The Caribbean branch of the Toronto-based Global Afrikan Congress (GAC) this week welcomed British Prime Minister Tony Blair's comments on the horrors of slavery, saying he has done much more for the cause than "our own" Black-led governments in the region on the issue. Maxie Fox, a spokesman for the GAC formed in Barbados in 2002, said the GAC and other Afro organizations have been trying for years to persuade regional governments to "have a discourse" on slavery, its effects on Blacks and even reparations, but only Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo, a Hindu, has seen it fit to acknowledge correspondence.
Peter Webley, publisher of the South Florida monthly newspaper, Caribbean Today, has been selected as a recipient of the Caribbean Peer Awards Life Time Achievement Award for 2006. Webley was among four awardees, all Caribbean nationals, who were honored for their sterling contribution to the growth and ongoing development of Caribbean media in the area of sales, marketing and advertising. The other awardees include: Ken Gordon, of Trinidad and Tobago; and Lester Spaulding and Neville Blythe, both well-known Jamaican media personnel. Described as one of the pioneers of Caribbean news publishing in South Florida, Webley launched the Caribbean monthly newspaper in Dec. 1989. As the Caribbean diaspora began to grow in the early 1980s in this region, Webley told JIS News that he saw a need for greater and better news coverage of the Caribbean region and of the nationals here in Florida.
The program, which is sponsored by the Haitian Heritage Museum, featured traditional lecture format, intermingled with question and answer sessions, and a line up of local artists - Caheej, Flo and Mecca aka "Grimo." Throughout the presentation, the performers and speakers itnteracted with the audience. The program was designed for that purpose, explained Evaline Pierre, CEO and founder of the Haitian Heritage Museum, to keep them paying attention. "I chose artists to teach the culture because art transcends all boundries. Anyone can identify a beautiful painting." Attention is important because one of the program goals is to teach Haitian culture, a culture that is not widely known about, and by extension increase tolerance for differences. "It's a starting point," said Serge Rodrique, cofounder of Haitian Heritage Museum, "[so] you can start to understand similarities."
Representatives of several major Jamaican corporations, primarily representing companies in the food distribution and financial services sectors, will also be participating in and co-sponsoring the event. This year's conference will be held under the theme: "The Jamaican Diaspora: Unleashing the Potential".
The average cost of both public and private medical schools in the U.S. can exceed $50,000 annually. The cost of medical school in the United States can leave most graduates in a pool of debt soon after graduation. These exorbitant tuition fees alone can make the idea of going to medical school for members of poor communities seemingly unrealistic and even nonexistent in some cases.
HAVANA - Cuba's Communist government has signaled a crackdown on the use of black-market satellite dishes, just over a week after ailing leader Fidel Castro temporarily relinquished power to his brother. "They are fertile ground for those who want to carry out the Bush administration's plan to destroy the Cuban revolution," said the newspaper, the official voice of the government. Such an article in Granma usually signals that action is on the way. Castro said in an August 1 statement that details of his health were a state secret due to the threat of U.S. intervention in Cuba.
MIAMI - Haiti Kids Foundation Chairman Jesse Johnson cycled into Toussaint L'ouverture Elementary School in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood last month, ending his 4,000-mile in 40 days cross country "Bike for Haiti Kids" trip. "My hope all along was that people will be inspired by this ride to learn more about the children of Haiti, and get involved in making life changing improvements in their lives," said Johnson. "Even if people contribute only a few dollars, that money will make a difference to a child in need."
