Caribbean American Passport News Magazine - April 2021 by caribbeanamericanpassport

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Apr/May 2021

4 LA SOUFRIERE – CONTINUES TO ERUPT, DISPLACING THOUSANDS, IN ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

AFRO TV announces AFROJams a New Live Concert Series kicking off with 6 groundbreaking Haitian artists in celebration of the 218th anniversary of the Haitian Flag AFRO TV has unveiled AFROJams, its new Live Concert Series for the virtual era hosted by renowned singer Sisaundra Lewis from NBC The Voice. The series will kick off Live on May 18, 2021 with performances from 6 groundbreaking and very popular Haitian Artists in celebration of the 218th anniversary of the Haitian Flag: Rutshelle Guillaume, Fatima Altieri, J-Perry, Michael Benjamin, Anie Alèrte and Lynn Betty. AFROJams will bring top performances from popular multicultural Black artists directly into millions of households. In expanding the live concert experience, AFRO TV is creating a powerful new and exclusive platform that will benefit music fans, artists, and brands. Brought to you by Comcast Xfinity and recorded at Afrotainers, AFRO TV owned and operated state of the art television theatre studio located in Orlando FL, the Live Concert Series will feature the premier production quality that our content is known for and offer multicultural Black viewers a new way to complement and enhance their at-home viewing experience via the new Comcast Xfinity Black Experience. “The Live music ecosystem has been massively disrupted since the beginning of the pandemic and artists need to find new ways to connect with their fans and share their art. I believe the AFROJams Series on Xfinity is one of the most innovative ways to do that.” said Yves Bollanga, CEO and Founder of AFRO TV. AFROJams Haiti will broadcast Live on May 18, 2021 at 8:00 PM on AFRO TV (Xfinity Channel 1623) along with Live multicast on Xfinity Black Experience, HAITI HD, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram.

volcano continues to push ash and debris into the atmosphere. Dozens of individuals have been rescued from the northern part of the island after refusing to evacuate previously. Officials are warning anyone still in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the red and orange zones to flee as located in the southern Caribbean, the mountain presents a new danger consists of more than 30 islands and to anyone still in the area. cays, nine of which are inhabited. “The devastating impact of this event At 4,000 feet or 1,220 metres tall, La on thousands of people is Soufrière dominates the largest island undeniable”, said UN Resident of Saint Vincent. Silent since 1979, the Coordinator for Barbados and the volcano began spewing smoke and Eastern Caribbean, Didier Trebucq. rumbling in December, before a fullblown eruption on 9 April. Call to action With over 12,700 evacuees now registered in public shelters and in private homes, close to 20,000 people are expected to be displaced.

A call for international solidarity has been made to provide a lifeline to the most vulnerable people in St. Vincent as well as in Antigua and Barbuda, Entire villages have been covered in Barbados, Grenada and Saint Lucia, ash, buildings damaged, schools and which have been hit with severe businesses closed, crops and livestock ashfall. destroyed, and residents left with This crisis comes as St. Vincent and limited access to clean drinking water. the Grenadines is recovering from its Further eruptions have continued in largest COVID-19 surge amid the the weeks following. This has pandemic, the region’s worst Dengue worsened conditions as La Soufrière outbreak in recent history, and a new deadly hurricane season.

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L I F E S T Y L E

Guenet Gittens-Roberts Owner/Publisher/Editor

Understanding Emergency Management and Emergency Planning Samuel J. Roberts

Owner/Publisher/Editor

In these trying times of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Volcano, the unparalleled hurricane and incremental weather and even the Civil unrest caused by riots in the streets, we as a community, as business owners and even as families must take a serious look at our own Emergency Management and Emergency Planning. As families we purchase life insurance, we create living wills and and we try to put away both food and money for that rainy day that in its own small way is a form of emergency planning. However, looking at it on a larger scale and reflecting on our personal experiences of 2020 we can learn from those experiences and make ourselves better prepared for the next Global Pandemic or even a spot tornado in the neighborhood. Step 1 (Most important Step) - Evaluate your vulnerabilities: as a family, as a small business, as a community and even as a country - do we have enough stored food in the pantry, do we have coolers to store our foods that need to be kept cold, do we have our cars/ SUV's full with gas at the end of every day on our way home, do we have some cash stashed away in the event of total power loss with no ATM's or no credit card processing, have we discussed as a family what we must do in the event of an emergency, what do we take with us in an emergency evacuation (passports, photo albums, the dog..etc), where or how do we meet up or reconnect if we are not in the same place when the emergency occurs, where do we go, does everyone have a specific responsibility, does everyone know each others role or responsibility in the event one member is incapacitated, do we have a Continuity of Operations Plan as a business. Everyone has a different set of vulnerabilities that are unique to them, very family, every community, every City, State and even Country have different vulnerabilities - Coastal cities won't have the same vulnerabilities and rural cities. Step 2 - Mitigation Planning to minimize the impact caused by these vulnerabilities. On the surface level this mitigation planning process remains relatively simple - review your vulnerabilities and do your best to address as many of your vulnerabilities as possible. However, on the larger scale when dealing with larger corporations and/or Governments this process gets complicated but they rely on the same basic foundations. These issues, to some extent, apply to small businesses as well. However, there is an additional level of planning that must be considered when addressing businesses and Governments. Continuity. However, for the purpose of this editorial and our readers, let us make an effort to take that first step and evaluate our vulnerabilities and then start addressing them with a mitigation plan.

Additionally, it is important to consistently review and update both your vulnerability and your mitigation plans. A perfect example would be our brothers and sisters in Barbados, it is very unlikely that they would have volcanic ash as an environmental hazard or a vulnerability. However, after the eruptions in St. Vincent and the impact of the ash fall-out in Barbados, a new assessment would be necessary.

The impact of the ash fall-out in Barbados.

Make a Plan and do your best to be prepared for the next emergency that comes our way, our lack of planning should not become someone else's emergency. A failure to plan is essentially a plan for failure.

1969 Alafaya Trail • Orlando, FL 32828 Office: 407-427-1800 Fax: 407-386-7925 Toll Free: 877-220-8315 For Media Information email: Publisher: sroberts@caribbeanamericanpassport.com Info: .Info@caribbeanamericanpassport.com

Should you desire to review past copies of the publication go to http:// caribbeanamericanpassport.com and click on the 'Print Archive'. Publisher & Editor................................................................................... Sam Roberts Publisher ............................................................................. Guenet Gittens-Roberts Editor & Contributing Writer................................................................Aleia Roberts Contributing Writers: ................................................................................ Tony Dyal Contributing Photographers ............ .......................................................Ted Hollins .....................................................................................................................Dilia Castillo Central Florida Distribution...............................................................Gia McQueen South Florida Distribution .............................................................Norman Williams North Florida Distribution ...............................................................Kadeem Roberts Tampa Distribution ...................................................................................Julian Pina Copyright (C) 2016 GGR Marketing & Public Relations. All rights reserved.

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Federal Lawsuit Filed Challenging Florida’s “Anti-Riot” Law ARTICLE COURTESY HAWM LAW

According to the Orlando Sentinel, an Orlando civil rights attorney filed a federal lawsuit last Wednesday against Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and Orange County Sheriff John Mina in what may be the first legal challenge to Florida’s “anti-riot” law that went into effect this week.

The law also creates a broad category for misdemeanor arrest during protests, and anyone charged under that provision will be denied bail until their first court appearance. It creates a new felony crime of “aggravated rioting” that carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a new crime of “mob intimidation.”

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Orlando by attorney Shannon Ligon and Attorney Aaron Carter Bates on behalf of the Lawyers Matter Task Force, a nonprofit “These statutes are unconstitutional on their face,” the advocacy group. lawsuit claims, because “they target protected speech under the First Amendment [and] they are written with the intent of defining any such protest as a ‘riot’ or The suit claims that the law, signed by DeSantis on Monday, participation in such protest as ‘inciting a riot.’” violates several provisions of the U.S. Constitution. “The purpose of these laws are nothing more than an attempt to silence the Black Lives Matter movement and other civil organizations by limiting the ability to protest,” Bates said in a statement. “The First Amendment is a pillar of American democracy, and the ‘anti-riot’ laws clearly strip Floridians of their freedom of speech and right to assemble.”

The law also would subject those arrested to “excessive bail, fines, or cruel and unusual punishment as a means of hindering the speech of dissenting opinions,” the suit claims, in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

The law also exposes peaceful demonstrators to arrest for other people’s conduct and doesn’t describe what specific conduct would result in a charge of “inciting a A spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said riot,” violating the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process “as it relates to Sheriff Mina, this lawsuit is without merit … provision, the suit says. Accordingly, we intend to file a motion to dismiss.” A spokesman for DeSantis said the governor’s office had not yet been served with the suit, “but we will firmly defend the legal merits of [the bill], which protects businesses, supports law enforcement, and ensures punishment for those who cause violence in our communities.” Moody’s office said it couldn’t comment on pending litigation. DeSantis called the law “the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country” that would protect law enforcement and private property against rioters. But Democrats and civil rights groups have criticized the law for infringing on the First Amendment’s right to peacefully protest. The ACLU claimed the law was “overbroad and vague” and would make it easier for law enforcement to charge organizers and anyone involved in a protest, even if they had not engaged in any violence.

It also claims the law is “discouraging” and “intimidating” for people who want to participate in protests. Similar laws have been struck down on First Amendment grounds in other states. A federal judge blocked an antiriot law in South Dakota in 2019, and in Virginia a court struck down a 1968 anti-riot provision in 2020. DeSantis had pushed for the law since last year, claiming it was needed in the wake of protests following George Floyd’s murder at the hands of then-police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. The law, one of the first to be signed by DeSantis this legislative session, went into effect just hours before Chauvin’s guilty verdict was announced.

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Locally Global Real Estate with Val and Wendy GOALS:

for many of the top builders across the State in top In Real Estate, the most amusing and Florida markets. We are currently connecting small common question we receive is “How’s the builders with in-bound migrating buyers relocating Market”. My answer is always, “It depends on mostly from New York, California, and Canada. who you are asking and your specific goals and time horizon. The market is neither There are still many affordable markets within “good,” nor “bad”, it just “is.” And right now, it’s Florida such as Palm Bay, Palm Coast, Port Saint INTENSE! We will provide a local and global Lucie, and Counties such as Brevard, Volusia and and relevant Alachua counties offer the most value because land overview focusing on timely Real Estate, Land, and Business news that costs are still relatively low. Lack of affordability is proportionately affect, or benefits our diverse an increasing problem Nationwide. “The more we Caribbean Passport audience. Knowledge is power, can keep the homes affordable to operate with and We’ve got your back! energy efficiency and keep the monthly expenses low, people will have a better opportunity to settle their debt and student loans and build equity and a MARKET UPDATE: legacy for their families. With respect to Florida Real Estate, 2020 and 2021 have been record breaking years for many reasons: Covid-19 related National The single biggest impact to familial wealth is home migration within the US, Foreign Investment ownership.” Says Wendy Cowan, a passionate into the US, and the largest factor being lack advocate for increasing inventory for affordable of housing inventory across all conventional energy efficient homes. Thankfully there are price points which has pressured prices builders available in all price points from significantly higher all over the country. affordable homes to luxury dream estates that still Interest rates have crept up slowly, but are still include these budget saving features as a standard. at a record low rate of an average of 2.875% (as of 4/11/2021) Wendy Cowan and Valda Branch-Duncan are Licensed Florida Realtors and Broker-Associate Licensed for a combined 28 years of experience. Active Members with NAR, Florida Realtors, Orlando Regional Realtors Association, NAREB, NAHREP, AAREA, FIABCI, GLOBAL COUNCIL of REALTORS, Commercial Council In Miami the median price rose by 20% for a of Realtors, Global Business Council, Diversity Committee, Either or both Certified: CIPS, CPDE, CNE, single family detached home from $375,000 to ABR, GRI, SRS, AWD, GREP (and more)

In Orlando, median single family home prices rose by 12 percent from February 2020 to February 2021 and Median prices rose to $280,000. $450,000 From January 2020 to January 2021. What other US Markets would you like updated here? In Orlando, we are currently at an inventory level of 1.4 months supply. A normal healthy market is 6 months supply.

Because of the lack of inventory and highly competitive multiple offer situations, properties are going for 10-15% over list price with up to 30 competing offers, many of whom are cash with no contingencies for inspection or appraisal on hot properties!! Buyers are almost best suited to seek new construction these days. The new construction sector is also seeing challenges due to escalating material costs and extended build times up to 9 months from contract to closing. Through GOBA we are connected with 145 local builders and have real time access to the availability of inventory homes. The benefits of new construction is that it adheres to the latest and most safe building codes and will integrate the highest energy efficiencies available. The biggest negative surprise to our 2020-21 buyers is the extreme spike in Hazard “Homeowner” Insurance in Florida. Some insurers are refusing coverage if the home does not meet certain tighter minimum standards such as a roof and air conditioning newer than 15 years and higher wind rating inspections. A few of our top builders have committed to make all their homes “smart home” ready and as close to net zero energy impact with infrastructure for electric cars and low voltage wiring. However, because the pendulum has swung so far in the direction to a sellers market, the majority of builders are also cutting back and offering less incentives and upgrades. There are now waiting lists

NorthStar First Properties, LLC.

3 Lots for Sale Near UCF (University of Central Florida) and Quadrangle Corporate Office Park PRIME LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION Current Zoning can be 2 Homes on each Lot or Executive Homes Future Zoning Multifamily valdainternational@hotmail.com . 407-536-6635 (office)

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St. Vincent & the Grenadines Central Florida Organization St Vincent & The Grenadines has encountered a horrific disaster with the volcanic eruption on April 9th, 2021. The Island has been seriously affected with many people in shelters and in need of basic supplies. The Central Florida St. Vincent and the Grenadines organization organized a Volcano Relief Disaster Drive on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th, at 3701 N John Young Parkway, Orlando Fl. 32804. The Orlando Carnival Downtown and the Caribbean American Passport will continue the outreach and collection drive at the Memorial weekend celebrations as a drop off point for Food, bed sheets, towels, toiletries, mask, Kids items (pampers, baby food, wipes), cough, flu, allergy medicine, cots, portable potties, blankets, goggles, etc., CASH DONATIONS COULD BE MADE TO THE ORGANIZATION VIA: CASH APP: $SVGCFO Zelle: SVGCFO@GMAIL.COM SVGCFO is a non-profit organization under a 501c (3) therefore, all of your donations will be tax deductible. The efforts of the local community and members of the organization has been amazing.

For more information on the evolving needs of the organization please reach out to them at: 4901 Washington Ave, Orlando FL 32819 Tel: 407 435-2583 Email: SVGCFO@gmail.com

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CARIBBEAN CONSULAR CORPS OF MIAMI, FLORIDA

Caribbean Unity – Support to St. Vincent and Grenadines The Caribbean Consular Corps in Miami is supporting the neighboring island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines with a shipment of essential supplies of water and face masks, to victims of the recent volcanic eruption on the island caused by the La Soufriere Volcano. At an urgent meeting convened by the Caribbean Consular Corps, yesterday (Apr. 13), it was agreed that they would join in solidarity to support the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. According to a joint statement from the group “we are standing with our brothers and sisters in this time of need. As Caribbean people, we believe it is important that we stand together in solidarity. At any time, any one of our countries could be affected by a natural disaster.” It was further stated that the Consuls General were pleased that the Caribbean diaspora has been responding favorably to the needs of the victims and that we will jointly give these initiatives our support wholeheartedly. The initial reports highlighting the devastation included clouds of ash blanketing the island causing water and power outages. Thousands of residents were evacuated as it is expected that explosions could continue for days or weeks causing further damage. The residents especially the frontline workers will desperately need all our support at this time, the statement continued. According to the team of Consuls General, it was agreed that each Consulate would contribute to the cause by donating basic medical supplies of masks and personal care packages, and also large volumes of water. The Consuls General are working to boost the support of our respective governments.

The team included Consuls General Hon. Gilbert Boustany of Antigua and Barbuda, (Dean of the Consular Corps in Miami); Hon. Linda Mackey of Bahamas; Hon. Neval Greenidge of Barbados; Hon. Deputy Consul General Dianne Perrotte of Grenada; Hon. Stéphane Gilles of Haiti; Hon. R. Oliver Mair of Jamaica; Hon. Tassa Jean of St. Lucia; and Hon. Jean Andria Narinesingh Acting Consul General of Trinidad and Tobago.

US CARIBBEAN STRONG MOUNTS GLOBAL GRASSROOTS EFFORT FOR VOLCANO VICTIMS IN ST. VINCENT Since the initial eruption of the La Soufrière Volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday, April 9 and ongoing to as early as this week’s anniversary of the last major eruption in 1979, a number of Caribbean descent organizations, businesses, and individuals have mobilized to build a network of support to provide relief to impact victims on the island. The continuous eruptions have blanketed large portions of the island and in nearby Barbados with heavy ash and threats of pyrotechnic flows to surrounding communities in northern St. Vincent. As a result of the volcanic activity, thousands of island residents have been evacuated to local shelters or neighboring islands and are likely to be displaced for a long term. As previously done in support of the recovery from Hurricane Maria, the US Caribbean Strong network has been

activated to support a multitude of relief efforts across the diaspora in securing priority relief supplies, mobilizing volunteers for transporting and packaging supplies, collaborating with local private sector and governmental partners, and fundraising dollars to underwrite efforts. “We must mobilize in a coordinated and efficient manner to effectively expedite the priority supplies to the most needy and vulnerable on the island. Each person and organization can contribute in their own way with money, volunteer time, supplies from home or shopping, and personal relationships with the capacity to help. Our family and friends in St. Vincent need us urgently,” Marlon Hill, US Caribbean Strong organizer.

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CRACKING UP AND SHELLING OUT I TONY DEYAL Life, especially growing up, is not an exact science or, like a hard-boiled egg, all it is cracked up to be. It is more egg-sact than exact and, in that sense, very much like the story of the bartender who came out of the back room and saw a chicken and an egg at the counter. Anxious to do the right thing, he asked, “Which of you came first?” Zygmunt Bauman, the Polish sociologist and philosopher, whose name in an English setting could itself be considered a mixed blessing, said, “In our world of rampant individualisation, relationships are mixed blessings. They vacillate between a sweet dream and a nightmare, and there is no telling when one turns into the other.” This is why when I reached 21, had a teaching job, and was allowed by the older men to go with them to gamble in the club or to a Friday night ‘fete’ in the city, I was unaware of the extent to which it was not all fun and games. As Pulitzerprize winner Joan Didion wrote, “One of the blessings of being 20 and 21 and even 23 is the conviction that nothing like this, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding, has ever happened before.” While I have been unable to get drunk regardless of how many mixed blessings I consume in a session, my friends inevitably succumbed, some quite quickly. This caused them to be forever on the lookout for what would help them consume vast quantities of alcohol without getting stoned out of their skulls. Rabbie, our leader, came up a Friday evening before we set out to a major event featuring the top band at the time, The Dutchy Brothers, and said, “Ah hear cucumber good for you. If you eat enough and pave your stomach, the rum doesn’t get through and get you drunk.”

Given the part of the huge creatures from which the object (among other things and substances) emerged, to even contemplate putting into your mouth something that saw the light of day from that passage and delivery system, took more courage than trying to kill a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a big stone. You had to be egged on by indescribable and indiscriminate hunger, and clearly possessed stones that were too huge to throw. PUT IT IN THE GLASS So, one Friday evening after work and football, we ended up in the Cozy Corner Bar and Grocery, ready to take a drink before heading out to the club, the cinema or other ports of call. Jimmy had been boasting all week about this “gyul” (girl) he had met and had a date with that night. He told Mr Seebachan, the owner, “Ah want six eggs.” Mr Seebachan asked, “You want it in a box or wrap it up?” His answer was less like Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and more like “Great Eggspecations” by Charles Chickens. “No,” Jimmy replied, “Put it in a glass. Ah drinking it right here!” I am not sure how Jimmy fared that night because he never said, but his subsequent refusal to eat any eggs at all, cooked or uncooked, made me realise that eggs were not as “good for you” as we thought or he found out for himself. As I said to Jimmy in the presence of Rabbie and the rest (and then had to run for my life), “The worst thing about being an egg or drinking six of them is that you only get laid once.”

I thought of those distant days a few nights ago when I sat with my wife Indranie enjoying a BBC television series based on the shrewd Sicilian policeman, Salvo Montalbano He had brought a pen-knife and three pounds of cucumbers (Inspector Montalbano), created by one of the greatest of all with him and we ate all. Whether chicken or egg, the nausea detective story writers, the Italian master, Andrea Camilleri, came first and was quickly followed by the vomiting. The who died on July 17, 2019. next day was the worst I ever had and the sad thing is that we didn’t learn from the experience. Montalbano, like Sparrow’s ‘Congo Man’, ate his raw. THAT’S THE SECRET The next Friday, it was another major band, ‘Pal’ Joey Lewis and his Orchestra, brass like bush and John came up with a be-all, end-all and cure-all for inebriation. “Cooking oil, boy! That is the secret. It does really cover your stomach so the rum can’t penetrate it at all and you remain sober regardless of how much you drink!” Five of us jumped into a taxi and, on the way to the city, stopped at a shop in a village on our route, told the driver to wait, and rushed to the counter demanding a half-bottle of cooking oil.

My problem, when it comes to eggs, is that I can fry them, flip them, poach and sunny-side them, stir and mix them, omelette and meringue them, coddle, devil and flan them, but I have real problems cracking them. I can crack a chicken joke at the drop of a feather, or an egg, but have never been able to crack a yolk without getting egg on my hands, on the floor, on the outside of the frying pan and with bits of shell left in my egg. In fact, I figure it would be easier for me to crack the age-old question about which came first, the chicken or the egg, than crack the egg itself. Actually, I solved that problem a long time ago. As Inspector Montalbano In those days, if you wanted to buy oil you had to take an would have said in his “denouement” or summation, “A empty bottle with you and so we were asked, “You bring a third party was involved. It was the rooster that did it.” bottle?” Rabbie answered, “No, put it in a glass. We drinking it right here.” Scrunter, the calypsonian, much later sang Oil In The Coil because he had no idea what it did to us. A lot of Tony Deyal was last seen telling the sad story of the piece of it, mixed with whatever we had eaten, drank and, we were toast and hard-boiled egg who walked into a bar. The certain, bits of our intestines were left in the soil outside the bartender said, “Sorry, we don’t serve breakfast here.” dancehall. The rest remained inside us for several days of agony coiled up in bed. You would think we had learnt our lesson by then. No sir! In those days before Viagra, young men seeking pleasure with young ladies had as their advisers the older, experienced men who came up with various supposed aphrodisiacs which they claimed were “good for you”. Rabbie would say, “Boy, you see fish broth with pepper and dasheen. It good for you.” Suddenly, the rage was raw eggs. I still cannot understand what possessed one of our cave-dwelling ancestors to work out that eggs were not just food but “good for you”.