Senator Delano Franklyn, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade was recently presented with keys to the City of Miramar by City Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman, also a Jamaican national.
In a brief ceremony at the City Hall, the Mayor, Ms. Lori Moseley also declared Wednesday (Feb. 23) as “Delano Franklyn Day” for the Minister’s outstanding contribution to the Jamaican Diaspora and his support of the nationals overseas.
Miramar, a suburban city in Broward County has an increasingly growing immigrant population of over 100,000 residents with approximately half of that number being Jamaican nationals.
The City also significantly bears the title of being the only city in the USA where Jamaican nationals hold the majority of seats on a five-seat Commission. Three Jamaicans currently hold three seats on that Commission namely Messrs. Fitzroy Salesman, Winston Barnes and George Pedlar.
The Minister in expressing appreciation praised the efforts of Jamaicans already influencing their communities through other areas of leadership – public service, corporate leadership, entrepreneurship and community service. At the same time, he implored Jamaicans to become citizens of the countries of their residence “so you can take more effective roles in the decision-making process of those communities.
Describing the overseas community as an integral part of the process of thinking of the Jamaican Government, Senator Franklyn mentioned that the government had recognized the need to “go beyond and recognize those in the Diaspora.”
He said that this process had resulted in the historical launch of the Jamaica Diaspora Conference, which was held last June in Kingston, where some 400 Jamaicans including 250 from North America, Canada and the United Kingdom had convened to look at ways to strengthen the links between Jamaicans at home and abroad.
The Minister mentioned the imminent plans for the Jamaica Diaspora Foundation to be chaired by Professor, the Hon. Rex Nettleford, former Vice-Chancellor of University of the West Indies. This organization, to be located at the UWI Campus, Mona, would be responsible for the oversight of formal operations to keep the channels of communication effective among the Diaspora.
He also spoke of the appointment of a seven-member Advisory Board of Jamaican nationals overseas to work with his Ministry in formulating strategies that would best serve the overseas communities. In this regard, South Florida attorney, Ms. Dahlia Walker-Huntington was selected as the representative in the Southeast USA.
Mrs. Huntington-Walker praised the Minister for his dedication to overseas Jamaicans and creating mechanisms for communication with Government and the diasporic community.
The event was chaired by Commissioner George Pedlar while Commissioner Winston Barnes introduced Senator Franklyn to the Miramar community of friends and supporters.
