Guyanese in New York rally round the ‘Golden Arrowhead’ : –at rollicking Independence ‘fete’ in Brooklyn

GUYANESE in New York rang in the nation’s 47th Independence Anniversary with oneness and patriotism during a rousing jubilee on June 21 at the historic Brooklyn Borough Hall, where the Guyana Tri-State Alliance held its 21st awards ceremony and cultural presentation. The expatriates, crammed into the reception hall, listened in rapt attention as Deputy Consul General of New York, M. R. Khan, recalled when Independence brought soaring hope and intense pride to his countrymen on May 26, 1966.

Reading a message on behalf of His Excellency, President Donald Ramotar, Khan said that in recognizing this date, we are also acknowledging the great contribution made towards the struggles for freedom and independence of the indentured labourers and their descendants; and this year’s celebration also marks the 178th anniversary of the arrival of the Madeirans, and the 160th Anniversary of the arrival of the first Chinese on our shores.

“Independence Day is a celebration of the innumerable sacrifices made by our ancestors at various periods of our history,” President Ramotar said in his statement.
Patricia Jordan Langford, president of the Tri-State Alliance, in turn commended the 21-one-year-old group, saying, “We are united by our common values and history. Let’s not forget our heritage, but become stronger thorough harmony, perseverance development and growth as one”.

Deputy Brooklyn Borough President, Sandra Chapman, who was born in the Georgetown ward of Lodge, welcomed her fellow Guyanese to the civic building, and noted that she has the opportunity to serve 2.6 million Brooklyn residents, 139,000 of whom are Guyanese.
Haitian-born Council Member Mathieu Eugene, a staunch supporter of the Guyanese community, who proclaims himself a Guyanese from Berbice, praised the nationals for the vibrancy that they brought to the borough, and presented them with NY City proclamations.

Those honoured for their outstanding work in their community include Beverley Drake, a pilot; Henry E. Muttoo, Artistic Director of the Cayman National Cultural Foundation; Muriel Glasgow, Ambassador of Peace and United Nations Mentor; Rozanna Beaumount, entrepreneur; Romesh D. Kalicharran, philanthropist; Holly Persaud, Administrator of the NY Guyana Humanitarian Mission; Sandra Chapman, Deputy Brooklyn Borough Hall president; Allison Skeete, community activist and mentor; and Glen Khan, CEO of Laparkan. A special honour was bestowed on Pandit Ramlall.

The migrants were also presented with plaques from the Alliance, and Citations from Borough Hall. Medals from the Alliance were placed around the necks of Guyana’s Olympians — Aliann Pompey and Jeremy Bascom — by M.R. Khan.

The cultural diversity of the Guyanese people later took centre stage with performances by Amanda Rambaran Chaliah and her dance group, and 12-year-old Victoria Labblan, who wowed the audience with her rendition of Celine Dion’s “I’m Your Angel”.

As the Golden Arrowhead stood in the backdrop, patriotic songs such as ‘Born in the land of the Mighty Roraima” echoed from the voices of Christine Williams and Anthony Alleyne, who were accompanied by pianist Keith Proctor. World-renowned Guyanese designers Roger Gary, Michelle Cole and Sonia Noel capped off the spectacular celebration with a stunning fashion show.

For the outstanding evening of entertainment, the Guyanese community applauded members of the Guyana Tri-State Alliance.
They are Brentnold F.R. Evans, Guyana Consul General to NY; Lynette Marshall; Yvonne Marcus; Phyllis Cort; Rupert Cort; Loraine Edinboro; Inderjit Hector; Yvonne Chaliha; Rozanna Beaumont; Mohammed Safie; Anthony Carter; Elizabeth Gonsalves; Beverly Ward; Allison Butters-Grant, and Molly Berry.

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