SOUTH FLORIDA – The 10th People Profile Awards, dubbed ‘A Decade of Excellence’, was held on July 13th at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. Thirty-four persons, who have made stalwart contributions in diverse fields, were honored.
Willie Stewart led the award winners. He is a master drummer and started the annual Rhythms Of Africa show. This show is a key part of the South Florida entertainment scene. He was also a drummer for the Third World band. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
For over 20 years, the London-born Stewart has tutored musically-inclined students in the Broward County school system. Many of them perform with him on Rhythms Of Africa which was first held in 2010.
“I am deeply honored and incredibly humbled to accept this Lifetime Achievement Award. To be recognized for a life lived in music and in service to young people is truly overwhelming and a gift I don’t take lightly,” he said. “Congratulations to all the other awardees, what an inspiring group, what we share in common is the love and passion for what we do.”
Stewart also saluted his late parents, Herbert and Evelyn Stewart, his brother Byron Lee and wife Carol whom he described as “my heart, my strength.”
Fellow Jamaican Joanna Marie Robinson, another key figure of South Florida’s music beat, was recognized for making her mark as artist, manager, music producer and entrepreneur.
“It’s an incredible honor. To be recognized not just for talent, but for courage, that touches me deeply. This award speaks to the quiet battles I’ve fought behind the scenes, and the strength it takes to keep showing up in this industry, especially after stepping away for so long,” she told South Florida Caribbean News. “I’m grateful to People Profile Awards for seeing not just the artist, but the woman behind the music.”
2025 People Profile Awards Recipients
Other recipients of 2025 People Profile Awards are philanthropist/community activist Winsome Robertson Green; Colin Smith, founder of the Tallawah Mento Band; Alrene Richards-Barr, director of International Affairs at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport; Patrick “Jackie” Walters, a leading Jamaican soccer coach; guitarist Eugene Grey; Zemroy Lewis of the Code Red Band; Annika Ashton, deputy county attorney at the Broward County Attorney’s office; and Guyanese businesswoman Samantha Ramnarine.
Dr. Allan Cunningham from Jamaica is an important person in South Florida’s West Indian community. He started the People Profile Awards. Its mantra is, “Recognizing those persons in our community doing extraordinary things.”
