Dr Allan Cunningham, the elected representative to the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council for the Southern Region USA, recently announced the names of 60 Jamaicans in the region who were honoured for their work in the community.
The honours commemorate Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of independence and includes professionals, media people, community leaders, doctors, lawyers, educators, healthcare workers, and entrepreneurs.
The Southern Region comprises Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
The Jamaicans honoured by the Global Council include Michael W. Schloss, Diana Blake Taylor, Dr Barbara Dawkins, Dervan Malcolm, Jacquel Tucker, Ric Williams, Norman Archer, Bethany Powell, Tricia Chung Foster, Audley Hewitt, Hugh Ferguson, Hugh Osborne, Inez Turner, Andrea Dixon, Sophia Elaine Jackson Nicholson, Paula S. Scott, Simone Edward OD, Suzanne Fletcher Thompson, Lance Gibbs, Dr Nicole Bent Jones, Joy Thomas, Janet Brown, Dr Dennis Grant, Commissioner Alexandra Davis, Commissioner Winston Barnes, Clarence Reynolds, Charlton Chance, Adrienne Chin-Ogilvie, Rev. Dr Maxine Osborne Foster, Valerie Simpson, Lana Lindo, David I. Muir, David Mullings, Alrene Richards Barr,
Trevor Chambers, Dawn Stimpson, Michelle Chue-Sang Cooper, Dr Rosemarie Lewis, Amaya Lewis, Dr Michelle E Richards, Eddy Edwards, Dr Karen Green, Karen Lee Murphy, Xavier Murphy, Brenda Jennifer Peart, Malachi Smith, Catherine Foote Malcolm, Dr Rupert Francis, Dr Sandra Schrouder, Geoffrey Philp, Novelette Tomlinson, Dona Lee Raymond, Mark Swaby, Daniel England, Daniel Gordon, Cheryl Spence, Dr. Chris Parker, Carrol White, Eugene Grey, and John T Hodgson.
The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council was established in January of 2020 to serve as an advisory and consulting body designed to facilitate the engagement and partnership between Jamaica and the Jamaican Diaspora for national development. Council members are elected for three-year terms to give them time to achieve deliverables agreed-upon during their tenure. The Council reflects the inclusive, expansive, and collaborative nature of the Jamaican Diaspora.
Jamaica’s Diamond Jubilee features year-long celebrations in 2022 that are organized under the theme of “Reigniting a Nation for Greatness.” Celebrations will include performances by various artists in the catalogue of competitions established by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC). According to Kristen Laing, the public relations coordinator for the agency, the competitions include the Jamaica Visual Arts Competition, Jamaica Creative Writing Competition, Jamaica Gospel Star Competition, Jamaica Festival Song Competition, Jamaica Festival Queen Competition, Jamaica Culinary Arts Competition, and National Festival of the Arts: Music, Dance, Speech, Drama and Theatre, Traditional Folk Forms Competition.
All events will culminate in the Grand Celebration scheduled for August 6, 2022.
