MIAMI – Florida’s Caribbean American community has been urged to become more politically active in 2015 not merely to protect the gains of recent years but to ensure that issues which affect them can be effectively addressed and “we can be seen as a serious force to be reckoned with in our communities,” Florida State Representative Hazelle Rogers told a gathering of Caribbean American community and business leaders and members of the Consular Corps on Sunday evening, at a holiday reception hosted by Guyanese business executive and former diplomat Wesley Kirton.
Rep. Rogers (D-Florida’s 95 District) also urged closer collaboration among Caribbean American organizations so as to avoid duplication of effort and to maximize the benefits of the work the various organizations put in to assist the less fortunate in their communities as well as back home in the Caribbean. She pointed to the need for Caribbean Americans to register and to vote in both mid-term and presidential elections “since this would help to elect politicians and officials who are going to look out for the best interest of our communities. We Caribbean Americans have a tendency to be complacent…..many of us don’t vote or vote just for the president and some other candidates. But at the local level it is important that you help elect the best person for property appraiser, for tax collector…we just lost a major judgeship in south Florida which would not have happened if more Caribbean Americans had voted.”
Rogers, an immigrant from Jamaica, noted that term limits will prevent her from seeking re-election in 2016 and stressed the need for the community to ensure she is succeeded by another person of CARICOM decent. “We have got to make sure our community holds on to this seat and I am happy that there are some of our business leaders here tonight because we need your support to make this happen. You have got to help ensure that you have in office people who will address your needs and the needs of the community that are your clients and customers.”
She also spoke of the need for the community to support the work of organizations “which seek to advance our interest on immigration, education and the preservation of our culture….and by that I just don’t mean every jump up and reggae fete but our art, dance forms, emancipation activities and religious actives including those of our Hindu and Muslim communities.” One important event which she said is on the cards for as early as February, is a tax seminar especially for community organizations so that their executives could be better educated about the requirements of a non-profit organizations. “We need to know and understand the tax laws as they relate to 501(c) 3 and other codes and follow these to the letter so that we don’t have the Internal Revenue Service coming after our charitable and related organizations. We will soon announce a date for this seminar.”
Among others speaking at the reception were journalist and advertising executive Aubrey Campbell, past president of the Lauderhill Chamber of Commerce Roxanne Valies, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Diaspora Association Kamal Abdool, business executive Karl Chung, Dwayne Anderson, Caribbean Carnival band leader, Harry Bissoon of Guyana Day, Inc. and Kenneth Nandlall of the Trinidad and Tobago Citizens Association of West Palm Beach.
Kirton, corporate marketing and external relations manager at Laparkan, thanked his guests for accepting his invitation which he said “is intended to bring us together not only to celebrate the holiday season but to get to know each other better, network and discuss informally how we might better work together for the common good, eschewing rampant nationalism and projecting our one Caribbean front.”
