Falsehood about West Indian American Day Carnival Parade run rampant online

I’m sad to report that the falsehoods written and broadcasted about this year’s West Indian American Day Carnival Parade are alive and well – and settling into their new home on the Internet.

And this new abode seems to be a permanent residence, so the falsehoods and inaccuracies can be seen 2-4/7 around the world, from Flatbush, Brooklyn, to Finland.

Yes, there were three shootings by criminals and five victims on the parade route – part of an unusually vicious Labor Day weekend that saw 52 shootings throughout the city. Unfortunately, the parade and city streets are not immune to the continuing tragedy of violence and illegal guns.

But meanwhile, back on the Net, the reprehensible killing of 66-year-old Denise Gay during a shootout between one of her neighbors and police will forever be added to the list of carnival parade-related crime – even though it took place four blocks from the parade route and three hours after it ended and did not involve carnival-goers.

This is the most blatant of the unrelated criminal acts unfairly connected to this year’s carnival parade.

The Associated Press has repeatedly marred the carnival by making this unsubstantiated link, as does a WPIX-TV newscast on the station’s website.

The TV story focused on the NYPD cops’ short-lived winding and grinding at the parade after being approached by scantily-costumed revelers. But the newscaster made sure to throw the Gay killing in with the parade incidents. That’s just wrong.

Last week, West Indian American Day Carnival Association officials were offered a chance to give the facts on camera. But then Mayor Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Kelly, a Daily News editorial and respondents to a WPIX11 poll said, “What’s the big deal?” Channel 11 then reneged on the carnival association’s on-air opportunity at the 11th hour.

So, across the city, the nation and around the world, Brooklyn carnival is getting a bad rap when it comes to crime. But over in Finland, Vivre Kalico, director of the Helsinki Art School, isn’t falling for the flim-flam.

When Kalico, one of the carnival’s thousands of annual international visitors, went to last year’s event, a man was stabbed along the parade route. But she realizes the difference between crime in New York and this year’s faulty anti- carnival hype.

“The West Indian American Day Parade and Carnival is something to remember and cherish. It shows the power of just a few people beginning something worthwhile and meaningful,” she said. “I see deeper meaning in actions like this one – cultural heritage and traditions being passed on to future generations and uniting the Caribbean people in America,”

And in stark contrast to the erroneous impressions that have taken up residence on the Internet, she said, “[The] cheerful openness of the parade welcomes other ethnic groups to have a taste of West Indies! I forgot my Scandinavian look and shook my skinny booty! I talked and danced and cheered and queued for my jerk chicken portion with really friendly people! Even the policemen gave a me a big smile. What a party!”

World champion runner James hailed

Accolades for 400-meter World Champion Kirani James of Grenada have not yet subsided – Len Ishmael, director-general of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), recently praised James for his contribution to the region and his nation.

James won the men’s 400-meter run at the last month’s World Track and field Championships in Dague, South Korea, in 44.61 seconds, defeating USA‘s Lashawn Merritt and becoming Grenada’s first world track and field champion.

This month at the Weltklasse Diamond League meet in Zurich, James ran a blistering 44.36.2 to win 400-meters. Also this year’s NCAA 400-meter winner, James attended the University of Alabama.

“This sterling achievement by an OECS national of such tender age typifies the OECS experience of success in spite of tremendous odds,” said Ishmael.

“It is my hope that Kirani’s success will provide inspiration to the youth and to the population at large in Grenada and the wider OECS to continue striving for excellence, and for the achievement of greater unity and deeper integration among the member states of the OECS.”

Stellar 400-meter runner Rondell Bartholomew, James’ Grenada teammate, finished a respectable fourth in the Zurich race and sixth in the World Championship final.

Gay Caribbean USA contest

The Gay Caribbean USA Pageant is back and bigger this year – with gay women added to the lineup of contestants for the first time.

Nine contestants will vie for top honors in the pageant, which will be held Saturday in Brooklyn at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton St., starting at 8 p.m.

The 2011 contestants are Devina Badree of Trinidad and Tobago, Alicia Dupree of Bahamas, Charley Marie representing Jamaica, Theosha Toppin of Barbados, St. Lucia‘s Kim, Chanel International from Dominican Republic, Vivica Van Cartier from Guyana, La Belle Labeija of Haiti and Puerto Rico‘s Stefon Royce.

Tickets are $30 in advance. Visit www.gaycaribbeanpageant.com for information, or call the pageant hotline at (347)

Antigua playwright weaves immigrant’s tale in play

“unFRAMED: A Man in Progress,” a play written and performed by Antigua-born playwright/poet Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, opens at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 899 Tenth Ave. (at W. 59th St.) Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

“unFRAMED is Mandingo’s poetic tale of life as an immigrant – from boyhood in Antigua to manhood in America” told through the use of “canvas, paint, poetry, prose and song.”

The play can also be seen Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. All shows will be followed by a JUST-US Dialogue post-show session.

Tickets, $20 general admission and $10 for students, can be obtained from www.ticketcentral.com or by calling (212) 279-4200.

Jazz benefit for American Foundation for UWI

Legendary Jamaican guitarist-composer Ernest Ranglin and internationally renowned saxophonist Arturo Tappin of Barbados are featured performers in “An Evening of Jazz,” silent auction and benefit concert for the American Foundation for the University of West Indies‘ (AFUWI) student scholarships and academic programs, which will be held Friday at University of Maryland‘s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Tickets are $60 per person, Call AFUWI at (212) 759-9345, or by visit www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu online. Visit www.afuwi.org for information on the foundation.

World Creole Music Festival returns to Dominica

The World Creole Music Festival, scheduled for Oct. 28 to 30, in Dominica, will be attracting Creole music performers and fans from around world while host nation, nicknamed “The Nature Island,” offers visitors a boundless array of natural wonders and activities.

What an event! First, there are the performers: Jocelyn Labylle, Gyptian, Bunji Garlin, Jeff Joseph, Dobet Gnahore, Carimi, Joycelyne Beroard, Jean-Philippe Marthely, WCK, Third World, Alli Campbell of UB40, Swinging Starz, the Midnight Groovers, Kolo Barst and Harmonik.

Then, there’s Dominica. Tourists can choose from eco-tourism activities, several levels of hiking, whale watching, diving, kayaking, an aerial tram, and more.

Single day passes are available for $46 and $125 for a weekend pass. For information on the concert, visit www.wcmfdominica.com for hotel packages.

Pantonic Steel Orchestra‘s ‘Fall Classic Concert’

New York’s Pantonic Steel Orchestra presents their ‘free’ 2011 Fall Classic Concert in Brooklyn next Sunday, starring panist Jonathan Scales and the Pantonic orchestra, Utopia Pan Soul and the New York Pan Stars will perform. The show starts at 4 p.m. and will be held in Pantonic’s panyard at 2514 Albemarle Road (between Veronica Place and Lott St.). For information, call (718) 434-0231.

Best of the best soca compilation from VP Records

Ten years worth of hot soca music is packed into VP Records’ “Ultimate Soca Gold Collection,” a three-CD set of the best tunes from the label’s Soca Gold compilation series, was released last week.

Music from a host of award-winning soca stars is featured in the set and collected from the annual Soca Gold series since its 1997 inception.

Performers include Edwin Yearwood, Rupee, Explainer, Gyptian, Onika Bostic and other performers representing Trinidad, Barbados, St. Vincent, Jamaica, St. Martinique, Suriname, Antigua and other regional soca hotspots.

In addition, the 33 tracks on the CDs, there is a bonus 45-minute continuous mix of discs one and two performed by DJ Crown Prince.

“You have two of the hottest CDs to explore depending on what mood you are in,” said VP’s Edwin Howell, who helped develop the special compilation. “If you want to listen to the more groovy crossover tracks, then disc one is perfect, but if you are in a party vibe put on disc two, which is much more up-tempo and has all the carnival tunes. And to keep you festive all year round, you can listen to the bonus mix. It is all there – in one package.”

Visit www.vprecords.com for more information.

Exhibition of art – from Brooklyn to the Caribbean

A sizable exhibition of works by artists from Caribbean and Brooklyn Diaspora fine artists is on display in Brooklyn at Medgar Evers College through Oct. 21.

The wide-ranging exhibit – in the main lobby of the college’s Academic Building 1’s Main Lobby, 1638 Bedford Ave. (at Crown St.) – features works in oil, acrylic, photography and digital forms examining culture, history, aspects of Caribbean society and abstract expression too.

The participating artists include: Joseph Bell-Bey, Joseph Bolton, James Brown, Michael Brudent, Sadikisha Collier, Jonathan Culpepper, Jean Ricardo Domond, Joseph Ernst Domond, Idongesit Edo, Maryse Edouard, Henri Eyme, Ayinde Frederick, Shakespeare Guirand, Winston Huggins, Chinwe Ifeoma, Yolene Legrand, Deb Marcano, Caleb Mentor, Carlton Murrell, Cynthia Nakpodia-Ribiero, Donovan Nelson, Catherine L. Ramirez-Linwood, Denis Shubert, Jemma (Ramirez) St. Lawrence, Hugues Tassy, Tabitha Frantz, Theogene, Ava Tomlinson, Stacey Tyrell, Marchelo Vera and Gerald Wah. For information, call (718) 270-6056 or (718) 270-5139.

Free small business seminar in Harlem

Under the theme “Small Business, Big Ideas,” the free Harlem Business Economic Summit will be held Sept. 26 at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Office Building, 163 W. 125th St., in Manhattan.

Workshop topics include: “Taking Your Business to the Next Level,” “Procurement Opportunities with City and State,” “Marketing 2.0: Making More Happen with Less,” and Technology to the Rescue: Affordable Solutions for Everyday Problems.”

Public relations expert Karen Taylor Bass and entrepreneur Gen Waddy will be featured speakers and former city controller William Thompson Jr. will be give the keynote address.

Presented by the Harlem Business Alliance, the event features a continental breakfast at 8:15 a.m. and workshops from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. To register online, visit www.hbany.org or call the Harlem Business Alliance summit registration line at (347) 851-7741.

Mustard Seed Communities’ benefit luncheon

This year’s benefit luncheon for the Mustard Seed Communities – the international initiative helping orphans, children with special needs, families with HIV/AIDS, battered women and others – will honor three persons who’ve greatly supported organization’s efforts.

The fundraiser will be held next Sunday in Manhattan at the New York Hilton and Towers, 1335 Avenue of the Americas (at W. 53rd St.) at 12:30 p.m.

Honorees for the affair are Ann-Marie Francis, community affairs and special markets manager for Air Jamaica/Caribbean Airlines; Dennis Hawthorne, CEO of Dennis Shipping and New York Amsterdam News Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Elinor Tatum. Tatum will be the luncheon’s keynote speaker.

The benefit’s lineup also includes a the works of seven designers in a Style Connection 2011fashion show coordinated by fashion journalist Walter Greene, a musical performance by Teddy Crawford, a silent auction and a raffle with a grand prize of stay at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort & Spa in Ocho Rios and transportation by Jet Blue Airways.

Tickets are priced at $125 each. Visit www.mustardseed.com/nyluncheon2011 or call benefit chairperson Daphne Mahoney at (212) 477-2848 for information.

Mentoring and training program for students

Explore the workings and benefits of the Ambassador Mentoring and Training Program for students in grades six through 12 at a meet-and-greet event on Sept. 30 at Benjamin Banneker High School, 71-77 Clinton St. (between Park and Myrtle Aves. in Brooklyn, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The program, run by the Caribbean American Center of New York, provides students with Regents and math prep, conflict resolution and violence prevention sessions, high school open house and college tours, counseling and mentoring, job readiness training and more.

All students should bring a copy of their last report card transcript and a copy of their current program card. For information, call program executive director Jean Alexander at (718) 625-1515 or contact Diane Adlam-Ferguson by phone at (646) 571-7757 or email at

Jamaica alumni group honors special achievers

Special honors – for athletics and academics – were on tap for the recent Union of Jamaica Alumni Associations, USA (UJAA) awards dinner in Brooklyn, which features recognition for the achievements of Jamaica national track team coach Dalton Evans and former UJAA president Anton Tomlinson.

Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s Minister of Education, was due to deliver the keynote address at the 21st anniversary event last weekend at the Eden Ballroom on Flushing Ave. Evans and Tomlinson and several other individuals were honored at the affair.

Evans was recipient of UJAA’s Achievement in Athletics Award “for his outstanding contributions to the development of track and field.” As the overseas liaison for the Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association and national coach, Evans has taken the team to international competitions.

In addition, he is also the athletic director of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and a coach and advisor to the Team Jamaica Bickle hospitality initiative aiding Caribbean athletes participating in the Penn Relays track meet in Philadelphia.

Tomlinson, the recipient of a UJAA Special Recognition Award, served as UJAA president from 1997 to 2000, is also the co-founder and former president of the Manning’s School Past Students Association‘s New York chapter.

Currently, Tomlinson is executive director of the New York City NAACP‘s ACT-SO (Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics) after-school program is member of Team Jamaica Bickle’s board of advisors.

Relief for short-staffed Haitian prison guards

A United Nations-backed training program has resulted in close to 300 new prison guards to assist in the nation’s understaffed correctional facilities, a UN spokesman said last week.

“The urgency was there,” said Renald Jean René, a corrections official in the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti speaking about the five-week course in which 297 police graduates learned topics such as how to handle stress and hostage situations, how to escort prisoners safely between jails and courts, and prisoners’ rights.

There are about 1,000 prison guards and more than 6,000 prisoners throughout the country.

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