Olympian Briana Williams, Grace Foods among 12 honoured with Heritage Award
Published:Thursday | November 11, 2021 | 12:11 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica’s Olympian Briana Williams was among 10 individuals and two organisations honoured with the Consul General of Miami heritage award at a ceremony last Sunday.
Williams, who won gold as a member of Jamaica’s female 4x 100-metre relay team at the recent Tokyo Olympics, was presented with the award for her contribution to youth excellence.
Other honourees receiving the Consulate General’s Heritage Awards included Andrew Adams of the Jamaica Foundation of Houston (JFH) for Public Service; Pastor Robert Stewart, senior pastor, Pentecostal Tabernacle, Miami, for Faith and Religious Leadership; Audrey Anderson, board member of the Louise Bennett Coverley Heritage Council (LBCHC) and Xavier Murphy, media consultant and founder of Jamaicans.com for their work in the Cultural Arts (Media, Entertainment, Culture); Patrick Cha Fong, president of Kingston Miami Trading for Business Leadership; Dr Yvonne Smith, Atlanta-Montego Bay Sister Cities Committee for her work in Health Care; Pauline Jolly, educator, and board member of Central Alabama Caribbean American Organization in Education; and to Bruce Palmer, President, Jamaica United Relief Organization for Philanthropy and Social Services.
OUTSTANDING HUMANITARIAN
Special Community Honour was presented to Andrea Dixon, registered nurse, who was recognised as an outstanding humanitarian and philanthropist.
Two Community Awards were presented to the Louise Bennett Coverley Heritage Council for outstanding contribution to Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage in the diaspora and to GraceKennedy Foods (USA) for contribution as a corporate/community partner.
Jamaica’s Consul General to Miami, Oliver Mair, in congratulating the awardees, emphasised that the presentations continued the tradition of recognising Jamaicans in the diaspora who have positively impacted their community.
He noted that the people were nominated and selected by a panel of volunteers established by the Office of the Consulate General.
The individuals or associations were nominated for significant impact on the Southern USA, Jamaican Diaspora community under the jurisdiction of this consulate.
According to Mair, “we are happy to honour members of our Jamaican Diaspora for their contributions to community enrichment, serving as an inspiration and motivation to others”.
He noted that awardees have contributed directly to Jamaica’s national development goals as well as to the diaspora communities in which they reside and have positively impacted the local and wider international communities.
“These persons continue to give selflessly in the respective categories in which they were selected,”” he continued. The efforts of these individuals, charitable groups, and corporate entity have served to reinforce the connection with Jamaica and the diaspora as well as engaging the unique cultural identity of Jamaican-Americans, he added.