The second of a four part series of conversation on the progress of the Jamaican Diaspora took place at the Consulate General of Jamaica, Manhattan on Wednesday, January 7, 2009. The series which is being hosted by Consul General, Mrs. Geneive Brown Metzger (second right), on this occasion featured Professor Tjai M. Nielsen (left) and Liesl Riddle (second left), Associate Professor of International Business & Int’l Affairs, The George Washington University School of Business, Washington, DC. The series is an effort to inspire critical thinking among business and community leaders and is sponsored by Moet Hennessy with support from the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board/NE USA, the Organization for International Development (OID) and the Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (UJAA). Dr. Basil Wilson, who served as moderator, is a right. - Photo By Sharon Bennett *

YES, I WILL. New York State Assemblyman, Hon. N. Nick Perry (left), with one hand on the bible and a raised right hand, appears to be all business as Civil Court Judge Sylvia Ash (right) administers the oat of office at Saturday’s swearing in ceremony at the Restoration Temple Assembly of God Church, Brooklyn. Mrs. Joyce Perry (center), wife of the Assemblyman, holds the bible. Assemblyman Perry will represent Brooklyn’s 58th Assembly District in the state capital, Albany, for the ninth consecutive term. Despite the inclement weather, a large turn out of diplomats and constituents led by Senator Chuck Schumer and including Jamaica’s Ambassador to the USA and Permanent Representative to the OAS, His Excellency Anthony Johnson, were on hand for the grand occasion which concluded with a dinner reception at the Holy Family RC Church auditorium, in the Canarsie section of Broklyn. - Photo By Sharon Bennett *

SO HELP ME, GOD! Hon. N. Nick Perry (hird right), New York State Assemblyman for the 58th (Assembly) District in Brooklyn, NY, and wife Mrs. Joyce Perry (center), share Saturday's historic occasion with His. Excellency, Anthony Johnson (second left), Jamaica's Ambassador to the US and members of the clergy at the inauguration ceremony held at the Restoration Temple Assembly of God Church, 4606 Church Avenue, Brooklyn. Host pastor, Bishop John E. Cummings (left), pronounced the benediction to the audience which braved the very inclement weather. Assemblyman Perry returns to the state capital, Albany for a ninth consecutive term. - Photo By Sharon Bennett *

REGGAE IN SYMPHONY. Reggae recording icons Freddie McGregor (left) and Lloyd Parkes (center), show of their US Congressional Proclamations during a break in performance at the Reggae in Symphony concert event at the Brooklyn College for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn, NY on Sunday, October 14, 2007. The sold out event also featured performances by John Holt, the We The People Band and The New York Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jamaican John Williams. Part proceeds form the concert – produced by Pat Chatani (second right), will benefit the American Cancer Society (October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month) and the Haile Selassie High School, Kingston, Jamaica. US Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (second left) of Brooklyn who made the presentations, praised the performers for their outstanding body of work and the development of the Jamaican popular culture overseas. DJ Roy (right) of Irie Jam Radio shared emcee duties with funnyman Oliver Samuels and Marie Garth, the former darling of Jamaica radio, then with RJR. Prior to the concert, Deputy Consul General of Jamaica in New York, Mrs. Lisa Bryan Smart presented Certificates of Merit to the performers also recognizing their contribution to the development of Jamaica’s popular culture locally and internationally. - Photo By JIS/NY. *

ONCE YOU GO, YOU KNOW. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (at podium), on Tuesday afternoon (October 16), shared his vision for a much improved tourism product through 2010 with a mixed audience over lunch at the Jamaican-American Chamber of Commerce Autumn Luncheon Meeting at the 3 West Club, midtown Manhattan. The new thrust will be built on aggressive marketing, strong product development and direct investment on its way to becoming an export industry. The well attended event was generously supported by; Rollins Jamaica, Air Jamaica Ltd, Travel weekly Newspaper, FCB-New York, JTB and Ruder Finn. - Photo By JIS/NY. *

Jamaican Olympian Greg Haughton (right), made a pit stop in New York City on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, with enough time for a few friends and associates to gather for a reception in his honour at the Jamaican Consulate, Manhattan. Haughton, the two time Summer Olympic Games medalist and outstanding quarter miler, got a warm reception and welcome from Mrs. Geneive brown Metzger (center), Consul General of Jamaica in New York, Olympian Byron LaBeach (left) and Gordon Tapper (absent). The event was a collaboration of the Consulate General of Jamaica and the Jamaica Overseas Olympic Organization (JOOO). - JIS/NYC *

WELCOME TO BROOKLYN. Hugh Thomas (right) – Passport, Immigration & Citizenship Agency (PICA) specialist at the Consulate General of Jamaica, NY, responds to a question during February 6, 2009 meet & greet forum at the Freedom Hall Church of God, Brooklyn. The forum, hosted by Bishop Cecil G. Riley (left), afforded Consul General, Mrs. Geneive Brown Metzger (second left) and senior staffers, Tracey Blackwood-Deputy Consul General and Cecile Christie - Vice Consul, an opportunity to meet and greet the community and to hear their concerns on a range of topics, including the new CARICOM Passports which went into general use on January 2, this year. - Photo by Sharon Bennett, Source JIS. *

LACKLUSTER JAMAICA. Like St. Jago schoolboy sprint ace Nickel Ashmeade (second left) and schoolmate Andre Walsh (second right) in the Men’s U-23 60 meters sprint, the Jamaicans – Vonette Dixon, Natasha Ruddock, SherriAnn Brook and Korrine Hinds – trailed the field in their respective events at the 102nd staging at the Millrose Games in Track & Field Athletics, held at Madison Square Gardens, NYC on Friday, January 30, 2009. With the exception of Hinds who elected to be the ‘rabbit’ in the Womens’ 1 mile (11 laps), dropping out after five laps, the best finish by a Jamaica was Ashmeade’s 4th place finish. - Photo by Sharon Bennett, Source JIS. *

PARTNERSHIP FOR LIFE. Consul General of Jamaica, Mrs. Geneive Brown Metzger (right) used the occasion of the general meeting of the Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (UJAA) at the Jamaican Consulate, Manhattan, on Tuesday, January 27, 2009, to make her case for the role that the union can play in the Diaspora movement. Patrecia Pryce (Clarendon College), recording secretary for UJAA is at left. CG Brown Metzger, a founding member of the union and Karlene Largie (center, Immaculate Conception), union president, recently struck a deal to partner on a number of community initiatives. CG praised the union for its commitment to the development of early childhood education in Jamaica over the past 17 years. - Source JIS/NY Photo. *