Town Hall meeting in South Florida to help shape the changing paradigm between the Caribbean Diaspora and the region

MIRAMAR – Caribbean-Americans in South Florida will have a chance this March to help shape the changing paradigm between the Caribbean Diaspora and the region.

The National Association of Caribbean-American Journalists (NACAJ) will host a Town Hall meeting at the Miramar Town Center, City Hall, Commission Chambers at 2300 Civic Center Place. The event is set for Friday, March 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. It’s free and open to the public. The dialogue will begin promptly at 6 p.m.

This Town Hall meeting serves as a follow-up to last June’s Conference on the Caribbean in Washington, D.C. where heads of Caribbean nations met with President George Bush and other elected officials on Capitol Hill. However, many Caribbean-Americans felt the lack of dialogue between CARICOM leaders, and the Diaspora was not tailored enough toward the needs of the Caribbean community in the U.S. This meeting in Miramar, organizers said, will help set the agenda for another Conference on the Caribbean geared specifically toward the Diaspora’s needs.

According to data from Broward County Visitor’s Bureau, West Indians or Caribbean-Americans comprise the largest ethnic group in Broward County. NACAJ president Ann-Marie Adams said the aim is to allow South Floridians to have an impacting dialogue with ambassadors and consular generals from the Caribbean and to engage local community activists, political leaders and journalists who will discuss how to attain more visibility in the U.S. for local organizations and the Caribbean region.

Panelists include, among others, Immigration Attorney, Dahlia Walker-Huntington; Miramar Vice Mayor, Winston Barnes; WPLG Local 10 anchor/reporter, Neki Mohan; Founder of South Florida Caribbean News, Ian Hamilton; and Dean of the Caucus of Ambassadors and Grenada’s Ambassador to the U.S., Denis Antoine.

The Town Hall meeting will kick off NACAJ’s inaugural national meeting of journalists from the Caribbean and of Caribbean descent in the U. S. at the Marriott-Renaissance Plantation Hotel-South Florida from March 28th to March 30th.

Approximately 100 journalists, ambassadors and consuls general are expected to attend the professional workshops, plenary sessions and luncheon with keynote speaker, Paula Madison, VP of Diversity of NBC Universal/Telemundo. Other invited speakers include representatives from the Miami Herald, Florida Sun-Sentinel, NBC-4, CNN, NPR and South Florida Caribbean News.

Volunteer opportunities are available for student journalists. To register for the NACAJ’s national meeting, visit www.nacaj.org or call 202-413-0171.