Two Vincentians honored, three recognized
Verna Arthur with award fl anked by family members, friends and supporters. Photo by Nelson A. King
Caribbean Life, N BQ ovember 8-14, 2019 3
By Nelson A. King
The Brooklyn-based umbrella Vincentian
group in the United States,
Council of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Organizations, U.S.A., Inc. (COSAGO),
on Sunday bestowed honors on
prominent cultural figure Verna Arthur
and Cavaliers Sports and Athletic Club
during St. Vincent and the Grenadines’
40th Independence Anniversary Gala
Luncheon at Grand Prospect Hall in
Brooklyn.
COSAGO also recognized three
former Vincentian athletes from the
Thomas Saunders Secondary School
in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who
participated in the prestigious Penn
Relays at the University of Pennsylvania
in Philadelphia: Zenron Chance, Kailon
Kirby and Brandon Valentine-Parris.
In addition, Arthur received a US
Congressional Citation from Brooklyn
Congresswoman, Yvette D. Clarke and
a Brooklyn Borough Hall Proclamation
from Brooklyn Borough President, Eric
Adams.
Trinidadian Lystra Collis, an official
in Clarke’s Brooklyn office, presented
the citation to Arthur on behalf of
Clarke; and Ancilla Friday, COSAGO’s
general secretary, presented the Borough
Hall Proclamation on behalf of
Adams.
Friday also represented Adams in
presenting a Brooklyn Borough Hall
Proclamation to Marcia Baptiste, a Vincentian
born Cavaliers executive, who
accepted on behalf of the club.
“Let me take this opportunity to congratulate
our honorees,” said COSAGO
president Laverne McDowald-Thompson
in her opening remarks at the celebration
attended by Sen. Deborah Charles,
Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry
of Education; Consul General to the
United States Howie Prince; and representatives
from the Taipei Economic
and Cultural Office in New York.
McDowald-Thompson said Arthur
“demonstrates outstanding leadership
qualities in the areas of arts and culture,
advocacy and community service here
in the Diaspora and at home”, and that
the Brooklyn-based Cavaliers Sports
and Athletic Club has “a long-standing
record in the area of sports and culture
here in the Diaspora and at home.”
On Chance, Kirby and Valentine-
Parris, McDowald-Thompson said their
“outstanding achievements have paved
the way” for them to attend colleges
in the US, adding: “We are very proud
of you.”
Arthur, considered a “cultural icon,”
community organizer and senior citizen
advocate; Verna V. Verna began her
cultural journey as a masquerader in
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, when
she was only five years old, with Fuzzy
Knights’ Mas Band.
Her cultural journey continued as a
member of the New Kingstown Chorale
and of the Abbucalypse Steel Orchestra.
Arthur continues to be an ardent participant
in carnival as evidenced by her
co-founding of the former Brooklynbased
J’Ouvert band, Yurumei Productions,
and by founding the Brooklynbased
SVG Connect J’Ouvert Band.
A former president and public relations
officer of the Brooklyn-based
cultural and educational organization,
Club St. Vincent, Inc., Arthur was also
chairperson of the organization’s Cultural
Exposition Committee for more
than 25 years.
She is now the committee’s coordinator,
working with the Regional Integration
and Diaspora Unit (RIDU) in
the Office of the Prime Minister in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, and Invest
SVG (St. Vincent and the Grenadines)
“to coordinate and acquire products
from SVG, as well as getting SVG performers
for the exposition.”
A champion of community volunteerism,
Arthur said one of her proudest
moments was when she spearheaded
efforts, and worked tirelessly, to bring
perennial panorama champions, Starlift
Steel Orchestra, to New York.
Likewise, were her efforts as chairperson
of the SVG Cultural Symposium
Committee of New York, 2005-2009.
She said two successful symposia and
Vincy Homecoming 2009, the brainchild
of former Ambassador to the US
and OAS, Ellsworth John, now Ambassador
to Cuba, were held during that
time.
Arthur’s exceptional work with Club
St. Vincent, Inc.’s three-day Cultural
Exhibition held in St. Vincent and the
Grenadines in December 1995 is further
testament of her leadership skills.
She was among the first to introduce
some of the Garifuna brothers and
sisters to the Vincentian Community
in New York, and was also a foundation
member of the then Garifuna Cultural
Retrieval Committee, which conducted
a month-long Garifuna Cultural
Retrieval Workshop in St. Vincent and
the Grenadines in August 2012.
Currently, Arthur is the Manhattan
Community Outreach Director with the
New York City Department for the Aging
(DFTA) and president of Troy Avenue
H & I Block Association (TAHIBA) in
Brooklyn.
“It is an honor to receive this award
and to be in the company of Cavaliers
Sports Club; congratulations Cavaliers!”
said Arthur in her acceptance speech
Sunday. “Thanks to COSAGO for recognizing
my contribution to the community
and for selecting me to receive this
prestigious award.
“I am truly grateful to have my family
and friends here,” she added. “This
journey would not have been possible
without your help. This award also
belongs to you.
“My promise is to continue serving
the community,” Arthur continued.
“My mantra is: ‘The community is who
I am; and, as long as I am able, I will
continue to do its work to the best of
my ability’”.
Cavaliers Sports and Athletic Club
was officially established in 1970 by a
few Vincentian expatriates, namely Cadman
Marksman, Arthon Clouden, Edwin
Edwards and Arnot “Bullet” Edwards.
The mission of the club was guided
by its motto, “Insieme per Il Progresso,”
meaning “Together for Progress.”
“Today, 49 years later, Cavaliers Sports
and Athletic Club is still living up to its
motto, based on its performance on and
off the cricket field,” said club president
Casmas Bailey.
He said that Cavaliers, which became
part of the Brooklyn Cricket League in
1970, dominated the league championship
for many years.
Bailey said the club is “responsible for
bringing many cricketers to New York,
among whom are some to be recognized
for their outstanding contributions to
the greater society.”
He said, for example, that the late
Edgerton “Creech” Wood, the founding
owner of the Brooklyn-based Square
Deal Shippers and Movers, “did not just
play for Cavaliers; he stayed in New York
and became a successful businessman
serving the Caribbean community.”
Bailey said Cavaliers made numerous
contributions to individuals in the
Diaspora and in St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, including sponsoring the
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Women’s
National Team; honoring regional
cricket legends, such as Vincentian T.
Michael Findlay and Dominican Irvin
Shillingford; and helping individuals to
enhance their cricketing skills.
Bailey said the club also participated
in many humanitarian projects.
Marcia Baptiste gives acceptance
speech. Photo by Nelson A. King