.
“Admittedly if I had my own way, the issue
would not have gone that far. In fact she
happens to be godmother of my son, so I
really I have no personal interest in pursuing
her, my government has no interest in
pursuing her...”
Isaac, who is also the UPP chairman, and
popular radio announcer Algernon ‘Serpent’
Watts were arrested and charged last month
as police probe activities at the Board of
Education (BOE) initiated by Education
Minister Michael Browne in August last year.
The former speaker will re-appear in court
on October 25 after being charged with
conspiring to defraud the BOE.
Isaac and Watts are alleged to have committed
the offences during the period 2013-14.
Isaac, who served as Speaker during the last
parliament when the United Progressive
Party (UPP) government was in power, has
been released on EC$35,000 (One EC Dollar
=US$0.37 cents) bail, while Watts’ bail has
been set at EC$15,000.
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
CaribBRIEFS
17
2 Jamaicans nabbed in
Antigua drug bust ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Three people,
including two Jamaicans, are in police custody
after drugs worth an estimated EC$3.7 million
(one EC dollar =US$0.37 cents) were seized
during an early morning raid on Tuesday.
The Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy said that the operation
conducted in the Mount Joy area also resulted
in the detention of one person from St Vincent
and the Grenadines.
The authorities said that all three Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) nationals are
“all assisting with investigations” into the
discovery of 230 pounds of cannabis and over
49 kilos of cocaine.
They said the drugs were packaged in crocus
bags and that the street value for the cannabis
is more than EC$2.3 million while the cocaine
is estimated at more than EC$1.7 million.
T&T High Court throws out Abu Bakr’s malicious prosecution case
St Lucia not prepared to invest in
regional airline
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) –
Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony says
St Lucia is not prepared to invest in the
cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT, and
called on its shareholder governments to bite
the bullet and put in place policies that would
ensure the financial viability of the Antiguabased carrier.
“This is not a question of governments
making sacrifices, it is also a question of
LIAT, its employees and its pilots also
making sacrifices for the future of LIAT,”
Anthony said.
LIAT is owned by the shareholder
governments of Antigua and Barbuda,
Barbados, Dominica and St Vincent and the
Grenadines. The four regional governments
have been appealing to other Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) governments
to invest in the airline that services 17
destinations and are now involved in
upgrading its fleet with a loan from the
Barbados-based Caribbean Development
Bank (CDB). Anthony, who was here
attending the just concluded CARICOM
summit, told reporters that his island has
suffered “greatly under the new regime” that
the airline is now applying.
“Our citizens enjoy fewer flights, we have
also had reports in some countries our
citizens are being discriminated against, and
they are told by LIAT staff in some of those
airports that they cannot assist them because
the government of St. Lucia does not invest
in LIAT.“That kind of behaviour is totally
unacceptable, unwarranted. St. Lucia is an
important destination for LIAT, but I do not
believe that kind of pressure should be exerted
on St Lucia merely because St Lucia does not
invest in LIAT.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — A
High Court judge has dismissed lawsuits
filed by the leader of the Jamaat-alMuslimeen, Yasin Abu Bakr, against
the State with the judge describing the
motions as an “abuse of process”.
Bakr had been freed of a murder charge
in 2010 because of lack of evidence.
High Court Judge Frank Seepersad
Monday dismissed Bakr’s constitutional
motion and malicious prosecution claims
as an “abuse of process”, ruling also that
the former coup leader failed to adduce
evidence to show that his constitutional
rights were infringed by Coroner Nalini
Singh when she charged him and his
Brent “Big Brent” Miller with murder of
22-year-old mechanic Israel Sammy in
September 2010.
Sammy was shot dead behind his home
on May 20, 1998.
Seepersad also said Bakr provided
no evidence to support his claim that
Singh used a flawed process in coming
to her decision, which was eventually
overturned one month later when
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)
Roger Gaspard said that there was
insufficient evidence to sustain the
charge.“The litigant cannot conduct
a case in an ad hoc manner hoping
something would stick,” the judge said,
adding that Bakr would have possibly
been more successful if he had filed for a
judicial review of Singh’s decision.
Justice Seepersad also ordered Bakr to
pay the State’s legal costs for defending
his claim.
CaribA&E
Reggae And Soca Reign Supreme 18
VP Records
Celebrated Its 35th Anniversary with Summer Stage in Central
VP Records teamed up with SummerStage
to throw a historic concert in NYC’s Central
Park. The event, which was sponsored by the
Jamaica Tourist Board, celebrated the label’s
35th anniversary when VP Records’ founders
Vincent and his wife Patricia Chin moved their
headquarters from Kingston, Jamaica to
Jamaica, New York - transforming their
operations into the largest Caribbean music
company worldwide. Despite heavy rain, thousands of people
flocked to the park to witness one-of-a-kind
sets from multi-platinum singer Maxi Priest,
reggae superstar Gyptian, soca royalty Bunji
Garlin and DJs Bobby Konders and Jabba of
Massive B.
Inside the grounds, VP Records presented A
Reggae Music Journey pop-up museum, designed by acclaimed artist Michael Thompson.
The exhibit chronicles the label’s epic journey
and their mark on each era of Caribbean music
- from rocksteady, ska, reggae, dancehall, soca
and more. The label’s co-founder Patricia Chin
and family were on site to sign autographs and
talk to fans about their legacy in music.
The SummerStage event also followed a very
special occasion for Patricia Chin (the P in VP
Records). On June 25th, Miss Pat (as her staff
affectionately refers to her) received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the fourth annual
American Association of Independent Music
(A2IM) Libera Awards. Ms. Chin, who started
the business with her late husband Vincent
Chin, delivered a heartfelt speech about her
60-year journey of triumph and struggle in the
reggae business. She brought the room to a
standing ovation, which was filled with music
insiders and executives. Billboard, who recapped the event, raves
“Chin had many wise words for upcoming
independent businesses, including ‘surrounding yourself with dedicated and passionate
people,’ ‘love what you do and do what you
love’ as well as embracing change and sharing
in success.” Ms. Chin is the first female to receive this
highly-coveted award. In addition to this honor, that same week Miss
Pat was recognized as one of the Outstanding
50 Asian Americans in Business 2015-14. She
also recently returned from Cuba, where she
discussed her role as a woman in the reggae
industry at a Bob Marley symposium.
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
.
Top Photo: Ms. Chin with sons Chris &
Randy Chin and daughter Angela Chung,
who now run the label. At the Lifetime
Achievement Award at the fourth annual
American Association of Independent Music
(A2IM) Libera Awards.
Photos by AJAMU MYRIE
Dreamers Academy
Dreamer Of The Year - Caribbean Roots
By Walter Greene
This year’s Disney Dreamers Academy at
Disney World headquarters in Orlando,Florida
saw 100 outstanding high school teens, who
were selected from a record number of 10,000
applicants. Emerging as “Dreamer of the
Year,” after an intense four days of workshop
sessions, motivational speakers and hands-on
experience in their various, chosen career paths
was 18 year-old JONATHAN JOHNSON, a
New Jersey high school senior, whose father
Delano is from Freeport, Grand Bahamas
Island.
YOUTH AMBASSADOR
The “Dreamer of the Year” award is given to
the most outstanding student who embodied
the five “Cs” spirit of a leader - Constancy; Creativity; Confidence; Curiousity and
Courage. Although five other students received
awards for each of these catagories, Jonathan’s
drive, leadership skills, determination and
overall dedication to his career goals, set him
apart from the best of the rest, which propelled
him to the Youth Ambassador status.
ACCOMPLISHED
Jonathan plans to attend Julliard where his
goal is to excell in music, film and literature.
Jonathan is already an accomplished singer,
songwriter and public speaker who plays the
drums, piano and guitar. He’s already recorded
music. His father Delano is an author, graphic
had the talent, I’d nurture it early. He entered
the talent showcase when he was 11 yearsold and choreographed his own presentation.
Jonathan took an interest in all of the arts from
a very young age.
So, with the the Disney experience, the takeaway is that we’ve been a part of a spectacular
life changing event, and, I think Jonathan was
prepared for it.”
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS FOR
OTHER DREAMERS
Top student Jonathan Johnson clutched his award flanked by his mother Tracey
and father Delano at Disney Dreamers Academy Commencement Exercise.
designer, singer and songwriter who was the
lead singer of the popular New Jersey singing
group `System 3’. Jonathan was among the top
ten winners of the Selma Speech and Essay
Competition from 800 submissions. At a recent
Julliaed audition, where they select nine out of
some 1900 BFA students in a process where
200 come to audition, then 44 finalists are
chosen, Jonathan was among the
EARLY SIGNS
Jonathan father Delano recalls; “I remember
Misty Copeland Promoted To Principal Dancer
Misty Copeland hase been promoted to the
rank of Principal Dancer with American Ballet
Theatre; becoming the first African-American
female principal dancer in the company’s 75-year
history.
Misty Copeland was born in Kansas City,
Missouri and raised in San Pedro, California.
She began her ballet studies at the age of 13 at
the San Pedro City Ballet and won first place
in the Music Center Spotlight Awards. She
continued her studies at the Lauridsen Ballet
Center. Copeland studied at the San Francisco
Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre’s
Summer Intensive on full scholarship and was
declared ABT’s National Coca-Cola Scholar in
2000. Copeland joined ABT’s Studio Company
in September 2000 and joined the main Company
as a member of the corps de ballet in April
2001. She was appointed a Soloist in August
2007. Her roles with the Company include
Gamzatti in La Bayadère, Milkmaid in The Bright
Stream, the Fairy Autumn in Frederick Ashton’s
Cinderella, Swanilda in Coppélia, Gulnare in Le
Corsaire, Mercedes and the Driad Queen in Don
Quixote, Duo Concertant, the title role in Alexei
Ratmansky’s Firebird, Flower Girl in Gaîté
Parisienne, Zulma and the peasant pas de deux in
Giselle, Lescaut’s Mistress in Manon, Clara, the
Princess in Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, Bianca
in Othello, the Cowgirl in Rodeo, Juliet in Romeo
and Juliet, Princess Florine in The Sleeping
Beauty, Sinatra Suite, Odette-Odile in Swan
we took him when I was on tour with the
group, Jonathan was about four or five
years-old at the time, he would gravitate to the
drums.
He would hit the sneer and crash on time when
the band started to play. When he was 10, I
wrote a part for him in the set and he killed it. I
remember him signing autographs on my 8 by
10 glossy photos. I would bring him to the studio with me and recorded him. I figured if he
Lake, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, leading roles
in Bach Partita, Birthday Offering and Thirteen
Diversions and roles in Airs, Baker’s Dozen,
Ballo della Regina, Black Tuesday, The BrahmsHaydn Variations, Brief Fling, Company B, Gong,
In the Upper Room, Les Sylphides, Raymonda
Divertissements, Sechs Tänze, Sinfonietta and
workwithinwork. Copeland created the Spanish
Dance in Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, the Fairy
Fleur de farine in Ratmansky’s The Sleeping
Beauty and leading roles in C. to C. (Close to
Chuck), Dumbarton, Glow – Stop, One of Three
and With a Chance of Rain. Copeland received
the 2008 Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the
Arts and was named National Youth of the Year
Ambassador for the Boys & Girls Clubs
With 100 outstanding student dreamers participating in this 4 - day “crash course” academy,
some of the other students recognized were:
“Confidence Award” - Elizabeth Nalenga, who
aspire for a career in International Relations,
and dream of becoming a US Aid worker.
“Curiousity Award” - Ashley Toussaint, a
sophmore whose dream is to study Chemical
Engineering abroad. “Constancy Award” Kaysi Ingram, a 16 year-old whose dream is
to open a business for the sick to manage their
out of hospital care. “Courage Award” - Nikki
Distefano, a 15 year-old Hampton Bay, New
Jersey student whose dream is to become a
Master Sergeant in the Air Force Program.
of America in 2013. In 2014, President Obama
appointed Copeland to the President’s Council on
Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. She is the recipient
of a 2014 Dance Magazine Award and appeared
on the cover of Time Magazine’s 100 Most
Influential People in 2015. She is the author of
the best-selling memoir, Life in Motion and the
children’s book Firebird.
week ending
JULY 14, 2015
Soul Vibrations Corner
CaribLIVING
YOUR ASTROLOGICAL FORECAST
What’s Going on
By Victoria Horsford
JULY 8 - 14, 2015
ARIES - March 21- April 19
You may find it difficult to keep a smile
on your face when you see funds slipping
through your fingers. A partner or your mate
may appear to take the easy way out and
ignore your struggle to balance everything
that’s going on around you. Don’t let stress
tempt you to play games or plan ways to
get even. Do yourself and others a big favor
by investing in some background checks &
research. Your deep emotional feelings are
apparent to you.
Lucky Numbers: 18, 29, 32, 35, 46, 47
TAURUS -April 20- May 20
You need to be needed and you may
have to carefully structure your time to
accommodate everything you want to do.
With some patience and understanding on
your part, however, you’ll realize what could
occur in the lives of others to cause them to
have to completely re-adjust their routines.
Try to see external events as a mirror for your
own growth. Learn to be more flexible in your
own patterns. It’s tim
Lucky Numbers: 8, 12, 30, 36, 43, 44
GEMINI - May 21- June 21
Some situations could be very beneficial to
you, but you may be tempted to zig when you
should zag. Your timing may be a little off.
Financial matters continue to be a burden on
you. If you’re in danger of feeling too much
pressure from projects, don’t make decisions
until the picture is clearer. If you take
advantage of the exciting opportunities that
exist, or you let someone talk you into taking
the plunge into uncertain waters, you will
succeed. Keep your eyes wide open.
Lucky Numbers: 22, 24, 29, 30, 40, 41
CANCER- June 22 - July 22
Secure the situation with practical measures.
Partnership projects could seem uncertain. If
someone you depend on lets you down or acts
in an unpredictable manner, you may need to
discuss the situation more thoroughly. You
could discover that the actions of others have
little to do with you. Difficult situations could
make carefully structured plans seem almost
chaotic. You may find that it takes a major
event to awaken others to their real potential.
Lucky Numbers: 6, 7, 20, 28, 44, 45
LEO- July 23 - August 22
You may feel as if you are plugged into a
source of very high energy. Considering the
opportunities that await you, you have good
reason to be excited. Pay attention to gut
instincts that tell you where the treasures
of the world are buried. Even the best-laid
plans can go awry and you could feel that
your equilibrium being disturbed unless
you find alternatives. Rely on your sense of
humor to get past any obstacle. Once you feel
comfortable with yourself, you’ll be able to
go with the flow. Lucky Numbers: 18, 29, 32,
35, 46, 47
VIRGO - August 23- September 23
Your mate could seem unpredictable to
you. You might be tempted to let go of the
relationship for all the wrong reasons. Look
deeper in order to understand motivations.
Start projects that bring more beauty into your
home and lifestyle. Financial situations with
groups and friends may demand your time &
careful attention. Don’t let funds run through
your fingers, especially as expenses with land
and property rises. Take this step-by-step.
Finish one thing before you start another.
Lucky Numbers: 9, 29, 30, 31, 33, 37
LIBRA - September 24- October 22
Don’t put on the blinders just yet. Sensitivity
can be a positive and valuable commodity but
when those feelings are close to the surface,
they can turn into feelings of insecurity. Your
sensitivity may come in handy when it comes
to an appeal to others for aid. You may be
called to distant shores. If you feel an urge to
travel, contact someone at a distance or follow
your impulses about international projects.
Don’t let anything else distract you. You may
find it somewhat scary to react impulsively to
pure instinct. Lucky Numbers: 7, 11, 14, 32,
33, 40
SCORPIO- October 23 - November 21
Try not to go overboard with promotional
efforts or the additional expenses. Be sure you
don’t let flattery lead you down the wrong
road. You may be counting on unreliable
sources of income now. If you trust that
checks will arrive on time, hedge your bets
and make sure they were mailed as promised.
Don’t let the grass grow under your feet. You
need to take some risks, but don’t frighten
yourself in the process. Investigate new
opportunities carefully, and then take the risk.
. Lucky Numbers: 17, 20, 22, 38, 48, 49
SAGITTARIUS- November 22 - December
21
Once you are able to express your emotions
verbally, you’ll feel more confident with
your ideas. Complete strangers will be easily
impressed, as they well should be. You have
worked hard to get to where you are. Let your
self-assurance carry you forward in a blaze
of light. No one said that learning has to be a
painful experience. Others connect with you
once they grasp the full impact of what you’re
telling them. The world may change for the
better, as a result. Lucky Numbers: 6, 26, 29,
32, 40, 46
CAPRICORN - December 22 - January 19
. Try to create an atmosphere of trust. Temper
you words, as they may have been thoughtless
or misinterpreted. Soothe hurt feelings before
the damage becomes irreparable. Accept
your mistakes, and do your best to keep
from repeating them. Communication is very
important. Your efforts will go a long way
toward comforting the hurt. Your ability to
be unique in all you do will result in your
meeting the right people at the right time. Let
your hair down and dress casually when you
go out socially. Your personality will shine.
Lucky Numbers: 2, 4, 20, 30, 40, 41
AQUARIUS- January 20 - February 18
It may be difficult to stay focused. Your
current fixation on details may have you
spinning your wheels. Try to stay on course
despite the temptation to scatter your forces.
The fact that you’re suddenly very popular
doesn’t help with your focus. The energy
you feel will help you to reach your goals.
It’s vital that you don’t promise the world
to everyone. Compromise will become
your theme. Once you have your priorities
straight, you’ll be able to start to look at new
perspectives. Lucky Numbers: 16, 20, 26, 29,
36, 40
PISCES - February 19 - March 20
Your financial portfolio may need your time,
but so do children or other family members.
Put your time and energy into things that
really matter in your relationships. Your focus
will change once you feel confident in who
you are. Relaxation is the name of the game.
Don’t let yourself be intimidated into making
a decision you don’t want to make. Don’t sign
anything yet, wait til next week, when you’ll
have the time to sit down & read the fine
print. This week end will be a good time to
get caught up on correspondance. The results
should be interesting. Lucky Numbers: 17, 20,
22, 38, 48, 49
19
AMERICA: HOT TOPICS
The United States of America today is a republic,
is a place innumerable in its complexities
and contradictions. The unpredictably rightleaning Supreme Court ruled that Obamacare is
constitutional; that same sex in the 50 states is
constitutional; allows Texas abortion clinics to
remain open; and upheld the Fair Housing Act
stating that about housing discrimination is
illegal.
Last week, Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled it
unconstitutional to use public funds for private
schools allowing vouchers to be used to send
students to private or religious schools, which
is a practice in more than a dozen states. The
voucher system died with that ruling.
NYC: Last week, there was another ugly
NYPD/Black male incident, in Central Harlem
The encounter was videotaped in all of its
unnerving graphic details. A Black undercover
cop stopped a Black man Sykou George,30,
asked for ID, which was proffered, and then put
it into his pocket. Officer refused to tell George
why he was stopped. The undercover cops
start throwing punches to George’s head and he
retaliates. The undercover cop’s female partner
looked like she was paralyzed with fear. NYPD
backup arrived and diffused tensions. George
was charged with resisting arrest and other
charges. NYPD Commissioner Bratton said that
he found nothing wrong with officer’s behavior.
This was a Black on Black encounter, which
draws attention to police culture in America,
which is broken and in serious and immediate
need of repair. CEMOTAP, the Committee to
Eliminate Media Offensive to African People
organized a demonstration on July 3 in front of
the 32nd Precinct. This incident in the so-called
greatest city on the planet!
HARLEM STUFF
2015/2016 Primaries: It is hard to follow all
interested parties for next year’s Democratic
Primary. The field of contenders for Charlie
Rangel’s 13th Congressional district is pretty
crowded, a year in advance. NYS Assemblyman
Keith Wright and former US Ambassador Rev.
Suzan (Sujay) Johnson Cook have formally
tossed their hats into the congressional ring.
First Corinthian Baptist Church Pastor Michael
Walrond and Clyde Williams, adviser to
Presidents Clinton and Obama, will also run for
the 13th congressional seat. Councilwoman
Inez Dickens is interested in Assemblyman’s
Keith Wright’s seat. Businessman and
community leader Brian Benjamin is interested
in Councilwoman Inez Dicken’s seat…………..
Attorney and community activist Afua AssaMensah is running for Female District Leader
70A, in the 9/10/15 Primary.
On July 6, The Studio Museum In Harlem
executive director Thelma Golden revealed a
new initiative for “a radical reinvention of the
SMH.” Expansion plans are afoot to construct a
new $122 million state- of- the- art SMH home
at its 144 West 125 Street location, which will
be designed by Ghanaian British architect David
Adjayne, whose credits include the Smithsonian
National Museum of African America History
and Culture. NYC has committed $35 million
and the Ford Foundation donated $3 million
towards the SMH private-public initiative.
MEDIA MATTERS
Read Jonathan Katz’s 7/5 NY Times Magazine
essay, “The Dominican Time Bomb, a concise
description of the current immigrant crisis
faced by Blacks born in the Dominican
Republic who have Haitian ancestors. If the
Dominican Republic executes its immigration
policy, expelling Dominicans of Haitian
parents, it would create a humanitarian crisis
to rival Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. Headlines
continue misleading report that the Dominican
immigration policy is one of ethnic/racial
cleansing. The Dominicans ARE not white
people. They essentially have the same African
DNA markers that Haitians have, which is
predominantly African. Hispaniola, the island
co-shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic
was the second largest destination for enslaved
Africans to the New World. Brazil had the
largest numbers of enslaved Africans. Katz
wrote the book “The Big Truck That Went By:
How the World Came To Save Haiti And Left
Behind A Disaster”.
Current event mavens should read 7/ 4 NY
Time’s Michiko Kakutani’s fine essay, “Obama’s
Eulogy, Which found Its Place in American
History.” It is revelatory!
Review the Citi Bank full-page ad schedule
which features an erudite image of Schomburg
Center for Research In Black Culture Executive
Director Dr. Khalil Muhammad, with his quote
“There is No American History Without Black
History.” Subsequent ad copy reads,
“Citi provided the Center with the necessary
financial support and guidance to bring its
redevelopment plans to life.” Ad is published
in New Yorker Magazine and Forbes Magazine
back cover.
SUMMER PLEASURES
The Skoto Gallery’s exhibit, SUMMER SHOW
2015, showcases the works of 14 fine artists,
including Chriss Aghana Nwobu, Piniang
Niang, Ifeoma Anyaeju Carl Hazlewood and
Bryan McFarlane, which runs through August 1.
Skoto Gallery is located at 529 West 20 Street,
Manhattan. 212.352.8058. skotogallery.com. See
“Masked Burden” picture
NY City Parks Department, Maysles, the
National Black Programming Consortium,
ImageNation, African Film Festival and INJOY
co-present the Reel Harlem Film Festival, July
6 to August 2, which will be held at Marcus
Garvey, Jackie Robinson, Morningside, and
St. Nicholas Parks. Admission is free. Key
Festival films are “Half Of The Yellow Sun,
which is set in Nigeria, 7/6; The Amazing Nina
Simone, 7/12; Hustlers Convention, about the
evolution of HIPHOP 7/19: Ziggy Stardust and
The Spiders From Mars, about David Bowie
7/27; Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown,
8/2. Visit imagenation.us
Voz Rivers New Heritage Theatre, in association
with My Image Studio Theatre, presents PARK
PLAYS, a staged reading of 5 One-Act plays,
at Mist Harlem, at 46 West 116 Street, on July 13
at 7 pm. All of the plays are set in public parks.
Play titles are “The Mt. Gay Incident” and
“Cruz Mendez” by Arthur French III; “Trinity
Blues” and “Finesse” by Roger Parris; and
“Sunday Afternoon” by Ajene Washington. $12
admission. Call 212.926.2550
A Harlem-based writer/publicist Victoria
Horsford can be reached at victoria.
[email protected]
CaribRELIGION
Think on These Things
20
By Reverend Frank Williams
Are you ready for the Word! “And I say to you, My friends, do not be
afraid of those who kill the body, and after
that have no more that they can do.” Luke
12:4
In the verse above Jesus offers a perspective
that is intended to help us better process the
experiences that may give rise to fear. At
first glance, Jesus’ statement may seem to
diminish the value of bodies. But, He is in
fact elevating the exponential value of the
soul above the body. This is evident in verse
5 – “But I will show you whom you should
fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has
power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear
Him!” Matthew 10:28 puts it this way, “And
do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Jesus speaks with courageous and admonishing words. Hoping to shake fearful apprehension off His followers. He knew that
they would have to face dangerously difficult days ahead. They had to be prepared
to isolate their fear to one – this is, God and
not man. This clarity offers a kind of hope
that is often needed by those who are in the
front lines of socio-political
struggles. It is the hope of the oppressed. It
is the courage that speaks as Dr. King did,
“Well, I don’t know what will happen now.
We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it
doesn’t matter with me now.
Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And
I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like
week ending
to live a long life. Longevity has its place.
But I’m not concerned about that now. I just
want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me
to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked
over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may
not get there with you. But I want you to
know tonight, that we, as a people will get to
the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight.
I’m not worried about anything. I’m not
fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the
glory of the coming of the Lord.”
These are the words of a man who, in that
moment, embodied Jesus’ words. Any
struggle against the dark forces of injustice
eventually necessitates that one has the
courage to think this way. Living becomes
consumed by a singleness of mind that overtakes the heart. That is, you learn to will
one thing. Soren Kierkegaard, in his book,
“Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing,”
explores this matter of internal purity by
leading us on a journey toward singleness
of heart. This, he says, begins with remorse
and repentance and culminates as we stand
before the presence of God. He says, “Each man himself, as an individual, should render his account to God. JULY 14. 2015
No third person dares venture to intrude
upon this accounting between God and the
individual.” It is then of great urgency for
us, that we accurately understand our journey on this planet from the perspective of
eternity, while grounding our aspirations and
our influence in the context of the earthly. This tension between the eternal and the
earthy is where the followers of Christ find
themselves. To this Jesus declares, “Fear
Him” who has the power over your souls. It
is either a frightening thing or a comforting
thing to know that all of your living and my
living will culminate before God. From
this vantage point we draw strength, and an
increased sense of urgency to live a life of
meaning – a life that impacts the community, the culture and its systems. Through
Christ the “sinsitutions” of the culture and
the sins of our own hearts find a cure that
both liberates from sin and empowers us
by His Spirit to become a source of light,
or at the least reflectors of His light in the
dark places. So, as we stand, and shine,
and speak, and struggle, do so fearlessly. Knowing, that all opposition is temporal, but
the impact of God’s people is eternal. Until
next time, walk good my friends and think
on these things.
I AM: The Only Name You Have—Part 1
great Creative Intelligence of the universe to
transform yourself into whatever it is with
which you are identifying.
By Mary-Alice and Richard Jafolla
Excerpted from The Quest
When negative feelings are put into “I am”
statements, these seemingly harmless statements take on a life-altering seriousness.
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”—
John 14:6
“My true nature is fear.”
“The very essence of me is sick and tired.”
“Poverty is God’s will for me.”
“Old age is my divine inheritance.”
Ouch! Makes you wince, doesn’t it? Who
would say such things, especially in light of
what we now know about the power of our
words?
Yet it’s shocking to learn that many of us
broadcast the equivalent of such dreadful
statements every day. How? By following
the powerful words I am with something
less than God’s will for us:
“I am so afraid of failing.”
“I am sick and tired of your behavior.”
“I am too poor to afford it.”
“I am too old to travel anymore.”
These are the kinds of pronouncements we
hear all around us, maybe even say ourselves. But such statements are dangerous,
even lethal. This is because they all contain
those two little words I am.
The words I am are so powerful that they
must be used with extreme care. Why?
Because the words I am are your actual
identity. They are your spiritual name, the
identity of your spiritual self. Your I AM is
the name of the God nature in you and of
all the divine potential in you. It is who you
are at your Christ essence. I AM is your true
identity.
If you want to feel the power of the words I
am, substitute the words It is my essence to
be ... , or It is my nature to be ... , or ... is
God’s will for me. Thus a seemingly innocuous comment, “I am so worried,” translates
into “It is my very nature to be worried.” A
comment said in frustration, “I am absolutely devastated,” becomes “It is my essence
to be devastated.” The statement “I am a
diabetic” is really the assertion
“Diabetes is God’s will for me.”
Restated that way, those statements feel so
uncomfortable to you because they more
clearly point out that you are claiming
something you don’t really want. You are
identifying yourself with something far, far
removed from your essence.
Yet that’s exactly what happens when you
use the words I am. You put a claim into the
Can you really believe that it is your nature
to be worried? Of course, you feel concerned and anxious at times; we all allow
circumstances to bully us, but worry as part
of your true nature? Never.
There are times when events can make us
feel devastated-the death of a loved one,
a serious financial setback, a relationship
gone sour. But saying “I feel devastated” is
significantly different than claiming “I am
devastated.” What you feel is transitory,
what you are is forever.
What about identifying yourself with a
sickness (for instance, “I am a diabetic”)?
If God’s desire for us is absolute good, then
how can God inflict diabetes on anyone? But
if you insist on claiming it, making it part of
your identity, then it’s yours because you are
holding on to it.
Tamela Mann Makes Gospel Music History with Third Straight No. 1 Single ‘This Place’
Gospel music legend and Grammy Award Nominee
Tamela Mann is the first Gospel lead artist in
Billboard Gospel Radio chart history to score three
consecutive No. 1’s from an album with her current
single, “This Place,” as the third song to reach from,
Best Days.
The historic Gospel radio chart honor follows the
album’s previous No. 1 chart toppers, “Take Me To
The King,” Best Days’ lead single, written by Gospel
icon Kirk Franklin, which is RIAA certified gold and
approaching platinum, and fan favorite and second
single, “I Can Only Imagine.” Best Days bowed at
the top of numerous Billboard album sales charts in
August 2012, including Billboard’s Gospel album
sales chart, and is RIAA certified gold with more
than 500,000 copies sold.
“What an incredible blessing. So many radio
stations and fans have been a part of this journey. I’m
so grateful and thankful to them all,” said Tamela
in a press release. “This is truly an honor, and a
wonderful gift to receive on my birthday!”
Following the 24-week run at No. 1 by “Take Me
To The King,” on the Gospel radio chart, “I Can
Only Imagine” crested the chart for 13 weeks.
Shortly thereafter, “This Place” was released, and
landed at the apex this week. Tamela’s streak of
three consecutive Billboard Gospel radio No. 1’s
is the most by a lead artist in the history of this
chart. Katy Perry and Michael Jackson hold a
similar record-breaking chart honor - they each sent
five consecutive singles to No. 1 on the Billboard
Hot 100 chart. Commented husband and manager
David Mann, “I am so proud of Tamela and her
accomplishments. The continued recognition for this
project is truly a gift from God and the fans. I would
like to thank Gospel and Urban AC radio for being
the backbone of this success. I would also like to
personally thank our team - Tillymann Entertainment
Group, IGA Talent Management, Central South
Distribution, TKO, and the Wright Group, for
helping us achieve this historic goal.”
Faith has always been the foundation of Tamela’s
life. “It was all about faith and all about God in
my mom’s house,” She recalls of growing up in
Fort Worth, Texas as the youngest of 14 kids. “We
couldn’t listen to like R&B or blues. My mom would
say, ‘You can’t listen to those blues in my house.’
She was really strict, but we listened to a lot of
gospel music---The Clark Sisters, Andrae’ Crouch,
Walter Hawkins, The Williams Brothers and Inez
Andrews.”
Tamela knew at an early age that she was called to
music ministry. “When I was eight-years-old, I
was going to youth choir rehearsals with my
older siblings, and I would start learning the
songs that they were singing. I noticed myself
scooting up closer and closer to the choir stand,
singing with the choir. I jumped in there and
started singing soprano right off.”
week ending
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CaribDINING
21
22
22
NEWS
CaribSPORTS
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JUly 14, 2015
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JULY 14, 2015
CARIBSPORTS
23
T&T snap-out of winless streak with training
win over Haiti
MIAMI, United States (CMC) — Trinidad
and Tobago Soca Warriors snapped-out of a
five-game winless streak with a one-nil win
over Haiti in a closed door training match
ahead of the start of their campaign in the
CONCACAF Gold Cup later this week.
Forward Willis Plaza converted five minutes
into the game to also end T&T’s five-match
scoring drought as both teams warmed up
for the Gold Cup at the Central Broward
Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale, USA, on
Friday.
“It was a game of two halves really,”
declared head coach Stephen Hart, who
switched around his players throughout the
game.
“The first half we were very compact. We
were organised and we didn’t give up many
chances, but when we did win the ball, our
ball speed and possession was at times too
erratic. We didn’t really build well.”
US-based Tobago-born forward Rundell
Winchester set up the lone goal after
collecting the ball near the half line before
playing it over to the lurking Plaza, who
directed it to the right corner of the net.
The Haitians also created a couple scoring
chances of their own, forcing goalkeeper
Jan Michael Williams into action but never
really threatened the T&T custodian.
“In the second half it was almost completely
different,” said Hart.
“We defended well and we pushed the ball
forward quickly and we got players up in
numbers to support it. We had quite a few
chances which was good.”
T&T will have two more days of training in
Fort Lauderdale before heading to Chicago
tomorrow for their opening Gold Cup clash
in Group C against Guatemala on Thursday.
Tomorrow, Haiti open their campaign
against Panama in a Group A clash in Frisco.
Red Steel holds off Amazon Warriors to win
BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) -- Trinidad
and Tobago Red Steel held their nerve to
win a nail-biter, beating Guyana Amazon
Warriors by three wickets with a ball to
spare, in a low-scoring second game of a
Caribbean Premier League double-header at
Warner Park on Saturday.
Chasing 119 for victory, Red Steel were on
top at 61 for one in the 10th over but lost
their way to stumble to 109 for six after 18
overs.
What should have been a straightforward
task of scoring the remaining 10 runs from
12 deliveries became a battle of jitters for
Red Steel.
South African seamer Marchant de Lange
sent down the penultimate over which cost
just five runs, paving the way for a dramatic
final over by leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo,
who finished with brilliant overall figures of
four for 24.
Johan Botha scrambled a single from the
first ball but Javon Searles rushed down the
wicket and missed a swing off the next ball
and was easily stumped by captain Denesh
Ramdin for two.
New batsman Kevon Cooper and Botha
sneaked singles off the next two balls before
high drama unfolded off the fifth delivery
when Bishoo had Cooper stumped, only for
replays to show the right-armer had overstepped.
Capitalising on his huge slice of fortune,
Cooper promptly hoisted the next delivery
- a free hit - over long on for six to end the
game and ease the tension for Red Steel.
Kamran Akmal had earlier led the run
chase with 30 from 17 balls with four fours
and a six, while Cameron Delport stroked a
lively 22 from 15 balls with five fours
and his partner Jacques Kallis, 20 from 21
deliveries.
They put on 23 before Delport was bowled
by left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul,
and Kallis and Darren Bravo (19) added a
further 38 for the second wicket to steady
the innings.
Both batsmen, however, fell to catches in
the deep in successive overs from offspinners Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sunil
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) -Batting legend Brian Lara will host a clinic
here for thousands of children ahead of the
Caribbean Premier League final later this
month.
The former West Indies captain, a CPL
Twenty20 ambassador, will stage the event
on July 25 - the eve of the grand final at
Queen’s Park Oval.
“Passing on my skills and experience to
youngsters is something that has always
been really important to me and I’m excited
about this chance to work with all these
talented kids in my hometown,” said Lara.
“CPL is all about inspiring West Indians of
all ages to get excited about cricket again,
and I hope events like this will help us find
our next generation of cricketing legends.”
Lara is considered by many as the finest
batsman of the contemporary era, gathering
11,953 runs from 131 Tests at an average
of 52. His career aggregate is the most by a
West Indies batsman.
He scored 34 centuries and still holds the
world records for the highest ever score in
first-class cricket and the highest individual
Test score in a Test innings.
Damien O’Donohoe, the CPL’s chief
executive, said he was thrilled by the idea.
“Brian is a living legend and it’s going to
be amazing to see the positive impact his
masterclass will have on the local kids who
will attend,” O’Donohoe said.
“This year’s CPL has seen thousands of
children [being] entertained and inspired
Lara to stage clinic on eve of CPL final
Narine, leaving Red Steel on 68 for three at
the end of the 11th over.
Kamran Akmal and captain Dwayne Bravo
(10) put on 31 for the fourth wicket, but the
reintroduction of Bishoo in the 16th over
turned the tide.
He promptly ripped his first delivery past
Bravo’s defence to rattle the stumps and off
the fifth ball, had Kamran Akmal caught by
Dilshan, cutting.
Bishoo had his third wicket when Jason
Mohammed was also stumped off the final
ball of the 18th as the innings headed for a
nerve-jangling end.
Earlier, Amazon Warriors were dismissed
for a disappointing 118 with two balls
remaining, after choosing to bat.
Opener Lendl Simmons top-scored with 50
from 48 balls with three fours and two sixes,
but was the only batsman to pass 20 and just
one of three to reach double figures.
Medium pacer Dwayne Bravo caused most
of the damage with four for 18, while fellow
seamers Jacques Kallis (2-16) and Kevon
Cooper (2-25) supported with two wickets
apiece.
Amazon Warriors slumped to six for two in
the third over and never recovered despite
a 35-run, third-wicket partnership between
Simmons and Brad Hodge (19).
by the best cricketers from the West Indies
and across the world. The CPL players have
attended schools across the region, speaking
to the children about what it takes to make
it to the top of whatever profession they
choose.
“Brian’s masterclass will be the perfect way
to sign off this programme of events with
the children of Trinidad and, fingers crossed,
we may even identify the next Brian Lara
while bringing the biggest party in sport to
the Queen’s Park Oval.”
The CPL bowled off on June 20 in Barbados
and is currently ongoing
24
Caribnews
week ending
JULY 14, 2015