Blog

The Florida Panthers National Hockey League team celebrated Black History Month in February 2023 by honoring community members from South Florida. Three of those recognized were Jamaicans: Andrea Hall, Executive Director of the nonprofit Shak’s Hope Foundation; Dr. Malou Harrison, Executive Vice President and Provost at Miami Dade College; and Marlene Maragh-Williams, retired Vice President of the Xerox Corporation.

The Panthers presented their second annual “Celebration of Black Excellence” series, which recognizes Black executives, educators, and others for their achievements each week throughout the month. These individuals were nominated by community members for having a positive influence on South Florida area communities.

Dr. Malou Harrison

Dr. Malou Harrison was recognized for her achievements in education. Serving as the executive vice president and provost of Miami Dade College, Dr. Harrison has championed underserved students in public higher education for over 35 years in various positions at the College. She established numerous partnerships designed to further equity, academic excellence, and student success during her tenure and has obtained funding from private and public funders, including the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Education. She is the author of several works on education issues and serves on a number of boards including the National Advisory Board of the Community College Consortium on Immigrant Education; the Board of Directors of Thriving Mind of South Florida; the Board of Directors of Centro Campesino; and the Board of Directors of the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League. Dr. Harrison received the Florida College System’s Cameron Hall Practitioner Award, the Educate Tomorrow Founders’ Award, South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Leadership Award, Miami Dade County’s In the Company of Women Award for Education and Research, the Nigerian American Foundation Educator Leadership Award, and the Jamaican Consulate General Community Leader Award.

Andrea Fandangles Hall and Marlene Maragh-Williams

Andrea Fandangles Hall was honored for her work with the Shak’s Hope Foundation, which promotes education about and awareness of sickle cell anemia while also providing services that improve the quality of life for individuals living with sickle cell in South Florida, Jamaica, and around the world. Hall is from Kingston, Jamaica, and attended Wolmer’s Girls High School, Before settling in South Florida, she spent time between Jamaica and Brooklyn, New York. She made a career of her passion for travel, working for Alken Tours for a decade and American Express Centurion for 15 years. An entrepreneur, she has hosted monthly events selling and promoting clothing and accessories through her Fandagleboutique.com website. She serves as a board member of Jamaican Women of Florida. When learning in 1986 while pregnant that she carried the sickle cell trait and that her daughter was unlikely to live past the age of 13, she became a strong advocate for the Sickle Cell Foundation. With her daughter Shakira Martin, who won the title of Miss Jamaica Universe in 2011, Hall led toy drives for children in the sickle cell units of hospitals in Jamaica. Shakira went on to educate the public about the disease via her Miss Jamaica Universe platform and was the force behind the creation of Shak’s Hope Foundation. Shakira passed in 2016 at the age of 30, and in her memory Hall currently serves as the foundation’s director, and her son Kishi and husband Paul serve on the board.

Marlene Maragh-Williams, who retired from her position as vice president at the Xerox Corporation, made history when she became the first Black woman to serve as vice president of Graphic Arts at Xerox where she oversaw the US and Canada regions. She also served as vice president and general manager of the production business unit and vice president and general manager of agent operations responsible for the southeastern US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. After retiring, she joined the board of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward in 2018 and is the current vice chair of the board.

Photo – Florida Panthers

The post Three Jamaicans Amongst National Hockey League Black History Honorees appeared first on Jamaicans.com.

Classic Car Auctions (CCA) will offer at public auction, without reserve, on March 25, 2023, a 1980 Range Rover 4×4 reputed to be the “pride and joy” of Jamaican reggae pioneer musician Bob Marley. The auction will take place in Birmingham in the United Kingdom at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show.

According to CCA, says the Rover was obtained through an agent who had direct dealings with the Marley family. After having sourced the Range Rover, CCA reported that it was originally shipped from the Solihull factory located in Germany to Marley in Jamaica and was regularly shipped between Jamaica and the UK during the time it belonged to the singer. Marley’s ownership of the Rover was just over 12 months as he died at the age of 36 in 1981.

Marley’s ownership of the vehicle was established in part by the discovery of its original registration document on which was written “Robert Nesta Marley.” It is believed that it is one of two Range Rovers owned by Marley. It is thought that Marley purchased the Range Rover during the period in which “Redemption Song” was released. Marley was on tour to promote “Uprising,” his final studio album in the same year the Range Rover was introduced.

The vehicle has been described as being “crusty” and not in good shape. Its windshield is smashed. Its engine is not in the engine bay but rests in parts in the back of the three-door vehicle. Its odometer shows a total of 62,920 miles or almost 100,000 kilometers. Its original Masai Red color has been painted over, allegedly by some of Marley’s children, in a combination of black, green and blue. In spite of the poor condition, the vehicle has an estimated sales price of as much as £150,000.

CCA noted that Marley’s 1976 Series 3 truck was restored after being located in 2015, and the auction presents the opportunity for the Rover to have a similar future. Simon Langadale, who is its consignor, said that potential purchasers are being asked to make online bids during the live auction at The Saleroom. BBC Top Gear described the classic as a “perfect” restoration project.

Based on its appearance, the Range Rover set for auction by CCA seems to be the same vehicle that Jon Baker of GeeJam owned. According to Baker, the Rover is among the 13 “prized classic cars” of Jamaica that he was repairing to drivable condition, planning to offer it to GeeJam guests who want to use it for day trips to nearby attractions as a way to preserve some Jamaican history while offering a unique amenity for GeeJam guests.

Photo – Classic Car Auctions

The post Range Rover Believed to Be Previously Owned by Bob Marley Goes to Auction appeared first on Jamaicans.com.

THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES

Top 7 Jamaican & Caribbean News Stories

SUPREME COURT OF JAMAICA ISSUES LANDMARK RULING IN GANG CASE
The Supreme Court of Jamaica issued a conviction in the case of Andre “Blackman” Bryan in a decision described as a “landmark” ruling that represented a victory for the country’s recent reform of its anti-gang laws. The well known crime boss was adjudged guilty of heading the One Don faction of the Klansman gang. The gang is known for persecuting a community outside of Jamaica’s capital of Kingston. Bryan was also found guilty of being a facilitator of several murders. The ruling is viewed as a win for the government in its battle against crime and follows several judicial reforms designed to control rising gang violence.

BUSINESS INTERESTS IN MONTEGO BAY TO JOIN GOVERNMENT IN JAMAICA-EYE PROJECT
Businesses in Montego Bay will enter into a partnership with Jamaica’s government on the JamaicaEye project, the national closed-circuit television surveillance program designed to support efforts in fighting crime. According to Oral Heaven, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), the agency met with the police commissioner to start planning the establishment of CCTV cameras in and around Montego Bay. Heaven said that crime-fighting tools that require partnerships between public and private interests are welcomed and will receive Chamber support. 

THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS

FORECAST FOR 2023 TOURIST ARRIVALS IN THE CARIBBEAN VERY OPTIMISTIC
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) indicated that there will be a 10 percent to 15 percent rise in arrival totals over the number registered in 2019 when the region saw 32 million land-based tourists. According to Neil Walters, acting secretary of the CTO, the prediction means that the Caribbean will enjoy between 31.2 million and 32.6 million tourists in 2023. The cruise industry is expected to expand in its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic years as well. Walters noted that all the region’s berths are open and expanding, and as more ships travel to the region, cruise capacity will increase, and demand will remain high. He added that the recovery in tourism was enhanced by a loosening of restrictions on global travel and strong demand in the United States, the Caribbean’s top source market.

THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS

UK FESTIVAL CELEBRATING JAMAICAN CULTURE EXTENDED UNTIL JUNE OF 2023
The Out of Many Festival, which is organized by the Jamaica Society Leeds, opened in May of 2022 to mark Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of independence. While it was scheduled to end in February 2023, it has added several highly anticipated events that cause it to last until the summer. Between April 4 and 29, 2023, a pop-up exhibit at the Compton Library will showcase displays from the successful “Rebellion to Romance” exhibition held at the Leeds Central Library until November 2022. This exhibit was very popular, and thousands of visitors viewed curated mementos, fashions, music, and photographs documenting the lives of the second generation of West Indian people who came of age during the 1970s and 1980s. The program, “The Writer As Researcher,” will offer a partnership between the British Library and Leeds Libraries with the Festival that examines approaches authors take to researching their historical writings. The exhibit explores the lives of Jamaican veterans of Leeds in World War II.

THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS

EDMUND BARTLETT PRESENTED WITH TOURISM LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, received the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Promotion of Sustainable Travel and Tourism” by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) International Travel Awards. The award was present to Bartlett at the organization’s summit meeting in Berlin, Germany. These awards are presented in recognition of outstanding work by individuals and organizations in promoting tourism from various sectors of the travel industry, including hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, government bodies, tourism ministries, and other providers. Bartlett thanked PATWA for the honor, stating that he was passionate about tourism, especially the sustainable development of tourism as this is the only way the travel industry can be leveraged to provide the economic growth that can transform communities and nations.

THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

MONUMENT IN TRIBUTE OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE INSTALLED AT APPLETON ESTATE
Wray & Nephew Limited (JWN), a Jamaican rum producer and distributor of spirits, is honoring the enslaved people who were workers on the Appleton Estate Plantation during the years of slavery. The firm unveiled a monument entitled “Lest We Forget” at the Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience in St. Elizabeth. Designed and constructed by Jamaican artist Trishaunna Henry, displays the relationship between sugar cane and the economic and socio-cultural development of Jamaica. The names of those enslaved people who worked on the plantation during the ownership of the Dickinson Family are incorporated in the monument. According to the managing director of J. Wray & Nephew Limited, Jean-Phillipe Beyer, the monument is being installed at the heart of the estate’s Joy Spence tour and will be located on a pedestal displaying the names of enslaved individuals who have been identified. It allows visitors to honor the workers who created the foundation of the Appleton Estate brand.

THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS

SHELLY-ANN FRASER-PRYCE RECEIVES NOMINATION FOR LAUREUS AWARD
Jamaican Olympic athlete and sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year award at the 2023 Laureus World Sport Awards. In 2022, the runner achieved a fifth world title victory in the 100 meters with a time of 10.62 seconds. She also has a record number of under-10.70-second 100-meter races in the season. Fraser-Pryce thanks the world’s sports media for the nomination, which is her sixth for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award. She added that she is inspired by the Laureus movement and its initiatives in celebrating the power of sport to change the world. In addition to Fraser-Pryce, Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin Levrone were nominated for Laureus Awards.

The post Top 7 Jamaican & Caribbean News Stories You Missed The Week Ending March 10th, 2023 appeared first on Jamaicans.com.