Caribbean American Passport News Magazine - Oct/Nov 2022

U.S. Midterm Election Results

Democrats have won a Senate majority. They have 50 seats so far. Meanwhile, Republicans have won a House majority.They'vewon218racessofar.

After tens of millions of Americans went to the polls, Catherine Cortez Masto's narrow victory in Nevada delivered a decisive result in the nationalpoliticalbattle.

The Democrats now lead 50 seats to 49 in the upper chamber of the US Congress. Even if Republicans win the remainingSenateraceinGeorgia,VicePresident Kamala Harris will be able to castatie-breakingvote.

That's been the case for the past two years, of course - and it paves the way for President Joe Biden to spend two more years filling the federal courts with his nominees and staffing his administration largely the way he sees fit.

Most significantly, if a Supreme Court seat becomes vacant due to an unexpected retirement or death of a justice, the Republicans would not be able to block President Biden's choice.

Democrats remember how in 2016, then-Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell prevented Barack Obama's nomineefromgettingahearingatall.

The win in Nevada means the Georgia Senate run-off in December is no longer a pivotal contest to determine controlofthechamber.

Schedule Now Live for Fifth Annual FusionFest

Schedule Now Live For Fifth Annual FusionFest

Planning to entertain family and friends over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend just got easier for Central Floridians. FusionFest, the area’s leading cultural diversity festival with yearround programming, has posted its complete schedule of activities. The free, two-day celebration of the people and many cultures that make the region awesome returns on Saturday, November 26 from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 27 from Noon - 6 p.m. Thousands of guests will fill the Seneff Arts Plaza at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to experience music, dance, food, visual arts, spoken word, games and interactive activities during the fifth annual award-winning festival. More than 1,000 local artists representing more than 110 different global cultures are expected to perform and showcase their work on FusionFest’s stages and in its galleries and interactive installations.

An all-new signature show entitled Kaleidoscope -- The Wonders of Creative Collaboration, headlines

this year’s FusionFest at 6 p.m. on Saturday and 5:15 p.m. on Sunday. Produced by Orlando Music Icon CeCe Teneal with the participation of over 40 musicians, singers and dancers, this piece aligns directly with the vision of FusionFest, and provides each cultural community with a unique experience to collaborate with local representatives from each of the ten regions of the world. Kaleidoscope will fuse together an unexpected myriad of performances which will all speak to unity, as well as use artistic creation to uplift and offer hope.

In addition to Kaleidoscope, the FusionFest line-up includes several all-new features a Cosplay meet up / contest (1:15 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday) and a Citizenship Ceremony (10 a.m. on Saturday) – along with the return of festival favorites, among them: Family Village featuring the Cardboard Village of the World, the Fun & Games Tent and the Family Art Tent; Cultural Displays; International Marketplace; Foods of the World & Fusion Foods;

Award-winning cultural diversity festival returns to downtown Orlando on Thanksgiving weekend, November 26th & 27th

LIFEST Y LE

Tis the time for Being Thankful

Samuel J. Roberts Owner/Publisher/Editor

The Thanksgiving and Christmas period, is a time we pause to be thankful for what's working and the blessings we have but also to adjust and prepare for thenew thingsweareaddingorcreating.

This year is even more important, as we plan to makehugechangestothewaythiscontentispresentedgoing forward.

Print: The emphasis will be placed on providing printed newspapers into key locations, these will be built around the key areas that our advertisers need us tobe based. The papers will be featured at the locations of ouradvertisers.

Subscriptions: We ask that you guys support us by subscribing to the newspaper. Our subscribers will be prioritizedfordeliveryoverfreedeliverytolocations.

Digital: We intend to build out the digital platform for Caribbean American Passport. We will deliver content usually found in the pages of the newspapervia social media platforms especially facebook and instagram. Emphasizing digital over printallows us to expand the newspaper's reach to include readers across the United States, across the Caribbean and reach out to connect the diaspora around the world.

Wearethankfulthatthisjourneythatstartedtwelveyearsago, allowed us to make a meaningful impact on the community we are based in. We are thankful to everyone who picked up the newspaper, even when some folks thought that printwas a dying form,you guys proved them wrong yearafteryear.

We are thankful and grateful to everyone whohas supported with advertising. As you guys may have noticed, we don't change ads very often. Our advertisers stick with us. We hope that you guyshavepaid attention and support them.

Big changes are rolling out this January and weurge you to stay updated by logging on to ourwebsite at www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com tostay updated, subscribing for free to our eblast orsupporting us with a paid subscription.

Guenet Gittens-Roberts Owner/Publisher/Editor

Schedule Now Live for Fifth Annual FusionFest

screenings of MYgration Films in partnership with the Global Peace Film Festival; Diversitastic! Choir performances; Visual Arts Gallery; Global Street Dance Party; Scavenger Hunt; two stages featuring music, dance, spoken word, fashion and a cosplay contest; plus, community panels, prizes and contests with cash awards. Visit fusionfest.org/schedule for the complete line-up.

Said Director with Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs and FusionFest’s Chief Instigator Terry Olson, “FusionFest has become a mainstay of Orlando’s fall arts calendar. I am extremely proud of our steering committee, whose members work diligently behind the scenes to produce an event unlike any other in our region.”

Added FusionFest Executive Director Thali Sugisawa, “FusionFest is a can’t miss event and the perfect outing after Thanksgiving gatherings. We invite residents and visitors to

head downtown to take in the aromas, sights, sounds, tastes, textures and fascinating stories that represent the diverse origins and heritages of our community.”

For more information, visit www.FusionFest.org or call 407-836-5540.

ABOUT FUSIONFEST

FusionFest Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the mission to celebrate the people and the many different cultures that make Central Florida awesome by showcasing talents, sharing stories, driving innovation and building community based on respect and understanding. In addition to its annual festival, FusionFest produces year-round programming including the Diverse Orange Talk Show, MYgration Films Watch Parties and Diversitastic! Dining Experiences. FusionFest was founded as a project of the Orange County Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. For more information, visit FusionFest.org and stay connected on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Guyanese Actress Letitia Wright's Meteoric Rise and Mental Health Advocacy

By Tia Sue

You know her as Princess Shuri in Marvel's Black Panther 1 and 2, and have seen her in other box office success films, including Steven Spielberg's sci-fi adventure Ready Player One. Letitia Wright is undeniably a Black actress on the rise.

First Time Acting

At age seven, Letitia Wright experienced culture shock when her family migrated to Tottenham, London, from Guyana. Coming from a place with a strong sense of community, she shared in an interview with Caribbean Beat that living in England was a stark contrast to what she was accustomed to in Guyana.

Letitia was teased for her thick Guyanese accent, so she tried to change how she spoke when interacting with her peers. Although Letitia was simply attempting to adapt to her new environment at the time, this was her first foray into acting.

Her interest in acting was piqued when she saw the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee, starring Black American actress Keke Palmer. Seeing someone who looked like her and was portrayed with such positivity inspired Letitia to pursue acting as a career.

The Blossoming of a Young Talent

Letitia was invited to join an after-school acting class by her teacher. Although she initially had reservations, that would all change when she landed the lead role as Rosa Parks in a play for Black History Month. She nailed Rosa's American accent, which boosted her confidence and made her even more excited about the prospects of becoming a

professional actress.

"I took a picture in my bathroom and started sending it to agents, putting all my primary school CV stuff together, pretending like it was an actual CV, but someone saw it, and someone gave me a chance," she said to Interview Magazine as she described her professional start in acting at sixteen years old.

Her career was on its feet, sprinting as more roles in television came. Work came quickly at the beginning of her now decade-long career, from her first two-episode role in the hospital drama series Holby City to her role in the rime drama Top Boy. After she appeared in an episode of Doctor Who, Letitia was cast in her first-ever lead role in the 2015

FUSION FEST is ...International foods, music, dance, fashion, artisans, spoken word, games, puppets, and so much more!

You won’t want to miss the chance to celebrate and learn about the incredible cultural diversity in Central Florida.

THE ‘REAL’ FIRST THANKSGIVING WAS A FEAST IN FLORIDA

By Stephenie Livingston

On Thanksgiving, people across the US load the dining room table with turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie—the way most of us imagine the Pilgrims did at the first Thanksgiving in 1621

But there’s just one catch, according to archaeologists: The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving wasn’t the first.

The nation’s real first Thanksgiving took place more than 50 years earlier near the Matanzas River in St. Augustine, Florida, when Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and 800 soldiers, sailors, and settlers joined local Native Americans in a feast that followed a Mass of Thanksgiving, according to Kathleen Deagan.

Instead of flat-top hats and oversized buckles, conquistadors wore armor and colonists dressed in 16th-century Spanish garments. There wasn’t any cranberry sauce or pie—not even turkey.

Instead, the meal consisted of an assortment of food, from salted pork and red wine shipped from Spain to yucca from the Caribbean, says Deagan, research curator emerita of historical archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, located at the University of Florida.

“The holiday we celebrate today is really something that was invented in a sense,” she says. “By the time the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, the people who settled America’s first colony with Menéndez probably had children and grandchildren living there.”

Retired history professor Michael Gannon writes in his book on the subject that the event “was the first community act of religion and thanksgiving in the first permanent settlement in the land.”

STEP ASIDE, BRITISH SETTLERS?

This little-known chapter of history challenges the traditional Thanksgiving story, which reflects an Anglicized version of history and supports America’s colonial origins being viewed as solely, or at least primarily, British, says Gifford Waters, historical archaeology collection manager at the Florida Museum.

“The fact is, the first colony was a melting pot and the cultural interactions of the many groups of people in the colony were much more like the US is today than the British colonies ever were,” Waters says.

“I think the true story of the first Thanksgiving is especially important, since there is a growing Hispanic population in the US and the role of the Spanish colony in La Florida is often neglected in the classroom.”

MASS AND A MEAL

Historical eyewitness accounts describe the first Thanksgiving as a scene marked by diversity, with colonists and local Timucuan people in attendance.

Waters says the meal probably took place near the mouth of present-day Hospital Creek on the Matanzas River, where today the Mission of Nombre de Dios and the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park—the site of Menéndez’ original encampment and the first colony—are located. The feast Followed a Thanksgiving Mass, which Deagan says was a common practice of sailors after a tumultuous expedition.

The 68 days that it took Menéndez and his followers to get to Florida’s shore had not been easy. After leaving Spain with eight ships, the group arrived in Florida with only four. Half of the original expedition was lost to hurricanes and other hardships.

Of those who made it to Florida, whether in search of riches and improved social standing or new opportunities like owning land, all were probably thankful to be alive and on dry land, Deagan says.

“A Mass and feast of Thanksgiving was the first thing Menendez did, and he invited all of the local native people who were so curious about them,” she says.

Besides salted pork and red wine, those in attendance ate garbanzo beans, olives, and hard sea biscuits. The meal may have also included Caribbean foods that were probably collected when Menéndez stopped to regroup and resupply at San Juan Puerto Rico before continuing to Florida, Deagan says. If the Timucua contributed, it would likely have been with corn, fresh fish, berries, or beans, she says.

Archaeologists have not recovered any artifacts or other archaeological data clearly associated with the first Thanksgiving, although they have found remains of the types of food that would have been eaten, Waters says.

“It is very rare to be able to pin down archaeological remains with a specific event, especially something as ephemeral as a single meal,” he says.

FROM WHENCE WE CAME

By Narayan Persaud

After residing in the U.S. for several years, we sometimes forget our roots and the small villages from whence we came. Such a tendency to distance ourselves from our pasts is rarely permanent. For many economically successful people, the past is often recalled in conversations to impress others with their humble beginnings and boast about the riches they have now acquired. Often too, parents would remember their poverty-stricken pasts, or emphasize their humble beginnings, to impress upon their children the difficulties and hardships they experienced. Customarily, they do so with the hope that children will appreciate their current material comforts and become motivated to strive towards tremendoussuccess.

Given the material comforts and economic success they have achieved while residing in the U.S., many people from the Caribbean frequently Given the material comforts and economic success they have achieved while residing in the U.S., many people from the Caribbean frequently return to their homelands for extended vacations or short visits. With"Yankee dollars" in their pockets, many willingly share their newfound wealth with friends, families, and distant relatives still residing in their country of birth. They do this with pride on their faces and sometimes sadness in their eyes, which is most often evident when encountering an aging frail destitute friend or relative. Then, some behave like stereotypic tourists, flaunting their newfound wealth wherever they go. Their conspicuous consumption of food and drinks is always displayed to attract attention or manifest their "worthiness." Behind these realities is another truth that reminded me of the dedication to family and the commitment to the well-being of those left behind in their countriesoforigin.Thisreminderunfoldedlastweek.

In anticipation of sending some essentials to loved ones in Guyana, my wife and I went to Lara Shipping to inquire into the details of such a shipment. Since we lived in various places where similar shipping arrangements were non-existent - prior to moving to Orlando - we customarily used the post office or Western Union to send assistance. As we stood in wait at Lara, people from various Caribbean islands moved in and out of the establishment, some filling barrels and boxes with foodstuffs, clothing, and other essentials. In contrast, othersstacked food products in one corner of the room in preparation for shipment to their homeland. In witnessing the unfolding of theseactivities, both my wife and I could sense the feelings of love and dedication in the disposition of the senders as they went about their packaging activities. One can only imagine the glee on recipients' faces when they receive their barrels and boxes of cherished products. We left Lara that day with hearts filledwithadmiration.

As I mulled through the above scenarios of West Indian immigrant connectivity and commitment to their loved ones left behind in their countries of origin, I cannot withhold my sense of pride. Even those who flaunt their wealth in public regularly aid their needy loved ones in private. The varied responses and reactions of West Indians assure me that even though they may be separated from loved ones by land and sea, they are not separated in feelings of love they carry daily in their hearts. Am I then wrong to wonder whether the younger generation of West Indians will share the same love and commitment as theirparents?Youbethejudge.

ORLANDO JERK FESTIVAL 2022

The 9th annual Florida Jerk Festival: Orlando returned this October with the most delicious Caribbean food, live music, and fun for the entire family.

The event featued live performances by the bad boys of reggae Inner Circle, Soca energy gawdPumpa, andthelegendarySpraggaBenz!

Music by dancehall DJs Tony Matterhorn, Coppershot, and more!

All patrons received free jerked food samples and all adults received free Duke and Dame whiskey samples! The vent also featured a Jerk Cook-off competition, mixology presentations, and a free kidsʼ zone!

1ST ANNUAL RUM & REGGAE FEST

The Rum and Reggae Festival presented by Caribbean American Passport News Magazine was held at the Apopka Amphitheater, Apopka, Fl on Sunday, November 13, 2022. The 1st annual event was widely anticipated after being rescheduled due to weather concerns in summer, and the festival seems to have found its place as a November Caribbean Festival.

Rum and Reggae Festival featured live performances by Freddie McGregor, Ras Shiloh, Lt. Stitchie, Ricky Stereo, Tanto Metro and Devonte, Shunti, Jah Tiff, and Shino with live bands Code Red and Propaganjah.

Caribbean Sunshine Bakery and other honorees took center stage to be celebrated for their contributions to the community. Caribbean Sunshine Bakery celebrated its 30th anniversary, and attendees were excited to honor its contributions not only to their field but to supporting and building the Caribbean Diaspora in Orlando. Caribbean Sunshine Bakery has been family owned and operated ever since its opening in 1992. They started with one location and today have expanded to three, all of which are staying true to their core philosophy of creating quality products using quality ingredients.

Rum and Reggae delivered a fun, daytime date festival experience set against the beautiful backdrop on the grounds of the amphitheater. See pages 10 and 11 of this publication for a highlight of the festival.

1ST ANNUAL RUM & REGGAE FEST

Guyanese Actress Letitia Wright's Meteoric Rise and Mental Health Advocacy

filmUrbanHymnasatroubledbuttalentedteenwhogets helpfromasocialworker.

AwayFromtheSpotlight

Taking a step back from acting in 2015, Letitia threw herself into her religion. Her Christian faith was the mostsignificant help in her recovery. She put her career on pause and turned down a role in a film with Nicole Kidman for the sake of her mental health. She strengthened her relationship with God and was well on her way to quitting acting. "I wrapped it up and was done with it, happy to do anything that was more chilled," she said to the Hollywood Reporter. "But that's not the wayGodhaditwithme."

Ready and rejuvenated to get back into the swing of things,Letitiareturnedtothescreenin2016,playingsmall roles in The Commuter, Ready Player One, and a TV role inseasontwoofthesci-fishowHumans.

Letitia'sBigBreak

A single role can change an actor's life forever. For Letitia Wright, that big break came when she was cast in Marvel's Black Panther as Shuri, T'Challa's "Black Panther" witty younger sister. The role skyrocketed her to internationalstardom, and Letitia, along with the cast ofBlackPanther,wonseveralawards.

After the film's massive success, Letitia won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress in a Sci-Fi in 2018. In 2019, she went on to win an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Role in a MotionPicture and a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Rising Star Award was awardedtoLetitiathatsameyear.

Letitia got her first role in voice acting in the musicalanimationmovieSing2asNooshy–aCanadianlynxwho teachesJohnny,oneofthemaincharacters,howtodance

That role led to an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance in a MotionPicture.

HealingaCommunity

With the immense growth of her career, fanbase, and platform, Letitia spoke out about her struggles with depression and the stigma placed on mental health in the Black Community. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Letitia said, "in the black community, it's something that happens, but we don't speak about it. We must continue talking about it and bringing it straighttotheforefront."

ChoosingherRoles

Letitia is highly selective with the roles she takes. If the part sits well with her spirit, she takes it. It's what led her to her new lead role in the biopic The Silent Twins,scheduled to be released in the United States and UnitedKingdominSeptember.

Letitia plays June Gibbons, the twin sister to Jennifer, played by co-star Tamara Lawrence. As the daughters of Barbadian immigrants, and the only Black family in a small town in Whales, the sisters faced racism and isolation as children.

While their stories are not the same, Letitia could relate to the Caribbean immigrant story since she and he family also moved to the United Kingdom from Guyana. Letitia had a deep interest in psychology –which she studied in college – and was intrigued with the human mind. So, she threw herself into the sisters' story. In aninterview with Deadline, Letitia describes the sisters' experience as "a tragic story, and one of loss and heartbreak, but one of incredible misunderstanding."

Despite her rising fame, the break-out actress remains humble and grounded. And like those who came before her, Letitia would like to 'lay a foundation'for BlackwomeninHollywoodtosucceed.

10 MUST-READ BOOKS BY CARIBBEAN AUTHORS TO ADD TO YOUR BOOKSHELF

Caribbean authors, for centuries, have written some of the best literary works known today. As for the present day, there are several contemporary Caribbean authors whose works deserve much more praise than they currently are. Here are In The Know's 10 must-read books by Caribbean authors:

1. The Girl with the Hazel Eyes by Callie Browning

Callie Browning is an award-winning Barbadian (Bajan) author who writes mainly about historical fiction set in her home island of Barbados. Her first novel, The Girl with the Hazel Eyes, is a top-rated pick on Amazon and was even featured in Oprah Magazine‘s list of the “16 Caribbean Books to Add to Your Reading List”.

Reviewers say this book, described as “an adrenaline rush read,” is both entertaining and gripping.

2. These Ghosts Are Family: A Novel by Maisy Card

Maisy Card was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica, and grew up in Queens, New York. She’s currently a writer and librarian whose debut novel, These Ghosts Are Family received high praise from The New York Times. The publication called the 2020-released book a “rich, ambitious debut novel.” Amazon editors added that it “reveals the ways in which a Jamaican family forms and fractures over generations.”

3. How to Love a Jamaican: Stories by Alexia Arthurs

Alexia Arthurs was also born in Jamaica and raised in New York. However, she spent most of her upbringing in Iowa City and began writing her first book, How to Love a Jamaican, during her first year of graduate school. In her Amazon author page, she explained that these stories “are personal experiments,” which she described as her “anxieties.”

Reviewers described this book as a “good, quick short story reading” that forces you to “immerse yourself into the lives and perspectives of not only Jamaicans but a large population of immigrants.”

4. One Year of Ugly: A Novel by Caroline Mackenzie

Caroline Mackenzie was born and raised in Trinidad and studied abroad for five years in both France and the U.K. After earning her bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish studies and a master’s degree in specialized translation, she returned to Trinidad, where she now lives with her family.

She published her debut novel, One Year of Ugly, in 2020, which several publications and reviewers described as a “glorious stew of family, friendship and felony” with “beautifully drawn characters.”

5. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Clap When You Land is a popular “Teacher’s Pick” on Amazon with over 3,000 reviews. The author, Elizabeth Acevedo, born of Dominican immigrants and raised in Harlem, New York, was inspired to write this story after the November 2010 American Airlines Flight 587 crash that routinely flew from JFK to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The crash claimed 260 lives. Approximately 90% of the victims were Dominican or of Dominican descent.

6. The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

“Jumbie” stories and fairytales are integral parts of Trinidadian and Tobagonian upbringings, and author Tracey Baptiste, born and raised in the twin Caribbean islands, used these as inspirations for her book series.

Jumbies, her second novel, is a fairytale about a brave young girl and her adventures among Caribbean creatures. It pulls inspiration from themes present in several Caribbean folkcont'd on pg 15

www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com

Global Jamaica Diaspora Council Announces Elections for the USA Southern Region

“Moving Diaspora Engagement Forward - A Model for Deeper Partnership”

The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council announces elections for the USA Southern Region: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North

Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

To become a member of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (“the Council”), a person shall be elected by the Diaspora in each established Diaspora region, and subsequently issued a letter of confirmation by the Minister with responsibility for Diaspora Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (“the Minister”).

Voter Registration began on 10th Of November 2022 and ends on the 30 th of November 2022 while Candidate Nomination will take place between the 10th & 30th of November 2022.

The Publication of the Final slate of nominees will on the 1st of December 2022.

Elections shall be conducted over the period between 2nd of December 2022, and 19th of December 2022.

The elected candidate will become a member of The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) which serves as an

advisory and consultative body geared at facilitating more effective engagement between Jamaica and the Diaspora. An independent Electoral Committee for the USA Southern Region has been established to conduct elections and manage the logistics for the election of Global Jamaica Diaspora Council members. Members of the Electoral Committee include Rev. Horace Ward (CHAIR), Dr. Oliver Fallon-Reid, Ms. Ashley Moncrieffe, Mr. Jamaul Hall, Ms. Tara Elizabeth, Ms. Judith Drummond, Mr. Jason Walker, and Dr. Nicole Bent Jones.

For more information, including registration and nomination forms, please visit: www.globaljadiasporacouncil.com

10 MUST-READ BOOKS BY CARIBBEAN AUTHORS TO ADD

cont'd from pg 13

traditions. Several outlets describe the children’s book as “addictive,” “hypnotic” and “refreshing.”

7. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika and Maritza Moulite

Authors Maika and Maritza Moulite are Miami natives and the daughters of Haitian immigrants. Their 2020-released novel, Dear Haiti, Love Alaine, is a reviewer-favorite on Amazon, with several readers dubbing the book a “delightful” and “enchanting read.”

The journey of Alaine, the product of Haitian immigrants like the authors, blends storylines and allusions to Haiti’s rich history and culture to deliver a stunning coming-of-age story that so many readers love.

8. Girlcott by Florenz Webbe Maxwell

Florenz Webbe Maxwell is a Caribbean Young Adult Literature author hailing from the island of Bermuda. Her most popular book, Girlcott, tells the story of 16-year-old Desma Johnson and her experience during the 1959 theatre boycott — a pivotal time in Bermudian history. The book received the second-place distinction of the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature in 2016.

9. The Lesson: A Novel by Cadwell Turnbull

Cadwell Turnbull is an author and scholar born in the U.S. Virgin Islands. His native country heavily influences his work and serves as the setting for his debut novel, The Lesson. The book, which stands as the Amazon Editors’ pick in the “Best Science Fiction & Fantasy” category, explores the interactions between a local community and an alien population that arrives at its shores.

10.Love After Love: A Novel by Ingrid Persaud

Ingrid Persaud is a Trinidad-born author who divides her time between London and Barbados. Her debut novel, Love

TO

YOUR BOOKSHELF

After Love, published in 2020, was highly praised by The New York Times Book Review. The publication dubbed it “a stellar debut about an unconventional family, fear, hatred, violence, chasing love, losing it and finding it again just when we need it most.”

How have we not had a Caribbean team at the World Cup since 2006? It’s such a shame’

Harris and Gregg Evans

A lot of players with Caribbean heritage will be competing at this World Cup.

Three of the 26-strong England squad could have represented Jamaica alone; Raheem Sterling was born in Kingston, the country’s capital, before he moved to England at the age of five, while Callum Wilson and Kalvin Phillips both have family from there. In addition, Marcus Rashford’s grandmother, Cillian, was born in Saint Kitts and Nevis.

If you take a closer look at France’s squad, you will discover Raphael Varane has ties to Martinique and Kingsley Coman’s parents were born in Guadeloupe. France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, widely considered to be the Premier League’s greatest ever player, grew up in Paris, but his mother, Maryse, and father, Antoine, were from Martinique and Guadeloupe respectively.

Virgil van Dijk, the Netherlands captain who is playing in his first international tournament, has Surinamese heritage while Denzel Dumfries played twice for the small Caribbean island of Aruba in friendlies against Guam in 2014. Dumfries then represented Netherlands at under-20 and under-21 level before he made his senior debut in a 3-0 victory over Germany in the Nations League four years ago.

Despite this abundance of talent with ties to the island region, there will not be a Caribbean team competing at this year’s World Cup. This will be the fourth successive men’s version of the tournament where none of them managed to qualify.

Jamaica became the first Caribbean team to feature at a women’s World Cup in the 2019 edition in France. However, they finished bottom of their group with zero points, conceded 12 times and only scored once. Lorne Donaldson’s side will be hoping for a better performance in Australia and New Zealand next year having qualified again.

The last country to reach the group stages of a men’s World Cup were Trinidad and Tobago in 2006. They were drawn in Group B with England, Sweden and Paraguay. Leo Beenhakker’s side also finished bottom, and while they managed one point from an opening draw with Sweden they failed to score a goal.

Jamaica reached the 1998 finals in France but again failed to progress to the knockout stage, though they managed a 2-1 win over Japan in the final game.

Along with Cuba in 1938 and Haiti in 1974, those are the only times Caribbean sides have ever been involved in a football World Cup.

In May, FIFA partnered with the Barbados FA for a five-year project to help players reach their full potential. Technical director Emmerson

Boyce, the former Wigan Athletic and Crystal Palace defender, is tasked with overseeing the next stage of their development. Boyce has already played a key role in improving the setup of the women’s team.

“Our main challenge is getting our standard of football in the country higher,” Boyce tells The Athletic.

“We rely heavily on foreign-based players who come in and share their experience and add that bit of professionalism. Our local players are good and with the new coach (Orlando da Costa) coming in and the assistant (Ricardo Fernandes), they will hopefully bring a different knowledge to the national team setup, but we are still progressing.

“In the Caribbean, the administrational side is not as strong as our counterparts,” Johnson says. “Organisationally we weren’t ready and you could still level that of the Caribbean now, in terms of resources that enable you to build training grounds, facilities and attract players.”

Over the last few years, Michael Ricketts, the president of the Jamaica Football Federation, has made a concerted effort to recruit British-born players. West Ham United forward Michail Antonio, Brentford centre-back Ethan Pinnock and Fulham’s Bobby De Cordova-Reid are a few examples.

The main focus for Caribbean teams now is the World Cup to be cohosted by the US, Mexico and Canada in 2026. All three hosts automatically qualify, which means with the field expanding from the current 32 teams to 48, there will an extra three spots for CONCACAF nations.

“It’s a huge opportunity for the Caribbean countries to really get themselves in order,” Johnson says. “How is it possible that we’ve not had an international team represent the Caribbean since Trinidad in 2006? It’s such a shame.”

Boyce recognises it could be a slow process, but he is ambitious and enthusiastic.

“I want to be part of the legacy and in the future, when I’m looking back, know I played my part in terms of developing football in Barbados,” he says.

“What I hope in the future is, and hopefully Barbados will be at the forefront of it, is to be in tournaments where Caribbean teams are competing not just to take part but actually trying to win it. That’s the long-term dream that I have.”

Jay

Open Enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace Starts Nov. 1. Here’s

What You Need to Know:

For individuals or families that get — or could get — health insurance through the public marketplace, the opportunity to choose coverage for 2023 is nearing.

Open enrollment, when you can pick a health plan for next year, runs Nov. 1 through Jan. 15 for the federal marketplace at HealthCare.gov and most state exchanges. Generally speaking, people who get coverage this way are self-employed or can’t get workplace insurance, or they don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare.

Nearly 13 million of the 14.5 million people enrolled in private health insurance through the public marketplace — which was authorized by the Affordable Care Act of 2010 — receive subsidies (technically tax credits) that lower what they pay for premiums. Some people also may qualify for help with cost-sharing such as deductibles and copays on certain plans, depending on their income.

Here’s what they need to know for 2023.

Premiums are rising by 4% to 5% on average

Be aware that premiums are rising nationally next year by about 4% to 5% on average, said Cynthia Cox, director for the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Affordable Care Act program.

However, she said, there is a lot of variation among states. For example, in Virginia, premiums are dropping by an average of 18% and in New Mexico they’re rising by 14%, Cox said.

“Most fall between a 1% and 7% increase,” she said.

If you have marketplace coverage and are facing a large premium increase, you can always check to see if there’s a more affordable option available, Cox said.

More generous subsidies are still in effect However, more generous financial help remains in place. That is, temporarily expanded subsidies that were put in place for 2021 and 2022 were extended through 2025 in the Inflation Reduction Act, which became law in August.

This means there is no income cap to qualify for subsidies, and the amount anyone pays for premiums is limited to 8.5% of their income as calculated by the exchange. Before the changes, the aid was generally only available to households with income from 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level.

The marketplace subsidies that you’re eligible for are based on factors that include income, age and the secondlowest-cost “silver” plan in your geographic area (which may or may not be the plan you enroll in).

Be sure to give a good estimate of 2023 income

Because the amount of your subsidies is based at least partly on your income, you’ll need to estimate it for 2023 in the signup process.

Giving a good estimate matters. If you end up having annual income that’s higher than what you reported when you enrolled, it could mean you’re not entitled to as much aid as you’re receiving. And any overage would need to be accounted for at tax time in 2024 — which would reduce your refund or increase the amount of tax you owe.

“You don’t want a nasty surprise when you do your taxes the next year,” Cox said.

Likewise, if you are entitled to more than you received, the difference would either increase your refund or lower the amount of tax you owe.

Either way, at any point during the year, you can adjust your income estimate or note any pertinent life changes (birth of a child, marriage, etc.) that could affect the amount of subsidies you’re entitled to.

The ‘family glitch’ is generally fixed, starting in 2023

Workers who don’t get employer-sponsored health insurance that’s considered “affordable” — no more than 9.61% of income this year — are permitted to sign up for a plan through the marketplace. However, the measurement of affordability is based on the cost of employee-only coverage.

That’s the case even if a worker wants their dependents covered too — meaning the actual cost of family coverage could far exceed that threshold.

As of 2023, here’s how it will work: If the workplace coverage for a family would be unaffordable, the employee would need to stay on the employer plan, while the spouse and kids would be covered by the marketplace — and eligible for subsidies, Cox said.

“That means families would be split between two or more health plans, which would mean having multiple premiums and deductibles,” she said. “Not all the people in the family glitch will actually be better off moving onto subsidized coverage.”

Will the Real William Shakespeare Please Stand Up?

By Tony Deyal

Polonius:“Whatdoyoureadmylord?”

Hamlet:“Words,words,words.”

Mummy kissing Santa Claus under the mistletoe does not lead to serious questions about whether Daddy is the conditional or just a subordinate Claus. Unfortunately, there are more than 80 candidates for the post of Shakespeare, including Sir Francis Bacon, Edward de Vere (17th Earl of Oxford), Christopher Marlowe and two women, Countess Mary Sidney and Emilia Bassano, considered ‘Moorish’, who argued for women’s “Libertie” against male oppression. In this case, the Moor is not the merrier and I wouldn’t support Bacon, regardless of how much I fry. However, I am not restricting myself to mere text but am going toexaminethecontext.

Shakespeare welcomed us from the second day of secondary school. We were placed in Form 2A Special, which was the three-year stream for the Cambridge Examination. When one of our colleagues, who later became prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), was demoted to the four-year class, we pondered like Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “2B or not2B?Thatisthequestion.”

During our early encounters with the Bard (and getting worse the more you read), we added our own insights. For example, we actually told our teacher, Brother Theodore, that it was not Macbeth who killed Duncan but Lady Macbeth’s father who, just after murdering Duncan, heard footsteps outside the door, threw Duncan’s body under the bed and then lay on the bed himself. Brother Theodore asked, “How did you come to such a conclusion that has defied scholars for so many years?” “Easy,” was the reply. “Lady Macbeth sell him out when she said that had he not resembled her father as he slept she would have killed him. Itwasreallyherfatherthatshesaw.”

FAIRISFOUL

This was almost as bad as saying we wouldn’t play football if the witches from Macbeth are referees and running lines. Why?Because they think that Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair. Worse, chickens were in trouble because Macbeth was guilty of murder most foul, and Lady Macbeth used to be angry with her dog and, standing by the door angrily, shouted, “Out, damnedspot!”

For those of you who love the English language, the Reader’s Digest recently identified 21 “Everyday Phrases” that were invented by Shakespeare. They include “Come Full Circle” which is a roundabout way of saying that you’re back where you started when you run around the track instead of a 100metres.Then,togiveusasenseofwhetherShakespearewas rich or poor and how this affected his treatment of his children, there is (from Henry IV, Part 2) “Eaten me out of house and home.” I like “elbowroom” and avoid crowds but “King John” was really looking for elbow room to free his conscience. Most of us need more space than that and, for Catholics, confession might take a few days and several priests. One that we hear from people who play both sides is, “Give the devil his due.” In my case, that would be me, myself and I but, as it is used today, it is that we should look at the good qualities of really terrible people to find some kind ofbalance.Inotherwords,iftheystealyourmoneyandall you have left is a cent, instead of putting the hounds of the Baskervilles on the scent, you say philosophically, “At least he was good enoughtoleavemesomething."

Wearing your heart on your sleeve (unless you are decked off in an armless), believing that love is blind and letting your beloved wife see you with another woman, might be taken as “neither here nor there”. But Shakespeare, and your wife (overwhelmed by the ‘Green-Eyed Monster’) would know, there is “Something In The Wind”. In other words, that will be not just “The Naked Truth” but also the “Be All And The End All”. You end up “A Sorry Sight” while your wife is “Fancy Free” knowing that she was “More Sinned Against Than Sinning”. The best way to deal with that situation is to believe it was “Too Much Of A Good Thing” to last, and then look for someone else with whom you can “Break The Ice”beforeyourwifebreaksyourhead.

ORIGINALITY

The fact is that, when I read and applaud Shakespeare’s originality, I really don’t care who he was or whether he had sex or gender, or was black, white or mulatto. There are many funny Shakespeare one-liners like, ( As You Like It), “I do desire we may be better strangers.” In All’s Well That Ends Well you will find, “Virginity breeds mites, much like a cheese”. Then there was something that came back to me yesterday when I was asked by my wife to cut up some members of the “Allium family”. While this includes garlic, I was actually chopping into bits and pieces of what caused Shakespeare to complain, “Mine eyes smell onions.” In his case, it was All’s Well That Ends Well but not in mine. Ihadtogoquicklyforeyedrops.

The Bard was bad when he wanted and dropped in the mouths of others some funny insults and put-downs. In Coriolanus, “More of your conversation would infect my brain”; Timon of Athens, “I’ll beat thee, but I would infect my hands”; Henry IV Part 1, “There’s no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune”; and in All’s Well That Ends Well, “The woman’s an easy glove, my lord, she goes off and on at pleasure.” Sometimes, it sounds more like English-Caribbean in the context if not exactly the language, as in Titus Andronicus, “Villain, I have done thy mother.” And from Timon of Athens, enough to make a man pull out his sword, “Would thou wert clean enough to spitupon!”

One we all laughed at is what is considered Shakespeare’s most crude linguistic joke. It is from Twelfth Night. Malvolio is boasting about a letter from the lady of the house, Olivia, declaring her love for him. He says, “By my life, this is my lady’s hand: these be her very ‘C’s, her ‘U’s and her ‘T’s; and thusmakessheherverygreat‘P’s.”

I doubt that anybody’s ‘P’s could compare with Shakespeare’s plays, powerful prose, puns, protagonists and presence. From the Two Gentlemen of Verona through to The Taming of the Shrew, past Henry IV, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar and ending with The Two Noble Kinsmen, his genius lived, laughed and clearly laboured to please his sponsors and supporters. He and his work will outlive all of us. The English ask, “If a cat has its kittens in the oven, does that make them biscuits?” My view of Shakespeare and who he is has the same kind of question but is one that Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smellassweet.”Orwriteaswell.

*Tony Deyal was last seen describing an all-day Shakespearesession he went to. The morning was devoted to Shakespeare’s plays and the evening, his poetry. In other words, it went fromBardtoVerse.