WASHINGTON DC – A cocktail reception was hosted by the Jamaican Embassy in Washington on January 11 to honor four newly elected United States (US) Government officials with ties to Jamaica.
The four persons honored were: Mayor of the District of the Columbia, Adrian M. Fenty, son of a Jamaican; Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, daughter of Jamaican parents and the first Jamaican elected to the Congress; Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, Anthony G. Brown, son of a Jamaican; and Delegate of Maryland General Assembly, Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, who is Jamaican born.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Anthony Hylton who attended the function at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center said, “the fact that we now have leaders in the House of Congress, in one of the most important mayoral offices in the United States and in the Lieutenant Governor’s office in one of the most important states in the US, means that we in the Caribbean and Jamaica are likely to see strong advocates for the strengthening of the relationship between the United States and our region”.
“It is the hope that this will prompt greater sensitivity to issues of concern to Caribbean people residing here as well as at home,” the Minister added.
Senator Hylton said that the proposed conference on the Caribbean, which is set for June this year in the US, was very important for countries in the region.
The conference will examine the future of the relationships and their implications for development of the Caribbean over the next 15 years.
Senator Hylton pointed out that the conference would include representatives at the highest level of government, the private sector, academia, non-governmental organizations, and members of the diaspora.
“It will be an important conference on vital issues at a critical time. It will be an ideal opportunity for each of the elected leaders to play a pivotal role in securing the objectives of this conference,” he said.
