Politics

Ambassador Andrew Young Celebrates a U.S. Presidential Candidate

Ambassador Andrew Young Celebrates a U.S. Presidential Candidate

ATLANTA It was not an endorsement, but Ambassador Andrew Young celebrated U.S. Presidential Candidate, Senator Kamala Harris, (D), as he accepted the Marcus Garvey Leadership Award at the 2019 Caribbean American Cultural Arts Foundation, Inc., Captains of Industry Awards & Gala on June 29th.

Ambassador Young was honored during the sold-out event at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta.

He spoke candidly about Harris who is of Indian and Jamaican descent and seeking the White House in 2020.

He said her Caribbean heritage plays a major role in her run for the presidency, “There is a sister with a Jamaican daddy, who is probably in line to be the President of these United States and there are those who wonder, can she make it or can she deal with the present President? {Caribbean accent} Well, let me tell you mon, you show me a Jamaican woman who can’t handle a sorry low count man, there ain’t one!” The audience erupted in laughter.

Young, then subdued the laughs and continued on a more serious note, “This is a time when the whole world might depend on something of a spirit that has emerged from slavery and these islands.”

The Ambassador also shared with an audience of more than 200 guests that there is economic power and cross-cultural exchange available within the Caribbean diaspora.

“Anyone who amounted to anything in America, came as an immigrant. People come here, they share with us and they contribute to our society. Then, they go back home and do whatever it is that needs doing,” said Ambassador Young.

He shared that the evening was simply the beginning of work that will impact the world. He was presented with the Marcus Garvey Leadership Award for his legacy of working within civil rights, international diplomacy, federal, state and local government.

The Ambassador and seven other honorees were celebrated with the Captains of Industry distinction.

Among them, Melissa Proctor, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, Ivan Shammas, General Manager and General Sales Manager for Telemundo Atlanta, Jackie Hawthorne-Robinson, Co-Founder of Golden Krust Caribbean Grill & Bakery, Nicole Roebuck Warner, Executive Director of AID Atlanta, Lars Minns, Head of HR for Mercedes Benz USA, NAFTA, Rony Delgarde, CEO & Founder of Global Paint for Charity and Rep. Donna McLeod, GA, District 105.

The event, which was chaired by Marva Jacobs, Honorary Consul of Guyana to the State of Georgia, also featured dignitaries and special guests from across Georgia, including Bahamas Consulate General in Atlanta, Astra Armbrister-Rolle, GA Dist. 111, Rep. El-Mahdi Holly, Field Representative, Beatrice Torralba from Senator David Perdue’s office, Chairman of the Jamaican Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta, Dr. David Panton and Executive Director of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Gabriel Vaca.

Chairman of the Caribbean American Cultural Arts Foundation, Michael Thomas said, “This event was a reminder that Atlanta’s Caribbean American community is diverse, robust, unified and making a difference.”

Funds raised from the event will support initiatives of the Caribbean American Cultural Arts Foundation. Projects like the I AM University Series which empowers college students through mentoring programs. It will also support ongoing disaster preparedness and relief efforts in the Caribbean.

South Florida Caribbean News

The SFLCN.com Team provides news and information for the Caribbean-American community in South Florida and beyond.

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