By Derrick A. Scott
Washington, D.C. = Jamaican’s residing in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area will celebrate the island’s Emerald anniversary with a number of scheduled official events to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence.
Between Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 13, the Embassy of Jamaica in Washington, D.C . under the leadership of Ambassador Audrey Marks will be engaged in a number of activities supported by leading Jamaican organizations.
The activities will get underway on August 5, when the Jamaica Association of Maryland will stage its annual Independence Gala and Marcus Garvey Award ceremony at the Martin’s West banquet hall in Baltimore.
The Dumbarton Chapel at Howard University’s School of Law will be the venue for the annual service of Thanksgiving, to be held on Sunday, August 6, at 11a.m. Guest preacher will be The Rev.Dr. DeForest Soaries Jr., senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, Somerset New Jersey. Ambassador Audrey Marks will give the official welcome and deliver The Prime Minister’s Message.
Dr. Althea Belcher, President of the St. Andrew Alumni Association, Washington chapter, will read the first lesson while the second lesson will be read by Ms. Jonelle Bowen. The Rev. Dr. Bertram Melbourne, Dean of the Howard University School of Divinity, will moderate the service.
A special reception hosted by Embassy of Jamaica will follow at the Organization of American States, where Jamaica’s songbird, Karen Smith will be the featured performer.
On Sunday, August 13, a service of Thanksgiving will be held at the Baltimore Central New Testament Church of God at 5 p.m. to mark the 55th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence. The sermon will be delivered by the Rev. Mr. Stanley Murray.
In the Tri-State area, Jamaicans in New York will celebrate independence at a thanksgiving church service and flag raising ceremony at the Riverside Church on Riverside Drive in Manhattan. The Prime Minister’s message will be read by Jamaica’s Consul General in New York, Trudy Deans, while the Rev. Canon Dr. Audley Donaldson will deliver the sermon.
Independence Activities in New York will come to a close with a grand Independence Gala on Saturday the 26th of August at the New York Hilton Hotel in Manhattan.
Over in Atlanta, Georgia, On Sunday August 6, the Jamaican community will attend a thanksgiving and ecumenical church service at the Unity Atlanta church starting at 5:00 pm. Jamaica’s Honorary Consul to Atlanta Mrs Jewel Scott will deliver the Prime Minister’s message. The Rev. Horace Ward, pastor of the Church of the Holy Family in Miami Gardens will deliver the sermon.
On Thursday, August 10, a cultural concert hosted by Union of Jamaica Organization in Atlanta, will take place at the South Dekalb High School starting at 7:00pm.
The curtains on the Independence Activities in Atlanta will come down on August 12, when the Atlanta Jamaica Association will stage its annual Independence Ball and Scholarship Awards at the Sheraton hotel in down town Atlanta.
