"I know he's looking down now on [President Obama] saying, 'Good job Barack, but you've got a lot more to do,'" said [Joseph Biden], who was introduced by the university's interim president, Sandra T. Thompson. "It's not merely the news reel, this is zeal," he said of the earthquake's impact on Haitian-Americans. "It's about their brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers." Of his visit to Miami's Haitian community, the vice president said his attempt to participate in an "off-the-record" visit to a church so that he could attend a Catholic Mass in Little Haiti resulted in Haitian-Americans demonstrating tremendous generosity, "even in the midst of their grief."
"I say that I'm Haitian first, and then we go from there," said Patrick Marcelin, the U.S.-born son of Haitian immigrants who raps in Creole and English as "Mecca a.k.a. Grimo." "I just happened to be born in America, but really I'm a Haitian brother. And Haiti is the direct daughter of Africa." The Black History Months he remembers studying never mentioned Haiti's history, even though Haiti was a destination for Black Americans searching for their cultural roots. Marcelin now also teaches in the Haitian Heritage Museum's school outreach program, exposing students to the American history he never learned. For example, when talking about writers from the Harlem Renaissance, Marcelin points out that [Zora Neale Hurston] wrote her novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" in Haiti in the 1930s, and the poet [Langston Hughes] wrote admiringly of the Haitian peasants who walked down mountain roads barefoot, balancing baskets on their heads, to sell their wares. "They should have been teaching this in school, that soldiers from Haiti came to fight in the American Revolution," Marcelin said. "I read about [Frederick Douglass] in the history books but I don't remember anything about him being the ambassador to Haiti. Or that the founder of Chicago was a Haitian brother."
Launch of Caribbean Culture Week on January 18 at Savacou Gallery, NYC. Loris Crawford is Director of the Savacou Gallery, which hosted Caribbean Culture Week.
Why? Because there is not a shred of doubt, as acknowledged by President George W. Bush's proclamation to mark the occasion last year, about the immense contributions made to the U.S. by people of Caribbean background. Not so long ago, former military General Colin Powell, a son of Caribbean-born parents, was Bush's secretary of state, one of the most powerful political posts in the U.S. Powell was even touted as a presidential contender. "But in communities (in the U.S.), where there are large concentrations of Caribbean people, for example in the South Florida area and in the New York metropolitan area, the Caribbean communities have all come together to do different things, sometimes collectively, sometimes individually, meaning individual associations..." Already some activists, who advocate on behalf of Caribbean interests in the U.S., have frowned on clauses of the proposed new immigration bill which they claim is a backward step for those wishing to see immigrant families united in the U.S. Also on the table for the leaders will be the issue of security in the Caribbean and the sensitive subject of deportations.
Consul General of Jamaica to New York, Hon. Herman G. LaMont, has called on Jamaicans in the Diaspora to remember the land of their birth at this time. Addressing members of the Clergy Coalition at a recent meeting at the offices of the Consulate General of Jamaica in Manhattan, CG LaMont said that he was looking forward to this year's Jamaica Diaspora Day of Prayer & Fasting, on Thursday, August 1. 'We firmly and unabashedly believe that prayer changes things and avails much. Please join us in prayer for Jamaica, Land we love. This call and challenge goes out to every denomination, Jamaicans in every walk of life, and all who hold the affairs of Jamaica near and dear to their hearts," noted Rev. Neilson, New Life Christian Church of Philadelphia, PA.
'It is a cause to celebrate, for slavery is the worst abomination that one set of people can, through their power and might, inflict on another," said [Bruce Golding] in his message. "In that celebration, we honour the courage of those leaders who fought the battle against slavery at times when it seemed to be a battle that would never be won, those who sacrificed their lives so that our forefathers could be free and our nation be built."
"We do it in the rural areas more than we do it in Kingston and I think events such as Kingston Pon Di River really need to happen more. It's a way of giving people a voice. I really congratulate the organisers, and it's one of those events that people should put on their calendar," she said. "I thought the audience reception was very positive. It's encouraging me to write some more stories. Kingston Pon Di River buss me as a creative writer, so mi haffi go through," she told The Gleaner.
-, ON TUESDAY August 6 Karen Stokes, deputy director in the office of Tom Corbett, governor of Pennsylvania, will make by proclamation "Jamaica Independence Week" from August 5 to August 10 each year. Jamaicans and Philadelphians will also have the opportunity to see Miss Jamaica World 2013. Gina Hargitay on Saturday August 10 at Fairmount Park, from 10 a.m to 8p.m.
The Jamaica Diaspora Day of Fasting and Prayer 2013 is presented by the Intercessory Prayer Ministry International www.goipmi.org the Regional Coordinator and members of Clergy of the Jamaican Diaspora (GTA Chapter) in association with the Consulate General of Jamaica in Toronto
* Friday, June 10 - The Rhythms of the Caribbean Ball, 7 p.m. to midnight at The Plaza Hotel New York. Hosted by NBC anchor Jenna Wolfe. A "barefoot" black tie affair. Tickets start at $350 and a portion of the proceeds go to finance scholarships to Caribbean nationals pursuing careers in tourism. The Caribbean Travel & Cultural Fair will take place 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 8 at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal. Admission is free. It will feature Caribbean performers and entertainers, as well as a Caribbean wedding organized in collaboration with the Global Bridal Group.
