Caribbean Corner

The laughter of children and the joy of the holiday season filled Resorts World New York City (RWNYC) last December as the casino partnered with the NYPD to host a Christmas event that brightened the lives of more than 110 children and their families. The collaboration, spearheaded by Michelle Stoddart, senior vice president of Community Development and Public Affairs for Resort World NYC, and Chief Kevin Williams, commanding officer of Patrol Borough Queens South, marked the first of its kind between the two organizations. Families of police officers from all eight precincts under Chief Williams’ jurisdiction gathered for a day of celebration, kindness, and connection. [caption id="attachment_69661" align="aligncenter" width="700"] More than 100 toys were displayed and distributed to children during the festive event. Photo by Tracey Khan [/caption] “We wanted the families to feel truly appreciated during the holidays. From gifts to food and ent...

As leaders of his National Democratic Party (NDP) had bragged, Desi Delano Bouterse needed no formal send-off from the state as he was cremated on Saturday. Thousands of Surinamese either joined the funeral procession or lined the route from his city home to NDP headquarters, where he was eulogized and remembered as a fierce nationalist who had changed the country's politics, albeit sometimes through extra-parliamentary means. Bouterse, who died hours before Christmas Day at 79, was denied a state funeral by the administration of President Chan Santokhi, as the cabinet had cited his links to two previous military coups and the notorious December 1982 mass murders of 15 government opponents for which he was eventually convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison along with four co-defendants. [caption id="attachment_69584" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Jen-ai Bouterse, Peggy Bouterse and widow Ingrid Bouterse attend a memorial service for ...

Christians and Christmas lovers at Fenimore Street United Methodist Church (FSUMC) braved the frigid weather on Christmas Eve Night in singing popular Christmas Carols during an annual ritual to the community on the steps of the church at the corner of Rogers Avenue and Fenimore Street in Brooklyn. With severe wind chill and temperatures in the 20s, die-hard members bungled up, singing lustily various carols for almost an hour. [caption id="attachment_69576" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The church choir sings "Once in Royal David's City.” Photo by Nelson A. King [/caption] They included “Deck The Halls,” “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Sleigh Bells Ring,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Feliz Navidad,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “Away in a Manger,” “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree,” “All I Want for Christmas,” “It Came Upon The Midnight Clear,” “White Christmas,” and “Someday at Chri...

"Building the Worlds That Kill Us: Disease, Death, and Inequality in American History" by David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz c.2024. Columbia University Press                            $28.00                                     408 pages   Get lots of rest. That's always good advice when you're ailing. Don't overdo it. Don't try to be Superman or Supermom; rest and follow your doctor's orders. And if, as in the new book, "Building the Worlds That Kill Us" by David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz, your skin color and social strata are a certain way, you'll feel better soon. Nearly five years ago, while interviewing residents along the Mississippi River in Louisiana for a book they were writing, authors Rosner and Markowitz learned that they'd caused a little brouhaha. Large corporations in the area, ones that the residents of "a small, largely African American community" had battled over air and soil...

State prosecutors in Trinidad are not only demanding stepped-up security for them and other staff but are also staying away from courts in Trinidad this week following the brutal New Year's Eve assassination of a special prosecutor hours after authorities had imposed a state of emergency measures to help curb an upsurge in violent crime. Attorney Randal Hector was gunned down just after leaving a late-night mass at a church in the capital. The attorney/pastor had just finished preaching the main sermon and was on his way to his vehicle with his family when he was shot several times by two men in an SUV. The motive for the killing remains unclear, but his assassination has sent such a high level of shock and trauma in the prosecutorial community that they are boycotting courts this week while pressing authorities to provide them with improved security. It is uncertain how long the boycott will last. Hector was the last of 625 people murdered in the federation with Tobago the pr...

The indelible life of Walter Arlington Greene, an iconic son of Guyana soil, a life well lived, was celebrated after a moving going home service on Dec. 12, with family, friends, and colleagues in attendance at Unity Funeral Chapel in New York City. Greene, a well-known fashion aficionado who died at 74 on Dec. 2, was a model and stylist, Mr. Black New York 1978-79. He was honored with hymns "How Great Thou Art" and "It is Well with My Soul" and received the religious ritual by the Rev. Lee Arrington. He was remembered as a dear friend by Lorna Welshman-Neblett. "Walter was talented, respectful, and very witty. He knew everyone and was always willing to introduce you to anyone who was in your field. In addition to all his wonderful work in Fashion Shows, Pageants, and writing for magazines, Walter was the designer of the Shirt Jack for the late President of Guyana, Forbes Burnham, who was the Prime Minister at the time. This was a big hit and eventually...

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Dec. 26 announced that, on Jan. 9, 2025, noon, he will deliver his fourth mayoral State of the City Address at The Apollo in Harlem, where he will discuss his administration's achievements over the past three years, the current state of the city, and how the Adams administration will continue to make New York City even safer and more affordable for working-class families. “Whether it's taking thousands of illegal guns off our streets, shattering affordable housing records over and over again, or putting billions of dollars back into the pockets of New Yorkers, our administration has fought every day to create a safer, more affordable city for working-class New Yorkers,” Adams said. “Thanks to our efforts, New York City is not only back; we are better than ever," he added. “But as we look to the future, we know there is even more we can do to uplift working-class families across the five boroughs, protect our streets and subways, ta...