FREE
Your Passport to the Caribbean American Community
11
Aug/Sept 2020
8 KAMALA HARRIS PICKED AS JOE BIDEN'S VP! - JAMAICAN FATHER, INDIAN MOTHER, HBCU GRAD -
COVID-19 Election Preparations Early Voting August 3 - 16, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot be mailed to you August 8, 5 p.m. Election Day August 18, 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. You can choose from three convenient ways to vote: By mail Early On Election Day If you are concerned about voting in person, you can request a vote-by-mail ballot. Anyone can request a vote-bymail ballot, and you do not have to provide a reason for requesting it. During Early Voting: You can vote at whichever of the 18 early voting locations is most convenient for you. On Election Day, however, you must vote at your assigned polling place. Your assigned polling place is based on your address, so make sure your address is up-to-date. All early voting sites and polling places will be provided with COVID-19 supplies which include: Plexiglass shields at check-in stations Hand sanitizer, Wipes & Disinfectant spray. With these supplies, poll workers will regularly sanitize the check-in area, voting booths, ExpressVote, and tabulator. DO YOUR PART...VOTE!
If Joe Biden is elected in November, Ms Harris will be the first female, the first black, first Asian-American, first Caribbean American Vice-President. Top left to right -Kamala in Jamaica with her great grandmother, Iris Finiegan. Kamala's parents, Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris. 2nd row: Her grandparents. Bottom: Kamala Harris, back row at left, in an undated family photo. Next to her, from left, are her grandmother Rajam Gopalan, grandfather P.V. Gopalan and sister, Maya Harris. With them are Maya’s daughter, Meena, left, and Harris’ cousin Sharada Balachandran Orihuela.
2
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
L I F E S T Y L E
Guenet Gittens-Roberts, Publisher/Editor
always having to defend who we are! Samuel J. Roberts
Owner/Publisher/Editor
H
ave you guys seen the uproar about
Kamala Harris and her race? I am so over
I hope that we have come far enough to know that our dna does nothing more than determine color of our eyes, our hair and skin - it doesn't make us a better or worse person. While I love the fact that I'm Guyanese and wouldn't want to be from anywhere else in the world, I do not think that people from other countries are any different from me. I do not think that I am better or that Guyanese are better. I love our people, I love our culture, I love our food, but I do love other people, I do love other cultures and I do love other foods, our differences is what makes us all interesting.
it and I am writing this editorial one day after Biden picked her as his vice -president. Is she Black, is she Indian? To some Americans she is not black enough. What the hell makes a person black enough? I have heard everything when it comes to race. It seems like the preoccupation with being enough of anything has flipped. Years ago, the one drop rule was the social and legal principle of racial classification that was historically prominent in the United States in the 20th century. It asserted that any person with even Kamala is ours to explain to others; we have lived it, as one ancestor of black ancestry "one drop" of black blood" is Caribbean people or mixed people, we understand it better than others, so let's share with them how difficult it is as a considered black. dougla girl. How she straddles very different cultures. Now it feels as though if you're not black, by some random new How both of her parents had to be strong minded to even definition, people are comfortable calling you out about not see past their differences to get together, more than 50 years being black enough. President Obama who, was white and ago. black, was not white enough for some, not black enough for others and even too black for some. It's absolute rubbish. Other Kamala Harris is exactly what America is meant to be, a multitude of people, from a multitude of places, with a than skin color what makes you blacker than another person? I find it mind boggling that anyone has to defend themselves multitude cultures and a multitude of ethnicities working about their likes and dislikes based on race. If you have to together for the betterment of ALL people. How boring defend yourself and someone is on the other side with a score would the World be if we were all exactly alike!!! card, keeping score by their standards, then it's definitely a fixed game. Ain't nobody winning that! 1969 Alafaya Trail • Orlando, FL 32828 Office:
My grandmother was the same mixture as Kamala, her mother was Indian and her father black. At no time did I see her identify more as one than the other. I never even thought about her race. My great grandmother lived with us and she was an Indian woman, but I never gave it a thought that she was different than I was or different from my father's mother who was white and black, her mother was black and her father white. It just was, for me, it just was. But even as I write it, I paused, because I may have seen my grandmother years after she had made peace with her race issues. As I think about it, I do know that because she was a dougla girl, mixed with Black and Indian, there were issues from my grandfather's side of the family. Dougla girls were considered hot and so my grandmother was judged before they even got to know her. I have heard stories from all races in Guyana about intermarrying, and it goes the same for all the many different races in Guyana. There is prejudice on all sides. There is prejudice in intermarrying into different religions, social stratas and more. We seem to focus on our differences when we should be looking at our similarities. Most of us only see how more alike we are than different when we are not in Guyana. But it's a stupid preoccupation. It's a stupid judgment from people who are too narrow minded to think beyond their own comfort zone.
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 publicationgo to http://caribbeanamericanpassport.com and click on the 'Print Archive'. Editor & Publisher................................................................................... Sam Roberts Publisher ............................................................................. Guenet Gittens-Roberts Graphic Design & Layout .....................................................................Aleia Roberts Contributing Writers: ................................................................................ Tony Dyal .......................................................................................................................Ryan Davis ...................................................................................................................Sandra Fatmi .......................................................................................................................Gail Seeram .................................................................................................................Sasha Watson ..................................................................................................................Aleia Roberts Contributing Photographers ............ .......................................................Ted Hollins .....................................................................................................................Dilia Castillo .............................................. .............................................................Nancy-Joe Brown Central Florida Distribution........................................................Kadeem Roberts South Florida Distribution .............................................................Norman Williams NorthFlorida Distribution .....................................................................Theo Jack Jr. Tampa Distribution ..................................................................................Julian Pina Copyright (C) 2016 GGR Marketing & Public Relations. All rights reserved.
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
3
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition Announces $2 Million Paid to Returning Citizens in Fines and Fees
the Director of FRRC’s Fines and Fees Department. “This has been such an amazing effort by everyone who played a part in making this happen, from our Returning Citizens family, clerk staff, volunteer attorneys, our FRRC team, to all the donors. We all did this. We all came together and now our communities will be forever changed for the better,” Younts continued.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) announced that it has spent over $2 Million dollars assisting Florida’s returning citizens in paying off their fines/fees, and restoring their right to vote. “The growing support for the FRRC Fines and Fees program reflects a real commitment to strengthening democracy and making sure people’s voices are being heard,” said FRRC Executive Director Desmond Meade. “We are grateful for everyone who is donating to this important effort.” FRRC has raised several million dollars in recent weeks to assist with court-related financial obligations of returning citizens, through the Fines and Fees program. 100 percent of the donations to the program go to assist returning citizens all over the state. “It is incredible to not only have the opportunity to believe and invest in the lives of our Returning Citizens family, but to be able to invest in our communities,” said Jessica Younts,
Monday’s announcement marks a milestone achieved by FRRC in the process of creating a more inclusive democracy. Thousands of returning citizens will become eligible to vote for the first time in upcoming elections and impact change in their communities, while also overcoming years of historical disenfranchisement. Local returning citizens will join the press conference to discuss their new voting rights, with some anticipating to vote at the supervisor’s office on Monday. “We are incredibly excited to be voting in our local primaries,” said FRRC Deputy Director Neil Volz. “Many of us have waited decades to vote, or never voted at all. It is going to be a special moment.” In 2018, Florida citizens voted to approve Amendment 4 and automatically restore the voting rights of 1.4 million people with past felony convictions. Today, the voting eligibility of returning citizens is jeopardized due to recent court decisions concerning Florida’s law requiring the payment of all fines, fees and restitution related to prior convictions.
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
,
4
Trinidad & Tobago's Prime Minister Rowley wins another term In the meantime the UNC Leader has requested a recount of the marginal seats, and said her party will not concede until then. “We fought a good fight. However, tonight I am not giving a concessionary speech. I am not conceding. Our candidates in several marginals are filing for recounts and only then we can concede. Go brave, we fought a good fight and we will continue to go and fight,” Ms Persad-Bissessar told party supporters Monday night. The election was held amid coronavirus pandemic restrictions and came at a time the twin-island nation has been struggling with high debt, unemployment and a collapse in prices of oil and natural gas.
Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley appears to have secured reelection with preliminary election results Tuesday showing his party winning a 22-19 parliamentary victory in the energy-rich Caribbean nation mired in a recession. The preliminary results from August 10th's vote showed the People’s National Movement winning 22 of 41 seats in the House of Representatives, though the opposition United National Congress. The main opposition United National Congress (UNC) of Opposition Leader Ms Kamla PersadBissessar captured the Moruga/Tableland seat from the PNM to increase its tally to 19. Nineteen political parties and four independent candidates contested Monday’s poll. In his victory speech on Monday night, Prime Minister Rowley signaled that the upcoming term will be a period of transition for him and the party, as this may be his last elections. “Ladies and gentlemen, this can easily be my last term in politics in Trinidad and Tobago. I am not one of those politicians who believes that when you come into office, you should go out feet first. I have places to go and people to see,” he said, hugging his wife, Sharon. “But more importantly, I have a commitment to ensure that this is a period of transition in the PNM. And as the longest-serving member in the Parliament who will continue to serve another term, I have a duty and a responsibility during this term to fashion the PNM’s future by ensuring that our young people are developed in such a way that when I am no longer in this position to announce an election victory, that the country will not be deprived of the leadership it deserves,” the Prime Minister stated.
5
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
-SUMMER READING CARIBBEAN AUTHORS
Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work By: Edwidge Danticat According to Roger Toumson, President of the Association of Caribbean Writers, "Create Dangerously" is an extraordinary book that confirms the quality of the novelist: "The art of the description, the narrative that she displays in her work provides a sublime report of her journey back to her native land that has suffered from a terrible earthquake, which has marked her deeply." "She not only expresses her emotions and thoughts that she witnessed," he added, "but she also questions her responsibilities as a writer and artist." "At the same time, she has been able to describe the enigmatic beauty of Hatian paintings, which according to her, contain the secrets of a capacity to rebound in life, to resist misfortunes," he observed. Toumson added that Haitian literature makes an important contribution to the wealth of world heritage and provided hope to all people.
Light Falling on Bamboo By: Lawrence Scott Set in Trinidad, in 1865. Michel Jean Cazabon returns home to be at his beloved mother’s deathbed. Life on the island seems very different after the freedoms of post-Revolutionary Paris, where his paintings have hung in the Louvre. Despite the Emancipation Act, his childhood home is still in the grip of colonial power, its people riven by the legacy of slavery. Michel Jean finds himself caught between the powerful and the dispossessed. As an artist, he enjoys the governor’s patronage, painting for him the island’s vistas and its women; as a Trinidadian he shares easy wisdom and nips of rum with the local boat-builders. But domestic tensions and haunting reminders of the past threaten his equanimity. His fiery halfsister, Josie – the daughter of a slave – still provokes in him a youthful passion; his flirtatious muse, Augusta, tempts him as he paints her ‘for posterity’. Meanwhile, letters from his white, French wife and children remind him of their imminent arrival on the island.
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
6
Mohammed Irfaan Ali declared 9th President of Guyana Presidential
candidate of the Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has been sworn in as Guyana’s ninth Executive President. The swearing-in brought an end to a protracted period of challenges to the results of the 2 March General and Regional elections. It was done shortly after the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) declared Ali the President-elect from those elections. Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh declared PPP’s presidential candidate Mohammed Irfaan Ali as the next President of Guyana. The announcement came after Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield submitted his final report using the data generated from the national vote recount. Lowenfield’s report shows the People’s Progressive Party accumulating some 233,336 votes while the APNU +AFC gaining 217, 920 votes. The joined list of ANUG, LJP and TNM have together gained 5,214 votes. The vote will see the PPP being allocated a narrow majority - 33 of the 65 seats in parliament with Mr Granger's 'A Partnership for National Unity' coalition winning 31 seats and another coalition claiming the remaining seat. The CEO in his report stated that in accordance with Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution, Order 60 of 2020 or the National Recount Order revealed that the numerical count of the ballots cast for each list of candidates does not reflect the “true will of the electors.”
President Irfaan Ali and his family
“Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to your directive to provide a report according to Section 96 based on Certificates of Recount, the calculation of the seats of each candidate is summarized.” In a Statement, after taking his oath of Office, President Ali promised that his PPP/Civic government “will serve all the people of Guyana." On swearing in the ministers he said that the ministers appointed will be held accountable, not only by the executive and the parliament, but by the people of Guyana. He said the team will be results-oriented and will be expected to work efficiently and transparently. Mr Ali called for unity, saying that "there is only one future and that future requires a united Guyana, that future requires a strong Guyana" and promised "a government that is accessible and one that will be more than willing to share with you information as we work on building our Guyana in the interest of all".
Oneidge Waldron-Allicock – Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce
Out-going President Mr. David Granger, in a Statement publicly acknowledged GECOM’s election declaration. “I have stated, repeatedly, from the start of the electoral process, that the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition would respect the lawful ‘declaration’ of the Elections Commission. I have never altered this position and I do now acknowledge the ‘declaration.’” The final result comes months after a consortium led by Exxon Mobil Corp began producing oil off Guyana’s coast, turning the impoverished country of fewer than 800,000 people into the world’s newest crude hot spot and promising to boost growth in the agriculture and miningdependent economy.
Charles Ramson Jr – Minister of Culture Youth and Sport
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
7
8
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
Suriname gets new president, Chandrikapersad Santokhi The leader of the Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Chandrikapersad Santokhi, was elected the new President of Suriname, replacing former military strongman, Desi Bouterse, whose National Democratic Party (NDP) lost its majority in the Parliament in the May 25 general election. The 61-year-old Saniokhi is a former justice minister of Suriname Former rebel leader, Ronnie Brunswijk , 59, the head of the General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP), was also elected Vice President during the first sitting of the Parliament since the polls. The two men were elected without any opposition. That extraordinary meeting was led by Brunswijk, who later transferred the hammer to Vice President of the National assembly, Dew Sharman. The election was supervised by Krishna Mathoera, who announced that the nomination process had been done correctly. Persons seeking nomination must under the law be nominated by at least seven Assembly members. The Parliamentary sitting was attended by Bouterse and the outgoing Vice President Ashwin Adhin. Brunswijk is a Surinamese ex-rebel leader, politician, and businessman. After having served in the early 1980s as the personal body guard of Bouterse, who overthrew the government in 1980 in a military coup, Brunswijk left and formed the Surinamese Liberation Army, better known as the Jungle Commando. The co-founder and chairman of the Maroon women
9
network, Fidelia Graand-Galon, says that her organization is very pleased with Brunswijk’s election. “With a Maroon as a VP we don’t have to explain anything. If the person who is there shows commitment and knows the problems of the group, it is a plus. We look forward to good cooperation. We also strive for the same goals that Brunswijk pursues after,” she said. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, better known as “Chan,” will inherit a devastated economy in the South American nation of about 600,000 people upon his inauguration on Thursday.
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
The Importance of a Wellness Routine – Especially Now By Aleia Roberts
MPH Candidate at The George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health
Wellness matters because everything we do and every emotion we feel relates to our well-being. In turn, our wellbeing directly affects our actions, our emotions, and our health (yes – there’s a difference). It’s an ongoing loop. Therefore, it is important for everyone to achieve optimal wellness in order to subdue stress, reduce the risk of illness and ensure positive interactions. Of course, that’s easier said than done. There are so many things to be stressed out about right now. COVID-19. Job insecurity. Racial tensions. Police brutality. The upcoming election. Let’s not ignore daily stressors that were common 6 months ago, such as having to cook, clean, take care of children, budget, and more. It can be overwhelming, but let’s break it down into the eight dimensions of well-being and then talk about how you can create a wellness routine that meets your needs. Emotional Wellness: Emotional wellness is all about the ability to understand your feelings, what causes them, and how to cope with the negative ones. It is important to pay attention to self-care, relaxation, stress reduction and the development of inner resources so you can learn and grow from experiences. Spiritual Wellness: Spiritual wellness allows you to develop a set of values and beliefs that help you seek meaning and purpose. Spirituality can be represented in many ways, including religion, but it can also be much more personal.
expenses. Money plays a critical role in our lives and not having enough of it can make a big impact. Financial stress is repeatedly found to be a common source of stress, anxiety and fear. Occupational Wellness: Occupational wellness is about enjoying your occupational endeavors and appreciating your contributions. This dimension of wellness encourages personal satisfaction and enrichment in one’s life through work. Do you enjoy what you do for a living? Why or why not? What can you do to change things so that you feel more fulfilled? This doesn’t always require a new job – maybe just taking on some new responsibilities within your workplace. Social Wellness: Social wellness helps you interact with others in social settings effectively and create a support network. This dimension of wellness allows you to not only develop encouraging relationships with peers, intimate relationships with romantic partners, and loving relationships with your family members.
Intellectual Wellness: Intellectual wellness involves having an open mind when you encounter new ideas and continuing to expand your knowledge. It encourages active participation in scholastic, cultural and community activities (virtually, for now).
The first step in improving your wellness is reflection. Which of the 8 dimensions do you feel are areas in which you are content? Which dimensions need improvement? What steps can you take to improve in these areas? Who can you reflect on this with?
Physical Wellness: Physical wellness relates to maintaining a healthy body and seeking care when needed. Physical health is attained through exercise, eating well, getting enough sleep and paying attention to the signs of illness and getting help when needed.
The next step is to set goals for yourself. Start small. If you need to work on your physical wellness, try setting the intention to stretch every morning when you wake up, incorporate a daily walk into your schedule, or develop an exercise routine that suits your schedule.
Environmental Wellness: Environmental wellness inspires us to live a lifestyle that is respectful of our surroundings. Environmental well-being promotes interaction with nature and your personal environment.
Step three is to start working on the goals you set. How are you going to achieve them? Who do you know that is excelling in these areas, and what can you learn from them?
Financial Wellness: Financial Wellness involves the process of learning how to successfully manage financial
The final step is to check in with yourself routinely. What progress have you made? Celebrate your wins, even the tiny ones. What dimensions are still lagging? What has blocked you from improving?
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
10
It is safe to Murder Negroes DR. OLIVER R. PHILLIPS DIAKONIA CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE
It is often said that Dr. Vernon Johns, the predecessor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, was responsible, in part, for the blossoming of the Civil Rights Movement. As a Black preacher, steeped in the struggles of his parishioners, honed a preaching hermeneutic that married KERYGMA (Proclamation) to DIAKONIA (Service/community). John refused to be silent, and, in the end, he lost his congregation, only to be replaced by a young PhD. seminary graduate named Martin! God has a good sense of humor!
It’s Safe to Murder Negroes Most likely, you were raised to turn the other cheek and you were raised right as a result. The natural rough instincts of a child to hit back when hit, to steal when stolen from and to return an angry word with angrier word is rightly smoothed and softened by our parents’ discipline and guidance. When you go to school, you were probably taught about the rule of law and how it protects us all. The natural adolescent desire to handle things yourself is redirected and molded so that it becomes a desire to work with teachers, the police, the courts, and politicians to right wrongs and effect change Arriving in the workplace, you are quickly taught to temper your youthful spirit and learn from colleagues and managers in a better spirit of mutual cooperation. You learn that ‘knocking heads’ gets nothing done but rather that relationships and soft power are the tools needed to get ahead in the world. And this is what it means to be a civilised, cooperative member of society. One day a Black woman is passed over for promotion - you complain to your colleagues, or maybe you write an email to your manager. Continued on pg 14
11
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
Luis Rodolfo Abinader, a businessman who has never held elected office, ended a 16-year hold on the presidency by a center-left party in the Dominican Republic
Luis Rodolfo Abinader has won the election in Dominican Republic. He has beaten Gonzalo Castillo of the Dominican Liberation Party, which has governed since 2004. Trailing far behind was three-time President Leonel Fernandez. Abinader, 52, is part of a family with extensive business holdings in the Dominican Republic, including hotels. While he has never held office, he finished second in the 2016 presidential election. He has promised a transparent government. “Good evening Dominican Republic. I want to thank God first; that he is above all things and will help us to make an honest and transparent government,” Abinader said Castillo acknowledged “an irreversable tendency” in favor of Abinader and congratulated him, as did outgoing President Daniel Medina. Term limits prevented outgoing President Danilo Medina from seeking a third, four-year term for the center-left Dominican Liberation Party, which has won every presidential election since 2004. The politics of the Dominican Republic do not frequently capture the attention of the stewards of America's foreign
policy, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo phoned down last summer with a clear message. Dominican President Danilo Medina’s supporters were pushing to change the country’s constitution to allow him to run for an unprecedented third term. In a call with the president, Pompeo emphasized the importance of “adherence to rule of law and the constitution,” according to a State Department readout. Some analysts think he benefitted from discontent among Dominicans with the way the government has handled the coronavirus pandemic. The election was postponed from its original date in May because of the coronavirus outbreak. Both Abinader and Castillo had proposed social assistance programs to cope with the coronavirus crisis. Challenges ahead: The Dominican Republic is one of the worst-affected countries in the Caribbean, with more than 37,000 confirmed cases and almost 800 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Mr Abinader and his wife were among those who tested positive for coronavirus and he had to temporarily stop campaigning while he recovered.
Join me on the journey over the next six months with a recurring contribution at MarlonHill.com
12
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
17th Annual Caribbean Health Summit The words COVID-19 and Coronavirus have brought a frightening effect on the lives of millions of Floridians and Central Floridians alike. Many have seen their lives changed instantly before their eyes. Some may have been impacted through the loss of employment, others may have been affected by the disease directly or indirectly, schools were shut down thereby depriving children of the social contacts that they once had with their friends, and still there is the mental and emotional aspect of the uncertainty of this pandemic. These and many more factors, too numerous to list here, have caused undue stress to all of us. The Central Florida Communities have been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic for the past 6 months in so many ways too. Watching and listening to the news daily, we are presented with local statistics that are not encouraging. The rates of infection and deaths keep rising, bringing more stress and uncertainty about the control of this pandemic and when it will end. You may say that “We are in this for the long haul”. With everything that we have seen taking place, following CDC guidelines of social distancing, wearing of face mask, washing hands frequently, cleaning of surfaces that may be exposed to people with the coronavirus will help in mitigating COVID-19. The Center for Multicultural Wellness and Prevention, Inc. (CMWP), along with several community partners (Advent Health, Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of Florida, Caribbean American Passport Magazine, Center for Change, Greater Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Orlando, and Orange County Health Department) have planned and implemented the Annual Caribbean Health Summit for the past sixteen (16) years. The shelter-in-Place, social distancing and wearing of mask have all limited our ability to serve our clients and provide traditional (hands-on) screenings to our community. So, as we face unprecedented challenges during COVID-19 pandemic, the Planning Committee of the Annual Caribbean Health Summit have decided to take an innovative approach to provide key services to our community by the use of advance technology. The Planning Committee of the 17th Annual Caribbean Health Summit have decided to embark on a “Virtual” approach to providing COVID-19 and chronic diseases education to the Central Florida community.
SEPTEMBER 21st 2020
VIRTUAL
This year’s event, with the theme “Recovering Together in the COVID-19 Pandemic”, will take place via Zoom © meetings during the week of September 21. The Virtual event is Free to the public, although registration is required through EventBrite or through personal email invitations to participate. The Planning Committee of the 17th Annual Caribbean Health Summit have decided to embark on a “Virtual” approach to providing COVID-19 and chronic diseases education to the Central Florida community. The Annual Caribbean Health Summit is still one of the many vehicles that the Center for Multicultural Wellness and Prevention, Inc. (CMWP) have been using over the past 16 years to reach individuals in the Caribbean Community to make positive lifestyle changes. We want to thank everyone for their support over the years and hope that the challenges of COVID-19 will not prevent you from accessing these vital information to gain the knowledge for a healthier and better lifestyle. Some of the topics that will be discussed are as follows: Tuesday, September, 22, 2020 • Opening Remarks – City of Orlando Commissioner District 5, Regina I. Hill • Keynote address by the Mayor of the City of Orlando – Buddy Dyer • COVID-19 Update in Orange County – Dr. Raul Pino • Effects of COVID-19 on First-responders and Essential Workers and PTSD – Dr. Amie Newins • Proper use of PPE’s and the mitigation of COVID-19 – Dr. Swannie Jett Friday, September 25, 2020 • Opening Remarks – Orange County Commissioner District 6, Victoria Siplin • Keynote Address – Orange County Mayor – Jerry Demings • COVID-19 Facts Vs. Myths – Dr. Raul Pino • Practical and enjoyable activities to do at home while Shelter in Place – Dr. Leslie Lieberman • Effects of COVID-19 and co-morbidities, such as Asthma, STD, HIV and Sickle Cell Anemia on the quality of life – Dr. Franceour Cadet
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
13
CARIVS 2020: CARIBBEAN OIL & GAS VIRTUAL SUMMIT
CARIVS 2020 Caribbean Oil & Gas Virtual Summit will take place September 15th through 17th. This exhibition, conference, and networking event will serve as a platform for exhibitors and delegates to meet up to discuss industry developments, find new clients and partners, and secure investments in the oil and gas industry. CARIVS 2020 will connect entrepreneurs, proposers, investors, operators, prime sub-contractors, government bodies, and academics in the Oil & Gas industry with interest in Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and Bahamas. Through a VIRTUAL platform exhibitors and delegates will explore the existing opportunities remaining in fossil fuel markets and the implications and requirements needed to make the transition to sustainable renewable sources.
Why attend? Price wars, the collapse of oil prices and disruptions to demand caused by the COVID 19 pandemic have overwhelmed the Oil & Gas industry like never before, raising questions about its future. CARIVS 2020 answers these questions and more by creating a remarkable platform for those wanting to GET AHEAD of the conversation and convert today’s uncertainties into tomorrow’s great business prospects. The transformation in global Oil & Gas economies indicate that NOW, more than ever, is the time to bring the industry together to examine and overcome unprecedented challenges while uncovering and exploring available opportunities in the Caribbean markets.
It is safe to Murder Negroes
DR. OLIVER R. PHILLIPS, DIAKONIA CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE Continued from pg 11
One day a Hispanic man is stopped by the police just for walking along the road - you write an email to the police department. One day a Black boy is arrested because a white neighbor saw a toy gun - you post about it on Facebook. One day a Black man is shot by a white neighbour and nobody goes to prison - you write a letter to your congressman. One day this isn’t enough anymore. You find a local protest. You go to the protest and you behave yourself. You allow the police to disperse the protest when the permit expires.
14
One day a piece of legislation is changed and you feel like you were a part of change. You have acted how you were raised to act. You have been a good person. You have suppressed your anger at the injustice around you and you have respected the rule of law. This is how protest must be most of the time. Disobeying the rule of law is - as it ought to be - illegal. The various amendments and checks and balances mean change can happen without civil disobedience and without violence. One day, not even a year ago, a policeman arrests a Black man and puts his knee on the back of his neck until he is dead.
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
Cont'd on pg 16
THE ORIGINAL ORLANDO CARNIVAL ASSOCIATION, THE CARIBBEAN AMERICAN PASSPORT & THE ORLANDO CARNIVAL DOWNTOWN FRIENDS/FAMILY
CORNER OF CHURCH & DIVISION
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
15
It is safe to Murder Negroes
DR. OLIVER R. PHILLIPS, DIAKONIA CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE
Cont'd from pg 14
And one day, 70 years ago, a Black man is lynched and But Vernon Johns would also be in Portland, Oregon. Vernon Johns, the preacher at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Vernon Johns would be in Bristol, England pulling down Church is not going to let it go. public statues of slave traders. Vernon Johns would be calling When he learned of the lynching and the connected Black people to civil disobedience in a global movement. shootings of Black people, Vernon Johns put up a sign advertising his next Sunday sermon and it read “It is Safe to At the end of the sermon when he tells his congregation “But Murder Negroes in Montgomery” [1] and for this he was you know what you do...it's as if you [stand] by while Christ promptly arrested. But in true Johns style, he argued his way [is] being crucified.” and in the saying this he is reminding us out of it and gave the sermon to a full - if nervous congregation, and through open windows to the police that all action is a form of communication, and that sometimes the way to communicate is to act. He’s telling us outside the church. that words are sometimes not heard, and that when words Johns has been called a prophet by some, and in this sermon are not heard, you change the language you speak, and the we see ideas which remain as relevant today as back in the language that is always heard is the language of deeds. late 40s and early 50s. Johns, to use a phrase more contemporaneous the #BLM Johns is not condoning violent protest. protests of today, used his provocatively titled sermon to challenge his Black congregation and ‘call them out’ on their The events that took place that led to this speech, the way the complicitousness, their compliance, their culpability in the speech was ‘allowed’ to happen, seems to have given Johns a violence against Black people. new direction. For the rest of his time in Alabama, Johns Johns could have preached it was the fault of white pushed peacefully but insistently, breaking rules wherever he policemen, white lawyers, white business owners - white could. In those days, when “a rabbit was worth more than a privilege generally - but his inspiration for us is that it takes Black man” you didn’t have to do much, and any significant two to create an injustice. To quote him directly, he said “I’ll crime would have had him sentenced to death, you couldn’t tell you why it’s safe to murder Negroes. Because Negroes do much by today’s standards. stand by and let it happen.” 70 years later, apart from being astounded that policemen are still kneeling on the necks of Black men until they are dead, there is no doubt that Vernon Johns would be on Facebook writing posts, and he would be writing letters to congressmen, and he would be at peaceful, permitted protests.
The lesson we take from Johns for the social injustice of today is that we should find that outer edge of civil obedience and break it - just a little - all of us. Because if we don’t stand against it, we are letting it happen just a little - all of us.
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
16
How you benefit from low-interest rates right now
Payments include principle and interest based on an average $250,000 fully amortizing, 30 year fixed rate mortgage.
Homeowners and property owners could benefit a lot from these emergency cuts. If you have enough equity in your property, consider refinancing your loan for a lower interest rate. Consumers should note that following these emergency cuts, prices have fluctuated, and many lenders have seen an influx of applications. The increased interest in loans and refinancing could make it more difficult to apply or increase your waiting period before approval.
Keep in mind that if you do choose to refinance, there will be fees associated with the process. Do a little math to make sure the expense is worth the effort. If you can’t or don’t want to refinance your mortgage, start setting extra money aside for when rates go back up as your monthly payment will increase again. Consider setting aside the difference between your lower monthly rate and your higher monthly rate, so you have money set aside as a buffer.
If you’ve been considering a home-equity line of credit, now may be an excellent time to apply as these loans are tied to the federal benchmark, unlike some longer-term mortgages; alternatively, you may also benefit from a cash-out refinance. If you’re trying to buy a home, you may or may not be able to take advantage of lower interest rates. Check with lenders in your area to see how mortgage rates have been affected. In addition to mortgage rates, you may also be able to save money on new personal loans, car loans and credit card rates. What should ARM borrowers do during Fed Rate cuts? Adjustable-rate mortgages are an excellent short-term option for borrowers because they’re easier to qualify for, and they’re less likely to reach the maximum rate in five to seven years. If you have an adjustable-rate loan, you may want to consider refinancing to a fixed-rate loan while the prices are still low. This is especially true if you’re nearing or past your introductory rate period. Alternatively, you could also refinance to another ARM loan with a lower interest rate. While many states are seeing a reduction in interest rates, it may not be accurate for every community.
17
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
Tony Deyal | The Mao The Merrier The government of Trinidad and Tobago has given me an election for my 75th birthday. I would be extremely happy if I were Chairman Mao of China, who, in 1972, was accused by American President Richard Nixon of not having a democratic government. “When was your last election?” Nixon demanded. The 79-year-old Mao answered cockily, “Rast night.” Unfortunately, even though comedian Groucho Marx insisted that a man is as old as the woman he feels, old age, for a man, is that time in his life when he has been out with a woman all night and the only thing that comes is daylight. As I make clear, at this age, I am like a dog chasing a car – even if I catch it, I can’t drive it. I know, and have been told by the occasional prude, that jokes like these do not become a person of my age. I watch the Antiques Roadshow on television because I know that if I go to an antiques auction, people will bid on me. Right now, the candles already cost more than my birthday cake, and I would need to have the fire brigade standing by. A few days ago, I met one of my old friends who had seen me through the early days when I spent most of my salary on wine, women, and song and the rest foolishly. Glad to see me, and remembering our days together, he invited me to a drink of single-malt scotch and lunch with him at a place that, he boasted, sold the best roasted pork and grilled beefsteaks in Trinidad. “You will love it,” he boasted. I refused with the explanation that in my mid-years, I had given up drinking, smoking, and sins of the flesh (beef, pork, and other delights). I also said proudly that I would soon be celebrating my 75th birthday. He looked carefully at me and asked one question, “How?” I thought of responding with the second stanza of a birthday poem by the British-Canadian poet Robert William Service. It goes: My daughter thinks because I’m old (I’m not a crock, when all is said), I mustn’t let my feet get cold, And should wear woollen socks in bed; A worsted night-cap too, forsooth! To humour her I won’t contrive: A man is in his second youth When he is Seventy-and-five. However, I had some concerns, including the omnipresent one that I had not done or achieved enough in my life compared with other people. At 74, Albert Einstein announced his unified field theory; Ethel Andrus founded the American Association of Retired Persons; John D. Rockefeller donated US$100 million to his foundation; architect Cass Gilbert designed the United States Supreme Court Building; Claude Monet started painting his masterpiece of 250 water lilies; and another great artist, the Italian Renaissance painter Titian, completed his famous ‘Rape of Europa’. It depicts the mythological story of the abduction of Europa, who became the first queen of Crete, by Zeus. Now, even reading about what Zeus did leaves me tired.
18
YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE PAST Here I am, ending my 74th year, and my wife does the painting (and even the plumbing and drilling) while I watch cricket or bowl in the nets to my son Zubin and his friends. I know that anytime I look in the mirror, I see someone 15 years younger, but that only makes things worse instead of better. But then I read or remember the last words of the famous Blackfoot warrior Chief Crowfoot, and I feel better: “What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.” I reassure myself with a truth that I share and hammer into the heads of my children: You cannot change the past. You can learn from it. You can ignore it. But you cannot change it. So, what are my goals after an election that, already, has opened even wider and deeper the chasm of racism that is at the heart of Trinidad and Tobago’s politics? At 75, the great Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille did a fabulous remake of The Ten Commandments. I remember going to see it in the cinema in my village, but my girlfriend took so long to dress that we reached late and only saw six. Mary Harris ‘Mother’ Jones founded the Industrial Workers of the World. One of the world’s greatest pianists, Claudio Arrau, gave 110 concerts. My only consolation is that while I cannot play a piano, I can read and write so that I am able to take heart from what the author, J.B. Priestley, wrote, “There can be a rewarding relationship between the sevens and the seventyfives. They are both closer to the world of mythology and magic than all the busier people between these ages.” But what about the fears that increase with age? I keep being told that my straight talk and constant criticism of the politics and politicians in the region leave me exposed to attacks from both sides. CUSP OF GREAT ADVENTURE This is why, even though I am on the cusp of great adventure, I go back to one of my favourite books, Frank Herbert’s Dune, which will soon be the basis of a film that finally does credit to his greatness. As I face another year, I need to remember his mantra, “I must not fear. Fear is the mindkiller. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” At the same time, I luxuriate in the final verse of Service’s poem: At four-score years old age begins, And not till then, I warn my wife; At eighty I’ll recant my sins, And live a staid and sober life. But meantime let me whoop it up, And tell the world that I’m alive: Fill to the brim the bubbly cup Here’s health to Seventy-and-five. Tony Deyal was last seen repeating a quip by Spanish filmmaker, Luis Bunuel, “Age is something that doesn’t matter, unless you are a cheese.”
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
19
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
20
www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com
