built, then there will be no loss of strength and for the bicycle it creates a perfectly balanced ride. Let us not get distracted by negativity; let us continue to work with each other for the love for our community, set a positive example for the next generation, and strive to create a “perfectly balanced ride.” At CAHFT, we are absolutely de-voted to helping our Caribbean Community make positive con-tributions to our society while promoting our rich cultural heritage. Every spoke is VITAL to the strength of the wheel; every spoke greatly contributes to an even, perfectly balanced ride.

T he Caribbean American Heri-tage Foundation of Texas (CAHFT)

was established to promote the Rich heritage of our people. Every member of our organiza-tion is proud of their culture and has been working to build rela-tionships with other organiza-tions and individuals that have the same goals and mission. But to achieve our mutual goals and objectives, WE MUST WORK TOGETHER. WE MUST AC-CENTUATE THE POSITIVES IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE NEED INPUT FROM EVERY-ONE. WE NEED EACH OTHER TO PROMOTE OUR RICH CARIBBEAN HERITAGE.

While we may from time to time disagree as a community, we must not become disagree-able. Each individual, each or-ganization, each business is a VITAL “spoke in the wheel.” For example, a bicycle wheel whose spokes are properly tensioned is not easily broken and makes the wheel stronger and more durable in the long run. What is more important than the strength of any individ-ual spoke in a wheel is how well and evenly tensioned the wheel is. If there are large differentials in the tension be-tween individual spokes, that creates stress points in the wheel that can become failure points. If the wheel is properly

Mrs. Rosalia King, is the wife of St. Lucian Prime Minister The

H o n o u r a b l e S t e p h e n s o n King. “The Un i t ed Nations, Interna-tional Women's Day has been observed on 8th March s i nce

1975. It is observed annually through-out the world to celebrate the eco-nomic, political and social achieve-ments of women past, present and future. On this day scheduled events are held globally to inspire women and celebrate achievements. This year, as we ponder on the theme “Equal access to education, training and science and technol-

ogy: Pathway to decent work for women,” let us not forget the countless female role models who have paved the way in Saint Lucia for women to reach the heights of any profession that they choose to pur-sue. To a large extent these achieve-ment are also those of our mothers, who laboured tirelessly to raise strong women; to our teachers who assisted with the polish and the finish, to ensure that women were ready to occupy boardrooms and high offices; and to the men who have recognized that their mothers, sisters, wives and daughters are entitled to equal ac-cess of what the country and the world has to offer. Together we have strengthened the backbone of our country and in many

ways have lived the theme of our 32nd Anniversary of Independence, "Recovering through Resilience, Re-building with Determination". Our women have been both resilient and determined and we pray that this translates to our next generation of women. Our women have done us proud nationally, regionally and inter-nationally by taking advantage of the opportunities that have been provided to all Saint Lucians. We should be pleased with the fact that we have systematically removed injustice against women and that Saint Lucian women can attend all levels of learning institutions without discrimination. Today, let us continue to strive for the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms of women throughout the world.”

The Spoke in the Wheel

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Kamau Brathwaite

2

Much Thanks 2

Kittitian To Lead Court

2

Immigration Tips

3

Women Walking Tall

3

SLU PM To Visit Houston

3

African Descent Year

4

Dominican Republic

4

Gweneth Burt 5

BBC Caribbean News

5

The Internet 5

The Internet 6

Contact Information

6

Mrs. Rosalia King’s Message on Women’s Day

“ Our Culture, Our Heritage, Our Caribbean “

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 2

B O A R D O F

D I R E C T O R S

Peter L. René,

Chairman

Lucia Bates,

President

Jerry Castro,

Vice President

Coretta Warner,

Secretary

Michelle Levi,

Treasurer

Lafayette Hamilton,

Program Director

Ricardo Marshall,

Director

Janelle Escayg,

Director

Dr. Louis Browne

Honorary Consul of

Barbados, Special

Advisor to the Board

St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Stephenson King To Visit Houston March 27, 2011

P A G E 2

Just about every

nonprofit charitable

organization uses

volunteers in some

capacity. In most cases,

Board Members serve

without compensation.

E d w a r d K a m a u Brathwaite, born in Bridgetown Barbados, is the 2006 International Winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize, for his vol-ume of poetry, Born to Slow Horses. He is cur-rently Professor of Com-parative Literature at New York University, a position he has held since 1992. With Much Thanks and Appreciation

“BREAD” by Kamau Brathwaite S lowly the white dream

wrestles to life hands shaping the salt and the

foreign cornfields the cold flesh kneaded by fingers is ready for the charcoal, for the black wife

of heat, the years of green sleep-ing in the volcano.

the dream becomes tougher, settling into its shape like a bull-

frog, suns rise and electrons touch it. walls melt into brown,

moving to crisp and crackle breathing edge of the knife of the oven. noise of the shop, noise of the farmer, market.

on this slab of lord, on this table w i t h its oil-skin cloth on this altar of the bone, this sacrifice

of isaac: warm dead, warm mer-chandise, more than worn mer-chandise: life itself: the dream of

the soil itself flesh of the god you break, peace to your lips,

strife of the multitudes who howl all day for its savior who need its

crumbs as fish, flickering through their green element, need a wide glassy wisdom to keep

their groans alive and this loaf here, life now halted, more and more water additive, the dream less clear, the soil more distant, its prayer of table, bless of lips, more hard to reach with pen-nies: the knife that should have

cut it, the hands that should have broken open its victory

of crusts

at your throat: balaam watching with red leaking eyes: the rats

finding only this young empty husk: sharpening

their ratchets: your wife going out on the streets, search-

ing, searching her feet tapp/ing, the lights of

the motorcars watching watching, rounding

the shape of her girdle, her back naked

rolled into night into night with-out morning

rolled into dread into dread without dream

rolled into life into life without vision.

—Kamau Brathwaite

of The Right Honorable Mr. Justice Michael de la Bastide, a Trinidadian native, who has resided as president of the or-ganization since 2004.   As he waits to serve his new position sometime later this year, Byron continues to serve in his current position as president of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, an organization that seek to

O ut of the humble twin island federation of St.

Kitts and Nevis, a man was born to serve the Caribbean people through the means of justice and liberty. Sir Dennis Byron of Bassaterre, St. Kitts was ap-pointed president of the Carib-bean Court of Justice (CCJ), a very privilege position, indeed. Sir Byron will be taking the place

maintain equal human rights and orderly peace in the Republic of Rwanda. Sir Byron was knighted by the Queen Elizabeth II in 2000 and also served in many vital positions such as Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, High Court judge, Justice of Appeal in addi-tion to serving as a member of Her Majesty’s Privy Council in 2004.

thank all our Board for their

time and tireless efforts: I say a

very heart-felt, Thank-You!

› Thanks to Lucia Bates,

Coretta Warner, Michelle Levi, Lafayette Hamilton, Jerry Castro, Ricardo Marshall, Janelle Escayg, and a special thanks to Dr. Louis Browne, Honorary Consul of Barbados. Dr. Browne serves as a Special Advisor to the Board.

Finally, we thank all our supporters and fans.

Volunteers are the life-blood and the backbone of a nonprofit organization. Overall, volunteers provide and continue to provide a valuable service. They have given, not only their time, but their expertise in helping our organization succeed. We have an ALL VOLUNTEER Board of Directors at CAHFT. Therefore I would like to

W W W . C A R I B B E A N H E R I T A G E T X . O R G

Kittitian Named to Head Court of Justice

St. Kitts and Nevis is truly proud of you, Sir Dennis

Poet’s Corner

P A G E 3 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 2

S eptember 11, 2001 had pro-foundly impacted the immi-

grant community. Immigrants with criminal convictions have become one of the primary concerns of the Department of Justice and the De-partment of Homeland Security (DHS). Any person who is not a United States citizen, including lawful permanent residents, can be deported because of a crimi-nal conviction. Crimes are classified under immigration law as either “aggravated felonies” or “crimes involving moral turpitude.” First,

Aggravated felonies are the most serious crimes and are specifically defined by statute in the Immigration and Nationality Act. How a crime is classified determines whether a per-son is deported or is entitled to any relief. Second, Crimes involving moral turpitude are not listed in the Immigration and Nationality Act but comprise conduct that is “inherently base, vile, or depraved, and contrary to accepted rules of morality, such as murder, sex offenses, robbery, bur-glary, theft, arson, aggravated assault. Third crimes that may either trigger deportation or prevent a non-citizen

from attaining lawful permanent resi-dent status, includes violations of any law relating to a controlled substance, domestic violence convictions and unlawfully using or possessing a fire-arm or destructive device. There are almost no legal avenues that prevent the deportation of non-citizens’ con-victed of an aggravated felony or a controlled substance violation.

For crimes of moral turpitude and domestic violence offenses, limited remedies exist that may prevent de-portation, and depends on the immi-gration status of the non-citizen and the length of residence in the U.S.

velopment, will hold a town hall meeting at the Trinity Episcopal Church (5010 North Main Street, Baytown, TX 77521) at 3:00 pm followed by a Fund Raising Cocktail Party at Cool Runnings Jamaican Grill (8270 West Bellfort Street, Houston, TX 77071) at 8:00 pm.

“This is the first time such a high level minister of the St. Lucian government will visit the Houston area in an offi-

T he Honourable Stephen-son King, Prime Minister of St. Lucia, is set to make an official visit to

the Bayou City on March 27, 2011. The St. Lucian Head of State, who also serves as Minister for Finance,

Economic Affairs and National De-

cial capacity to address the Houston Caribbean community,” says Presi-dent of the St. Lucia Association of Texas, Ms. Andrea Jean-Baptiste.  The  Association and One Love Car-ibbean News Publisher Sylvanus Donaie worked tirelessly to estab-lish this high-level visit of Prime Minister King to the Houston Area. Mr. King is St. Lucia’s sixth Prime Minister. He represents the constitu-ency of Castries North for the United

and Lounge, located at 4809 Geor-gia Avenue in NW, DC. "Women Walking Tall" is about women but it for everyone to attend, especially

men. Accord-ing to Rosie "Peppy" Parke, who is also the producer of the event and host

of the new talk show, PEP Talk!, "March is my favorite month of the year because it brings awareness to wonderful women who are walking tall among us. It is always my pleas-

ure to do my part in highlighting women who I admire and putting them in front of a captive audi-ence."  The event will feature words, po-etry, song, music, and a market-place by WOMEN. Men are en-couraged to attend and the event is for all ages.  Performers and presenters include Dr. Claire Nelson, Naima Jahmaal, Queen Majeeda, Ange Anglade, and others. Special performance by Strykers Posse, (Sistrens in Power).  

E ach Year, in celebra-tion of Women’s His-tory Month (March),

Peppy Entertainment & Promotions http://www.peppypromotions.com hosts a Women's History Month event bringing together women of all ages, races, and stature to cele-brate the talent, spirit, beauty, de-termination, and grace of women.        This year, on Saturday, March 26, the event is dubbed "Women Walking Tall" and will be held from 6pm to midnight at RAS Restaurant

Women’s History Month: “Women Walking Tall”

St. Lucian Prime Minister to Visit Houston Workers Party (UWP). When Prime Minister Sir John Compton became ill in May 2007, King was became Acting Prime Minister. After Prime Compton died on Sep-tember 7, 2007, King was worn in as Prime Minis-ter Governor-General Pearlette Louisy on Sep-tember 9, 2007.

Immigration Tips: Crime & Deportation

W W W . C A R I B B E A N H E R I T A G E T X . O R G

P A G E 4

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Dominican Republic Independence Day Celebration

U.N. Declares African Descent Year

U nited Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made the follow-

ing remarks declaring 2011 the International Year for People of African Descent. Here are his remarks, in part, made in New York.

"Excellencies, L a d i e s a n d G e n t l e m e n , I am pleased to join you as we launch the International Year for People of African Descent, pro-claimed recently by the General Assembly. The Year seeks to

strengthen political commitment to eradicating discrimination against people of African descent. It also aims to promote greater awareness of and respect for the diverse heritage and culture of people of African descent. I welcome this effort to pay tribute to the vast contributions made by people of African de-scent to the advancement of the political, economic, social and cultural development of all of our societies. At the same time, we must remember that people of African descent are among those most affected by racism. Too often, they face denial of basic

rights such as access to quality health services and education. Such fundamental wrongs have a long and terrible history." U.N. Resolution 64/169 “Proclaimed the year beginning on 1 January 2011 the Interna-tional Year for People of African Descent, with a view to strength-ening national actions and re-gional and international coopera-tion for the benefit of people of African descent…” Visit our website for the full text of the Secretary’s remarks and the U.N.’s Resolution www.caribbeanheritagetx.org/cahft_documents.htm

W W W . C A R I B B E A N H E R I T A G E T X . O R G

March Is Women’s Month: Spotlighting Gweneth Burt P A G E 5 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 2

G weneth Burt was born on the Island of St. Kitts the sixth child from a family of 14 chil-

dren. Career opportunities during my youthful years were very de-pendent on parental financial status. Basic schooling and higher educa-tion was a distant dream for many teenagers. “My parents were laborers who worked sugar cane fields to earn income for the family. Our parents knew the potential for more in life and taught their children that self-discipline and focus were necessary, and chil-dren’s compliance was expected. I often participated in various youth organizations both in church and in

the community. The St John's Ambu-lance Brigade spearheaded my interest in nursing as I was a volunteer and later paid to work as a nurse’s aide at Pogson Hospital in Sandy Point, St. Kitts.” Gweneth has been married since 1974 and a mother of three daughters: Kimberley, Winona and Michelle. She attended Lee College in Baytown and earned her Li-censed Vocational Nurse (LVN) degree, Registered Nurse (RN) degree, and in 2005 a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), while working for San Jacinto Methodist Hospital in Baytown. “I started on the medical floor in 1983 as an LVN with Methodist Hospital.

I’ve since served in the roles of RN for medical floor, RN with ICU, RN for day surgery charge nurse on the medical surgical floor and in ICU. My current role is RN, BSN, in the Intensive Care Unit of San Jacinto Methodist Hospi-tal.” Gweneth’s biggest aspiration is climb the ladder of success while educating herself, and feels that there are vast amounts of opportu-nities available She enjoy playing scrabble, solitaire, and listening to/participating in intelligent conversa-tion. CAHFT proud ly spot l i gh ts Gweneth Burt for her contributions to her family and our society.

of unforeseeable circumstances, that I have religiously been on and using the internet. You name it, and it can be found on the inter-net. Though I am only thirty five years old, I would consider myself to be part of the older and the younger generation. The older generation for example in which in order to do a book report for school; I had to walk or ride the bus and or train, sometimes both

T he  internet, what does it mean to the older and or

younger generations? To the older generations the internet can mean endless opportunities and freedom. To the younger generations the internet can mean convenience, freedom and even danger. Person-ally, I have been using the internet for over seven years, but it’s only for about two months and because

to get to the library. This meant if I am to get my report done and hand in on time, I would need to get to the li-brary as soon as possible when an assignment was issued to check out what materials are needed for the assignment. So much for hanging out and hav-ing fun on Saturday’s right. Now, as a mother of four working full time; the internet

was not considered significant enough for political intervention. Put another way, the BBC’s manage-ment in an effort to justify cutting the service, seems to have con-vinced itself that the void it is creat-ing will be filled by local media; in doing so failing to understand the complexities of the region or to recognize that there is virtually no consistent re-broadcast pan-Caribbean radio programming, let alone the funding or the commercial desire to provide such coverage. The reality of what happens next is likely to be somewhat different to what the BBC’s management believe.

With the dismantling of its Carib-bean Service its specialist team of independent Caribbean staff, who have become well known and trusted across the region, will depart and what little that was left that represented and conveyed a regional broadcast perspective will disappear for ever. In many respects the vari-ous incarnations of the BBC Carib-bean Service reflected the nature of the changing UK relationship with the region. The demise of the BBC Caribbean Service is yet another marker in Britain’s less than joined-up reassessment of how it relates to the region.

O n January 25 the BBC World Service an-nounced that as part of a new funding arrange-

ment with the British Government it will be cutting the broadcaster’s budget by 16 per cent or by around US$73 (£46M) per annum. In doing so it will be significantly reducing the numbers it employs and cutting the range of the programming and ser-vices it offers to many regions of the world, including the Caribbean. In the case of the BBC Caribbean ser-vice and its approximate US$0.8M (£0.5m) budget it would appear that at a foreign policy level the region

BBC Ends Caribbean News Service March 31st!

“The Internet,” by Holly Blount gives me the opportunity to work, catch a good sale, and even continue my education, and the freedom to do these things all in the comfort and convenience of my home. The  younger  generation  has the convenience of research-ing a term paper any time; day or night, from any place the internet can be accessed. Continued on Page 6

W W W . C A R I B B E A N H E R I T A G E T X . O R G

to advocate on behalf of the peoples

of the Caribbean and Caribbean

decent. We plan to work to estab-

lish the Foundation as a social, cul-

tural and economic presence in our

diverse community, capable of

bringing visible change and achieve-

ment through our advocacy.

Another of our core missions is to

recognize and annually celebrate

National Caribbean-American Heri-

tage Month, June of every year; in

doing so, we will work to bring

awareness to the contributions

made to our society and culture of

peoples of Caribbean and Caribbean

heritage and highlighting the contri-

bution made my Caribbean immi-

grants to the United States and

Texas. Through our efforts during

June, we hope to also continue our

dialogue between the Caribbean

Our Mission

The Caribbean American Heritage

Foundation of Texas (CAHFT), a

Texas non profit organization, was

established exclusively to partner

with, collaborate, and assist Texas’

Caribbean Organizations to bring

awareness to the rich, lush history

the Caribbean Culture and to pro-

mote its benefits and our contribu-

tions to the diverse culture in

Texas.

The Foundation will work to and

assist Texas Caribbean Organiza-

tions achieve their goals: business,

financial and cultural, objectives

through strategic partnership and

mutual collaborations, in the spirit

of cooperation.

We plan to work tirelessly to estab-

lish the Caribbean Communities as

ONE united voice while continuing

and our American and Texas communi-

ties.

Our Values

CAHFT will operate above board

with transparency

CAHFT will conduct business with

the associations, local businesses and

individuals impartially in a fair and

equitable manner

Collaborative: every organization has

a seat at the table and every organi-

zation has a voice

CAHFT will conduct ourselves pro-

fessionally while on Foundation busi-

ness

CAHFT will operate and conduct

ourselves with integrity

CHAFT will operate and conduct

ourselves ethically

P.O. Box 420745 Houston, Texas 77242 Phone: 713-783-5779 Fax: 713-783-1510 Contact: Lucia Bates lbates@caribbeanheritagetx.org Go To Our Website, Join Our E-mail List www.caribbeanheritagetx.org http://cahft.podomatic.com Logo Designs by Steve McCormick

They are fortunate to be able to have their cake and eat it too, so to speak. Time is better managed when it come to the convenience of the internet. One can simply access their medical, court or even their DMV files all via the internet, saving time and money. This can leave you with nothing but freedom and time – if managed effectively, to pursue other adventures and avenues to better one’s life and life experiences. Now, the very same convenience and freedom the internet can bring us, can so lead our kids and even us as adults to danger. Take any of the popular internet chat rooms for example, one can never really know or be too comfort-able with whom they are conversing with. This is the dangerous thing about the internet, parents are told to be aware of what sites our children visits or with whom they are friend with or conversing with over the internet. The truth is even as adult we are also vulnerable to the dangers of the internet. I would like to end this news letter with this; just as having a vehicle gives us freedom, is convenient, saves us time, and money, yet there are rules to follow when operating a vehicle to keep us safe, we should treat the internet with these same precautions. Until next time, Be Blessed. School, work, entertainment, relaxation, information, remind. Show has to tell me something about gaiter. Holly is a native of Linden, Guyana.

“The Internet,” continued...

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