CANADA FUNDRAISER HELPS EDUCATION, YOUTH PROGRAMS—04/18/15
The 26th Annual Jamaican Self-Help fundraiser in Ontario, Canada, raised money targeted for helping the organization’s education, youth and leadership initiatives on the island. Supporters of the group participated in a silent auction at the event titled the “Jamaican’ Me Shine Cocktail and Auction.” In 2014, the organization raised some $15,000 and hoped to reach $18,000 in 2015. The group has been in operation for 35 years, focused on bringing Canadians and Jamaicans together to address social justice issues.
FORMER JAMAICAN PRIME MINISTER SAYS CARIBBEAN NATIONS MUST UNITE—04/19/15
P.J. Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, is calling for the Caribbean region to unite to resolve its problems and take advantage of new economic opportunities. He made his remarks at the official opening ceremony for the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM). He believes that the region must address food insecurity, natural disasters, and challenges related to health care.
SAUNDERS NAMED CHIEF OF POLICE IN TORONTO—04/20/15
The new chief of police in Toronto, Canada, is Mark Saunders, a veteran of the force who will be the first black head of the largest municipal force in the country. Saunders, 52, has been characterized as a “cop’s cop” and has moved up through the ranks during his 30 years of service. He was born in the United Kingdom to parents who emigrated there from their home in Jamaica.
JAMAICAN SWIMMER RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP TO HOWARD UNIVERSITY—04/21/15
Nicholas Haughton, one of the best 17-year-old local swimmers, has received a scholarship to Howard University in the United States. He plans to study finance, concentrating on actuarial science. Haughton said it took a lot of work and effort to balance his athletic practice and scholarly activities. He believes the swimming scholarship to Howard will allow him to learn from swimmers outside of Jamaica in addition to helping him with his career goals.
CANADIAN ACTIVIST CALLS FOR “NEW KIND” OF BLACK ACTIVISIM IN TORONTO—04/22/15
According to Chevy Eugene, who calls himself an “artivist,” the younger generation in Toronto is not ready to take up the torch of previous generations of social activists. Eugene, a community worker, says that there are no young black leaders prepared to continue the work. He is calling for a new type of democratic activism that allows black youth to feel less isolated and marginalized from the existing community of social activists.
SOUTH FLORIDA JAMAICA DIASPORA CONFERENCE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED—04/23/15
The Honorable Arnaldo Brown, MP, Minister of States in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade who has the responsibility for Diaspora affairs, is set to reveal plans developed for the pending 6th Biennial Jamaica National Diaspora Conference at an event scheduled for April 30, 2015 at a community forum in Miramar in Florida. The conference will run from June 13 through June 18, 2015. The theme of the 2015 conference is “Jamaica and the Diaspora: Linking for Growth and Prosperity.” All nationals of the Jamaican Diaspora in South Florida, as well as representatives from the media, are encouraged to attend the forum.
BROWN URGES DIASPORA TO WORK FOR HOMELAND—04/24/15
Jamaica’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade, Arnaldo Brown believes that if the country is to achieve world-class status by 2030, all Jamaicans on the home island and in the Diaspora must help to reach the goal. Estimates have placed the number of Jamaicans living abroad at nearly five million. Brown said Jamaica’s destiny is in the hands of its people and by supporting the worldwide Jamaican Diaspora movement, everyone can participate in its success.
VINTAGE JAMAICAN FILMS TO BE SHOWN IN CHICAGO—04/24/15
A number of Jamaican films dating from the early 1950s will be shown at the Washington Park Arts incubator in Chicago, Illinois, on May 9, 2015. The film showings are designed to open a discussion of the issues covered in them. The films were made for the British Colonial Film Unit and provide a historical record of important moments in Jamaica’s history, as well as documenting musicians, actors, and other cultural elements reflected in the filming. The films were made to educate Jamaicans and address issues including venereal disease and dairy farming.
