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The Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) will host the 14th Annual Caribbean American Heritage (CARAH) Awards Gala on Friday, November 16th at the Convention Center Renaissance Hotel, 999 Ninth Street in downtown Washington DC.
2007 HONOREES:
Solanges Vivens, of Haitian heritage, will receive the Award for Outstanding Entrepreneurship. Dr. Vivens is CEO of VMT Long Term Care Management, Inc., listed among the top 100 employers in DC. The Minority & Business Professionals Network has recognized Dr. Vivens as one of the 50 Most Influential Minority Business Persons in America.
John Blake, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, will receive the Award for Excellence in the Media. As host of “The Caribbean Experience” on Howard University Radio WHUR FM, the radio pioneer’s weekly program has been the longest running Caribbean radio program in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
Ato Boldon, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, will receive the Award for Excellence in Sports. Mr. Bolden, a four time Olympic medalist has continued to make history serving as coach of Saudi Arabia's Olympic sprint team, and is making rave reviews in sports broadcasting.
George C. Fraser, of Guyanese heritage, will receive the TrailBlazer Award. As Chairman & CEO of FraserNet Inc. the author of “Success Runs In Our Race: The Complete Guide to Effective Networking in the African American Community”, has been named one of “Top 50 power brokers in Black America”.
Raymond Goulbourne, of Jamaica, will receive the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Corporate America. As Executive Vice President for Broadcast Media Sales at Black Entertainment Television, he has helped to usher BET’s status as rising star in the VIACOM constellation of companies.
Maria Kong, of Jamaica, will receive the Outstanding Community Service Award. As President of the 35,000 member National Association of Real Estate Brokers, she is the first Caribbean American and second woman to head the 60 year old trade organization.
Frank Ross, of St. Kitts and Nevis, will receive the Marcus Garvey Lifetime Achievement Award. The first Black managing partner of accounting giant KPMG, and one of the Founders of the National Association of Black Accountants, is currently the Director of the Center for Accounting Education at Howard University; where KPMG has named a Chair in his honor.
Cardinal Warde Ph.D., of Barbados, will receive the Award for Excellence in Science and Technology. The MIT professor of electrical engineering, one of the world's leading experts on materials, devices and systems for optical information processing, holds ten key patents related to manufacture of transparent liquid-crystal VLSI micro-displays for digital cameras.
Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert, of Jamaica will receive the Luminary Award. The reggae legend who has a history of over forty years in the industry is widely credited with having coined the word ‘reggay’ in 1968. An icon of the ‘roots reggae’ movement, Toots fans includes musical greats such as Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Shaggy, winning a Grammy in 2005 for his album ‘True Love’.
SPECIAL GUEST:
Dr. Muriel Petioni, a native of Trinidad & Tobago, a 1919 Ellis Island immigrant, will provide Special Remarks and will be presented with a Special Award. Since earning a medical degree from Howard University in 1937, Dr. Petioni is recognized nationally as an icon for Black women physicians, and is credited with establishing the Medical Women of the National Medical Association, which is now called the Council for the Consensus of Women. Dr. Petioni’s professional affiliations, honors, and achievements are numerous, and exemplify her extraordinary and indefatigable commitment and devotion to community medicine on the highest levels.
HOSTS:
Maureen Bunyan, of Guyanese & Aruban heritage, Anchor, WJLA (ABC) TV 7, Washington DC
Neki Mohan, of Trinidadian heritage, Anchor, WPLG (ABC) TV 10, Miami
HONORARY GALA COMMITTEE:
CHAIRS
Congresswoman Donna Christensen (D-USVI)
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
VICE-CHAIR
Chris Gardiner, CEO, Gardiner, Kamya & Associates
MEMBERS (in formation)
Hon. Jean Augustine
Dr. Bertram Fraser-Reid
Dr. Grace Cornish-Livingston
Dr. Julius Garvey
Congressman Chaka Fattah
Congressman Alcee Hastings
Neil Jones
Von Martin
Elizabeth Nunez Ph.D.
Congressman Gregory Meeks
Congressman Donald Payne
Rene John Sandy
Congressman Albert Wynn
GALA HOST COMMITTEE:
Yasmin Anderson-Smith
Meighan Chan
Donnette Cooper, Esq.
Beverly East
Rosemarie Edwards
Andrea Ewart Esq,
Noel Godfrey
Michael Grant
Arielle Harry Bess
Audrey Hutchinson
Finiana Joseph
Delrose Lumsden
Allan Leandre
Faith Patrick Nelson
Dorothy Patrickson
Tyrone Peters |
