by Howard Campbell
[SOUTH FLORIDA] – The inaugural Jamaica Diaspora Southern USA (JADIAS) Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled for November 13 at the Signature Grand in Davie. Twelve stalwarts who have contributed to their adopted homes and Jamaica will be inducted.
Most of the honorees including businessman Dr. Allan Cunningham, WAVS AM 1170’s Winsome Charlton, Reverend Horace Ward and attorney Marlon Hill are pillars of the South Florida Caribbean community.
Cunningham is honorary chairman of the Southern Region which comprises 13 states.
Their colleagues, such as Tony Gray and Lorna Beck, have made similar impact in Georgia and North Carolina, respectively.
The list of awardees is completed by Sydney Roberts, Pat Montague, Kaye Chong, Marie Gill, Rupert Rhodd and Norman Hemming.
Dr. Rose-Marie Lewis, president of JADIAS, said they were selected by the organization’s nine-member board. Persons must be resident of the United States for 20 year. Additionally, they must show “consistent contribution” to communities in their region and Jamaica, to be eligible for nomination.
Lewis addressed the importance of acknowledging the contributions of persons who give back.
“When one gives of self or time, they want to know that someone realizes that ‘I have been serving and I have touched lives’. It’s only fair we pay homage to them,” she said.
The Jamaica Diaspora Southern Region includes Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. In addition to, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
