KINGSTON, Jamaica -In considering their status, the World Bank using their gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, classifies five CARICOM countries as high income, eight as upper middle income, and one as a least developed country (LDC).

KINGSTON, Jamaica – On September 10, 2004, Hurricane Ivan devastated Jamaica with its Category 4 winds and rain causing more than US$350 million in damages and taking the lives of 14 people.

So Christmas is approaching and the season is in full swing, albeit differently with the pandemic. What has really changed also, is the real meaning of Christmas, at least for some, if not most people. There is so much emphasis placed on the commercial side, that many merchants try to lengthen the season by starting it oh so early. It starts earlier every year. Back in the day we’d have to wait until at least late November to early December before there were any hints of Christmas. Now by August some stores are putting out teasers for sales. I even heard a commercial advertising Christmas in July sale. No wonder Christmas seems to come around so quickly, it’s because some people won’t allow it to go away and take a rest.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Globally, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly led to close to a quarter of a billion cases and over five million deaths. It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the death rate was reported to be among the highest in the world.

Listen to Black women, they say. Support Black women, they tweet. The praise of Black women in recent years is evident in words, but public statements and hashtags must translate into action. And that action should include efforts to elect Black women.

When I recently opened the 2021 Young, Gifted, & Green 40 Under 40 Awards ceremony, I was reminded of the passion, hope, and hard work from young Black and Brown activists who drive the environmental justice movement.

BELMOPAN, Belize – Ahead of COP26, (The United Nationals Climate Change Conference) there was a sense of urgency and expectation that had not been felt previously.

WASHINGTON, DC - The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) today released its 2021 State of Housing in Black America (SHIBA) Report.  The comprehensive study finds that the gap in homeownership between Black and White families is wider today than in the decades when housing discrimination was legal.  

MIAMI, FL – The Miami-Dade Beacon Council will launch on Monday Opportunity Miami, a new platform to help catalyze a vision for Greater Miami’s economic future — and rally the community to create it. 

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti is currently making global headlines for all the wrong reasons; it is experiencing a multi-dimensional crisis including an upsurge in violence, a lack of fuel which is crippling many key services and the August earthquake which killed around 2,200 people and left hundreds of thousands in need.

“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

Across the country, Republican state legislators have been busy imposing new voting restrictions and devising corrupt redistricting schemes to give their party more power than they could win under a fair system. Republicans in the U.S. Senate protected that wrongdoing again in October by using filibuster rules to stop federal voting rights legislation from coming up for debate. This is political obstruction of justice, and President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats must not allow it to stand.