–Brooklyn’s Waterfall Lounge owner says in face of attacks by known detractors of the government for hosting President Ali
–launches community initiative to boost literacy, mental health within New York

THE Guyanese Diaspora will continue to open their doors for shared development, Brooklyn-based businesswoman Nola Rodney has said.
She said this commitment will not be dulled by those who have never made a difference in the community.

The businesswoman lamented that persons who always fail to acknowledge Guyana’s rapid development trajectory, and continuously push messages of negativity are those who do not make positive contributions.
Rodney, the owner of Waterfall Lounge, during the launch of her community initiative, which aims to support the Guyanese Diaspora in New York, addressed the recent criticisms her business has received.
Last month, known critics of the government became uneasy when President Dr. Irfaan Ali was warmly welcomed in Brooklyn, New York, where he attended a breakfast event at Waterfall Lounge.
Also, the Head of State previously visited Brooklyn in April of this year, where he interacted with Guyanese-owned businesses in the diaspora.

Following the visit in April, there were renewed attempts by the Caribbean-Guyana Institute for Democracy (C-GID) to sow seeds of division, and there was even a call to boycott Guyanese-owned businesses in the diaspora.
On both occasions, Guyanese within the diaspora were subjected to brutal verbal assaults by those known opponents of progress.
Even as her business is the latest victim of these unwarranted attacks, Rodney is not shying away from being an ally to development.

She said: “I am really excited to see where Guyana is, you know, even on a smaller scale. Deviating from the socioeconomic aspect of it, when I am on my social media timeline, all of a sudden, I see so much content about Guyana; if I’m watching TV, Guyana is now being mentioned in movies, Guyana is now being mentioned on travel shows and on news networks that are mainstream in the United States.
“So, it is exciting to see the country come to the forefront and be recognised for the beauty that it is.”

While she was originally concerned about the protection of the country’s natural resources, Rodney mentioned that she is thrilled to see that they are being safeguarded. The businesswoman was firm in her stance that she will not join the negativity.
She said: “I am not always worried about the negativity, because everything in nature has duality. You have night, you have day, you have light, you have dark. And I find that no matter what you do, even if it’s a good thing, you are going to have someone on the opposing side saying something or doing something against it. I don’t lean and focus towards the dark too much. I keep looking in the light; I keep looking at the solution.

“The biggest thing within all of this that I’ve noticed is the people who give the most backlash, ironically, are the people who are not doing anything except giving backlash. So, I’m really excited to be on the side where we’re focusing on solutions and focusing on doing.”
She has also started an initiative to educate and uplift the local community by raising awareness about mental health issues and Internet literacy among the diaspora in an effort to contribute to the solution.
In New York, the Community Hub Initiative will hold instructional sessions on literacy, mental health, and gaining access to necessary resources.

The purpose of these gatherings is to strengthen links within the diaspora and provide community members with essential resources. The programmes will address important problems like mental health and digital literacy in order to promote both individual and community progress.
Later this month, “Chill & Chat”, a new programme, will formally debut. Participants will be able to interact with a therapist, and acquire useful coping mechanisms. The eight-week programme will focus on practical strategies for handling everyday issues while providing guidance and support in a laid-back, conversational environment.