Caucus of Caribbean Ambassadors Conducts “Diaspora Dialogue” in Atlanta
Claire McLeveighn, Alrene Barr and Suzette Arnold were among the attendees at the Town Hall meeting
The CARICOM Caucus of Ambassadors was in Atlanta on April 28, 2007 for a “Diaspora Dialogue” in the form of a Town Hall meeting at the Kelly Chapel United Methodist Church in Decatur, Georgia. This was one of several stops on their tour of US cities in a promotion of the Conference on the Caribbean: A 20/20 Vision which will be held in Washington, D.C. on June 19 -21, 2007.
The purpose of the ‘Diaspora Dialogue’ was primarily to engage the Diaspora in planning the conference and in shaping its outcome. It also provided an opportunity for the Diaspora to be briefed “on developments in CARICOM and the opportunities opened through the creation of the Single Market, and new prospects in the process of creating the Single Economy.”
The Hon. Vin Martin, Jamaica’s Honorary Consul to Atlanta, as the master of ceremonies for the Town Hall meeting, gave the welcoming remarks and introduced the evening’s speakers.
His Excellency, Gordon Shirley, Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States and Chair of the CARICOM Caucus of Ambassadors Private Sector and Experts Working Group, presented an overview of the Conference. He explained that during the conference, President George Bush would be meeting with heads of the CARICOM region while the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, would meet with the region’s foreign ministers. There will also be meetings with leaders of the US Congress.
The Conference on the Caribbean, while strengthening relations between the US and CARICOM, will also facilitate government –to–government dialogue, an experts’ forum of international and regional experts to deliberate on trade and development issues, and a private sector forum, which will ultimately facilitate exchange of information on investment opportunities in the Caribbean and the US.
His Excellency, Michael King, Barbadian Ambassador to the United States and Chair of the CARICOM Caucus of Ambassadors Working Group on Diaspora Forum and Dialogue, spoke on the importance of the Caribbean Diaspora. He provided estimates that there are over four million CARICOM natives living in the US with 36% of this total living in Florida and another 36% in New York. He also emphasized the importance of becoming US citizens and voting because in this way CARICOM natives have the ability to affect US foreign policy.
His Excellency, Bayney Karran, Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States and Co-Chair of the CARICOM Caucus of Ambassadors Working Group on Logistics, discussed “The Way Forward,” and outlined various initiatives designed to bring to reality the vision for the CARICOM region by the year 2020. He stressed that the conference will be an “outcome oriented” conference. One desired outcome is to ensure that US foreign policy does not adversely affect the Caribbean.
Other participants included His Excellency, Ellsworth John, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador to the United States and Chair of the CARICOM Caucus of Ambassadors, Washington, D.C., who moderated a question and answer session; Ms. Rhoda M. Jackson, Charge d’ Affaires, Embassy of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Washington, D.C.; Ms. Fay Housty, Executive Director, Foreign and Community Relations, CARICOM Secretariat; Rev. Dr. Howard Wright who gave the invocation and Dr. Hon. Edward Layne, Barbadian Honorary Consul to Atlanta, who gave the Vote of Thanks.
