A very special wish from us to all mothers and mothers-to-be, everywhere. We want to let you know, among all the other greetings, that whether you are mommy, momma, mamma, mom, grandma or auntie, you are greatly appreciated. We could never do without you, although we couldn’t do without dad either. You have been always there to give us comfort, whether physical or spiritual. You always were able to feed, clothe and shelter us, even when the coffers were bare. So many miracles you made. You never turned your back on us. Whatever we did, wherever we went, fortunately you were there to return to – even when everyone else may have left.

You have given us great values; paved the way for us to build a better society. Many lessons you have taught us mother. You are always with us, wherever you may be. God bless you mother. MANY THANKS.

A Caribbean media

Events currently taking place in the US and the Caribbean are making it increasingly necessary for to have strong Caribbean media – broadcast media – in Florida.

One wonders why Hispanics and Haitians are more inclined to take to the streets and demonstrate their respective concerns, while English-speaking Caribbean people seem reserved. One of the reasons is that both ethnic groups are often influenced by the electronic media in their communities. Both Haitians and Cubans own and operate formidable radio and television stations.

Take the immigration reform debate, for example. There is an opinion that people from the Caribbean – not including Haitians and Cubans – are apathetic towards the issue, although many are undocumented and harbor the same fears of being deported as other immigrant groups. However, our people are indeed concerned, but the platform for them to air their voices is extremely limited, so they not heard as loudly, as forcefully, or as frequently as the other immigrants.

Over recent weeks, many Trinidadians in the community were eager to get regular news concerning political developments in their country, involving the arrest of former Prime Minister, Basdeo Panday. Guyanese, were just as anxious to get information regarding the killing of that country’s minister of agriculture, Satyadeo Sawh and Jamaicans strained to get live coverage of the swearing in of that country’s new prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller. Although this paper tries valiantly to fill the information gap, as do other community newspapers (and brokered programs on radio stations and television channels not owned by English-speaking entrepreneurs), this is not enough to meet the demands of a community that is of a significant size as ours.

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Although the Internet provides information, regardless of any opinion to the contrary, it is still not an instrument of mass communication. Moreover, we need our own media to be able to communicate both ways (hear and voice our views).

It continues to perplex us that in this community, where employment is high – over 95 percent, and per capita income well over $30,000 annually, we can’t find the funding to own and operate our own full-time radio station and/or television station. Broadcast entrepreneurs please stand. Marcus Garvey once said a society cannot survive without its voice being heard.

Providing a community social fund

Increasingly, information is reaching us about members of the community who are falling on hard times without any one to give them assistance. Many people are seriously ill, without the required means to obtain proper and effective medical care. People who were once proud home owners, and affluent citizens, through some misfortune or the other are virtually homeless.

It is time for this community to be one with a conscience. We cannot continue to make undue suffering be borne by members of the community. Moreover, but for the Grace of God, we can never know when it will be one of us who is in need.

Accordingly, we are proposing the establishment of a community social fund. Although we have ideas for the development of such a non-profit fund, we are seeking community participation and as such would like to invite our readers to submit their ideas for such a fund. We will editorialize these ideas in a future article. In the meantime let’s not forget those within our midst who through one reason or another have fallen on hard-times.