16 minute read
Jamaica Consul General: Message to Diaspora
Message from the Jamaica Consul General Alsion Roach WIilson, OD
My fellow Jamaicans in the Diaspora, I am delighted to convey warm greetings to you, on the occasion of National CaribbeanAmerican Heritage Month, which, since 2006, has been celebrated annually in the month of June. The celebration of National CaribbeanAmerican Heritage Month this year comes against the backdrop of continued challenges internationally, on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, this occasion allows us to celebrate the resilience of our Jamaican Diaspora and their commitment toexcellence. In this regard, I am pleased to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to one of the architects responsible for the establishment of this occasion, who is one of very own – Dr. Claire Nelson, Founder and President of the Institute of Caribbean Studies. As one of the largest Caribbean immigrant communities in the US, our Jamaican Diaspora has made and continues to make noteworthy contributions to the socio-economic, cultural and political landscape of the United States. These achievements and contributions have helped to shape the legacy of our common Caribbean American Heritage, of which we are proud. The recent milestone accomplishment of Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman of color to be elected to the second highest office in the US, follows the rich legacy of Caribbean Americans of Jamaican descent who have held public office. These include, but are not limited to: Colin Powell – former Secretary of State and first person of color to hold said Office; Susan Rice – former US Ambassador to the United Nations; Yvette Clarke – Congresswoman of the 9th Congressional District of New York; and David Paterson– New York’s first African-American Lieutenant Governor. In the area of arts and culture, we take this opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Jamaican American trailblazers. In this connection, we acknowledge the work of Sheryl Lee Ralph – Actress, Singer and Author, as well as one of the first official spokespersons for Caribbean-American Heritage Month in 2006. In addition, musical giants such as Harry Belafonte and Clive Campbell, are just a few of the Jamaican Americans who have exposed Jamaica’s musical prowess and talents to the American and international audience. As your Consul General, I am truly delighted to see the continuation of the celebration of National CaribbeanAmerican Heritage Month here in the United States.I am also heartened by the support from the White House towards the ongoing recognition of its significance, as well as the call to all of us here in the US to join in celebrating the history, culture and achievements of Caribbean Americans. One Love!l
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Brooklyn: Why I Should Be Your Next Borough President
BY ANTONIO REYNOSO
I'm running for Brooklyn Borough President because our borough faces tough challenges, and I believe that together we can overcome them and build our borough back better than before. We need a leader who is willing to champion bold, progressive solutions to the pressing challenges that face working families and residents across Brooklyn. During my time on the City Council, I have fought to secure affordable housing, passed legislation to improve relations between the NYPD and civilians, and spearheaded efforts to improve civic engagement. Brooklyn gave me everything I have, and now I'm running to build a Brooklyn for all of us. I am the son of parents who emigrated from the Dominican Republic with next to nothing. Growing up, we relied on government assistance to survive. Food stamps, Section 8, Medicaid — my siblings and I would have never succeeded without it. Now, I’m a Councilmember and candidate for Borough President, running to root out the deeply rooted inequities in Brooklyn. I want to make sure that my success story is the rule, not the exception, that no matter what zip code our kids are born in, they have the resources to thrive and succeed. My career in public service began over a decade ago. After getting my bachelor’s degree, I became a community organizer for NYC ACORN, and then joined the office of Council Member Diana Reyna as her Chief of Staff. In 2013, I ran for City Council myself, to serve the community that has given me so much. Over the seven years that I have served on the City Council, I have sought to advance bold, progressive legislation Citywide, while improving quality of life in my district. As Chair of the Sanitation and Solid Waste Management Committee, I passed a sweeping overhaul of the corrupt and inefficient private sanitation industry. The Commercial Waste Zones bill that I sponsored drastically improved the industry’s working conditions and environmental practices, and cut down on miles of dangerous and polluting truck traffic. I was a lead sponsor of Stand for Tenant Safety, a legislative package of bills to protect tenants from harassment. In addition to my strong legislative track record, I have been focused on supporting the creation and preservation of deeply affordable housing across my district and the institutions that support residents, like our childcare centers. I also passed the Right to Know Act to improve police-community relations through deescalation, furthering public safety. As Brooklyn Borough President, I’ll take my activist spirit to Borough Hall to pull our communities together to rebuild in the aftermath of COVID. On the Council, my bill to bring outdoor dining to New York City saved 100,000 restaurant jobs and provided a critical lifeline to outer borough and minority-owned small businesses. As Borough President, I’ll bring the same kind of creativity to Borough Hall to ensure a just recovery for all. The inequities in Brooklyn extend beyond the pandemic though. That’s why I’m committed to protecting our local businesses; empowering communities, not big developers, to lead in land use decisions; building affordable housing in every neighborhood; continuing my work to create healthier communities and ending environmental racism; and bringing crime down by getting guns off our streets, reducing poverty and growing our economy for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected. Our campaign is powered by everyday Brooklynites, and I’m proud to say that we’re not accepting donations from real estate developers or powerful special interests. We’ve also built a broad and diverse coalition, with support from: the NY Working Families Party; Congress Member Nydia Velázquez; Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Make the Road Action; Council of School Supervisors and Administrators; United Auto Workers Region 9A; State Senators Jessica Ramos, Julia Salazar, and John Liu; Assemblymembers Marcela Mitaynes and Maritza Davila; New York Communities for Change, and many more community leaders and progressive organizations. I invite you to join us in our people-powered movement to create a Brooklyn for all of us. l
Read more about my campaign at www.reynosoforbrooklyn.com
Early Voting Starts on June 12, 2021. The Primary is June 22, 2021. Make Antonio Reynoso Your #1 Choice for Brooklyn Borough President.
ELECTIONS 2021 It Is Time for A Woman to Lead NYC
Maya Wiley. Photo: Maya for Mayor Campaign
BY CAW EDITORIAL TEAM
In the whole history of mayoral elections in New York City, there has never been a female elected as Mayor. Democratic candidate, Maya Wiley, hopes to change that this 2021 mayoral election. Wiley wants people to see beyond the fact that she is a female candidate and see her as the most qualified candidate for the position.
Concerns of News Yorkers
During this pandemic, New Yorkers have been concerned about multiple issues affecting the city, including the COVID19 recovery, lack of jobs, the state of small businesses, access to affordable housing, and more. Most New Yorkers are looking for a candidate with strong leadership skills to select as the next Mayor of New York City-based on recent voter polls. Although never elected to a political office in the past, Maya Wiley hopes that her extensive career experiences demonstrate her leadership ability. Ms. Wiley is an experienced attorney and civil rights activist. She has worked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Legal Defense Fund (NAACP) and co-founded a non-profit organization, among other things. While Maya Wiley was working as an Adviser for current New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, he appointed her to a leadership role within the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board. According to reports, Wiley is known in each of her various positions as someone who got results.
Ready to Be the Next Mayor of NYC
Ms. Wiley is confident she can function well as the next Mayor of New York City and get New Yorkers’ results. The donations and endorsements Maya Wiley has collected indicate there are many others who also believe that she is the best candidate to assume the position. Wiley has received major endorsements from Make the Road Action, a prominent pro-immigrant group, Labor Union 1199SEIU, the largest union, and various women’s groups. She also has the endorsement of the Working Families Party, U.S. Representatives Alexandria OcasioCortez, Hakeem Jeffries, Yvette Clarke, and Nydia Velasquez, tenants’ groups, the Jewish Vote, Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens, New York City Council Members Stephen Levin and Helen Rosenthal, entertainers, activists, and more. “Maya’s the one who’s going to lead us forward through this pandemic and engineer the greatest comeback in New York City history,” said Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. According to Gloria Steinem, “I believe a vote for Maya is a vote for a unified, just and enjoyable future.” Maya Wiley says she is running for Mayor “…to build a recovery that lifts up all of our communities.” During an exclusive interview with our publication, Maya Wiley discussed her run for New York City Mayor. Ms. Wiley shared her views on the immigrant community, poverty, education, and other issues pertinent to aiding the recovery of New York following the challenges that were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wiley discussed her previous career experiences and what she plans to accomplish as the next Mayor of New York City.
The Immigrant Community
“For me, the issues that our immigrant brothers and sisters face are central to the things that we must fix so this is a city we can all live in with dignity. That means that our people: the Caribbean Diaspora, who are our residents, our people, whether they have documentation or not, are contributing to this city, are our essential workers, are paying taxes, and deserve the full recognition of the city government for what they add to communities. For me, that includes making sure immigrants can vote in municipal elections exactly as that used to happen in our school board elections. I support that because we need to have a vote to have a voice, and anyone who is building communities in this city and being part of our solution has to have a voice.”
Right to Vote for Green Card Holders
“I founded The Center for Social Inclusion, where we focused on dismantling structural racism. Having the right to vote is central to having a voice that builds power and shapes government. We must make sure all Green Card holders have a right to vote, and we make sure we are doing the proper education so that people know how to vote, where to vote, and have many options to vote.” “Government can be more transformative and invest in our people differently. What it takes is focus, vision, partnership, and will.
This Is the Moment
This is a historic opportunity in this crisis to do things differently, so this city actually works for all our people and communities of color, our immigrant communities. This amazing Diaspora actually gets the focus, investment, attention, and respect that it deserves.” Wiley acknowledged the struggles of the taxi drivers, some of whom are of Caribbean descent, and said she would, “…create a program to help taxi drivers get out of debt.” “Taxi drivers took a huge hit during this pandemic and were taken advantage of by Medallion with their loans. Many taxi drivers are in huge debt. This plan will aid the taxi drivers. Many of the health care workers, who are of Caribbean descent, struggle to meet the cost of childcare and eldercare so they can go to work. Wiley said her administration “…will create community care centers…” to meet their needs. There will be “$5,000 a year for our neediest families to support their families. You won’t have to have documentation to be eligible for these grants. That will be very important to our immigrant residents, who do not have papers and who struggle to care for their families.”
Making a Difference
During her time working in City Hall as Advisor to Mayor Bill De Blasio, Maya Wiley led the fight to increase funding for women and minority businesses through the city’s MWBE program. She found money in the budget and brought together four different agencies to ensure that every family in the Queensbridge neighborhood of Queens, New York, had free broadband. During this COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen the importance of providing broadband for all households. Maya Wiley said her administration would “…create 100,000 new jobs…and more affordable housing.” “I’ve always worked on the ways that racism perpetuates poverty in our community and how to solve them.”
Education
Maya Wiley told our publication that she would end all discriminatory enrollment policies and increase access to funding to improve the quality of schools in Black and Brown neighborhoods. She discussed three main issues her administration will focus on to improve the education system in New York City: hiring 2,500 new teachers to decrease classroom size; providing trauma-informed care to address the total health and wellbeing of each student; and eliminating the outside issues affecting classroom learning and creating community schools. “What that means is a model that says we must be in partnership with our community-based organizations… that’s also going to help us ensure that we have wrap-around services for families. This model strengthens the educational attainment of our children.”
What makes Maya Wiley the best choice for the next Mayor of New York City?
Wiley says she plans to make New York City “…a more equitable city and a better place to live.” She told our publication, “I’m the only candidate in this race who actually knows what it feels like, both to grow up in a Black neighborhood, to be a mother of children in this city, and to have worked to be a changemaker as a civil rights lawyer. But also know what it is like inside City Hall, to know what it is like to make that change and push for that change through government. I am not running for Mayor because I needed a career change. I’m running for Mayor because it’s part of my mission. It is this time, at this moment, having a Black woman, who is a mother, who is a civil rights lawyer, but also knows how government works, is, I think, what we need in this city, and that’s what makes me different from all of the other candidates.”l
Rep AOC. Editorial credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com
Ocasio-Cortez called Wiley her "No. 1" choice for mayor in a primary election June 22, 2021."We have an option of a candidate who can center people, racial justice, economic justice and climate justice, that didn't just come up to run for mayor but has experience and has a lifetime of dedication to this. And that candidate is Maya Wiley," Ocasio-Cortez said outside City Hall.
Rep Clarke. Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com
"I felt it was important that we change the status quo, that we look at this as a new beginning, not only in our nation but in our town," Clarke said. "I thought it would be extraordinary for our city to embrace a Black woman, not just any Black woman, it's Maya Wiley."
We Endorse Antonio Reynoso for Borough President of Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY : Martin Luther King Jr said: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Antonio Reynoso has proven to be a man willing to stand and fight for those without a voice, less fortunate, overlooked, and downtrodden. He has shown that he is ready to take the right stand even when it is unpopular and uncomfortable. He is a champion for the minority and immigrant communities. Reynoso demonstrated his measure as a leader, advocate, and champion for those in need when he left New York to go to the island of Santo Domingo, which Haiti and the Dominican Republic share to show support and solidarity with Haitians who were being mistreated and denied citizenship. Born to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic, Antonio Reynoso, who considers himself a Caribbean man, commenced his political career over a decade ago, backed with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He knows how to engage with community members through his earlier experiences as a
Caribbean American Weekly, The Immigrant’s Journal, and Workers’ World Today are proud to endorse Antonio Reynoso as the next Borough President of Brooklyn.
Community Organizer for NYC ACORN, before joining Councilmember Diana Reyna as Chief of Staff in 2009. He considers himself progressive and promotes his candidacy based on his personal experiences as an offspring of immigrants. His parents are immigrants who leveraged on policies in the society to raise him. His desire to serve as the next Brooklyn Borough President is a way of paying forward. Reynoso says, “This is an opportunity to give back to a community that has given him a lot. Here in Brooklyn, we succeed by never giving up and never giving in. Right now, we need to be tough and pull together in the aftermath of COVID to finally address our affordable housing shortage, dismantle systemic racism, save our small businesses, fix our schools, and stop overdevelopment and gentrification. Brooklyn makes us all who we are, and together, we’ll make Brooklyn stronger and fairer for everyone.”
Antonio Reynoso speaks at a rally commemorating the life and legacy of George Floyd.Photo: Reynoso Campaign
Reynoso is passionate and committed to continuing to make a difference in the lives of all Brooklynites. He understands our concerns – whether it’s providing Temporary Protective Status (TPS) assistance for immigrants, quality health care, in particular mental and maternal health care, an equitable education system for our kids, job creation, and meaningful support for small business owners and budding entrepreneurs. Reynoso is dedicated and ready to work hard from day one and every single day as Brooklyn’s next Borough President. We are proud to endorse him and ask that you vote for him as your candidate of choice during this election. l
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