Prince George’s Caribbean Council to honour two C’bean nationals

Washington, DC:

Two Washington area Caribbean-American community champions – Dominica-born lawyer, Gabriel Christian, and Jamaica-born doctor, Ursula McClymont – are to be honoured by the Caribbean Council of Prince George’s County, Maryland, at its 16th Red Dress Ball on April 1 at Andrews Air Force Base, in Maryland.

Making the announcement, Caribbean Council president Suzanne Matthews-Williams said her organisation will bestow its Signature Service Award on attorney Gabriel J. Christian “for his tireless commitment to advancing the causes of the Caribbean Community in Prince George’s County and the wider community”.

She praised Christian for “lending his knowledge, academic, cultural and political skills to several locally based organisations, including ReBuild Dominica”. Williams noted that Christian was instrumental in securing a memorandum of understanding between the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Food Preservation Programme and the Dominica Grammar School, under which farmers and entrepreneurs were taught food preservation technology. A founding board member of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, he also authored white papers on legal issues facing Caribbean nation states, and served as a commissioner on the inaugural State of Maryland Caribbean Commission, under Governor Martin O’Malley.

Meanwhile, Dr Ursula McClymont, president of the Linden E. Walters Foundation, is being honoured for service to the community through the advancement of sports. Her organisation was founded in 1998 to honour the legacy of Linden E. Walters, a native of Guyana. “Dr Ursula McClymont works tirelessly to honour the legacy of her late husband, and is instrumental in guiding the activities of the organisation,” said Matthews-Williams.

The Caribbean Council of Prince George’s County has spearheaded numerous projects to raise Caribbean American visibility within the county. An early initiative was a partnership with the Prince George’s Community College to help transform the school’s annual Spring Festival into the current Caribbean Festival.

Among its activities, the Caribbean Council hosts an annual Caribbean Heritage Festival on the first Saturday of June at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park, to celebrate June as Caribbean Heritage Month.

The Caribbean Unity Ball was instituted to celebrate inroads of the Caribbean Council. The Council’s newly elected officers were installed by the county executive and state’s attorney, as they welcomed the Caribbean diplomatic corps to the county.

The Red Dress Ball is now the signature fundraising event for the council.