THE WEEKLY GLEANER | JANUARY 5 - JANUARY 11, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 10 Lester Hinds/Gleaner Writer NEW YORK: F OUR MEMBERS of the diaspora are to be honoured by the Lowell Hawthorne Foundation at its first gala to be held on January 19. Those to be recognised are former New York City councilwoman, Una Clarke; president of Howard University, Dr. Wayne Frederick; head of McKissack&McKissack Construction Company, Cheryl McKissack Daniel; and Golden Krust franchisee, Sandra Pitter Bryan. Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick was appointed the 17th president of Howard University in 2014. He previously served as provost and chief academic officer. Under Dr. Frederick’s leadership, Howard University is now ranked as a Tier 1 national university by U.S. News &World Report. Dr. Frederick currently serves at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Baltimore branch and was appointed by President Barack H. Obama to the board of advisers for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Una S. T. Clarke, is recognised as the first Caribbean-born woman elected to the New York City legislature. Born in the parish of St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, Dr. Clarke migrated to the United States as a foreign student in 1958. She was elected in 1991 and during her 10-year tenure she sponsoredmore than 300 pieces of legislation on a wide range of issues including child welfare, education, health and mental health issues, economic development, public safety and transportation. An educator by profession, she has leveraged millions of dollars to upgrade schools in her district, and have made them technologically ready for the 21st century. . Cheryl McKissack Daniel, represents the fifth generation of the McKissack family’s century old business, McKissack&McKissack, the oldest minority and woman-owned design and construction firm in the nation. A civil engineer, she has more than 25 years of experience in all phases of the design and construction industry, including major project work in the commercial, healthcare, education and transportation sectors. McKissack is involved with some of New York’s largest projects, including JFK Terminal One,LGA Central Terminal Building Redevelopment, Coney Island Hospital Redevelopment, Harlem Hospital CentreModernisation, the NYC Economic Development Corporation, Hunts Point Cooperative Market and Fulton Fish Market Sandra Pitter Bryan attended Dinthill Technical High School in St. Catherine where she specialised in business. After leaving school, she was employed as a cashier at Honeycrust Bakery owned by Bruce Golding, former prime minister of Jamaica, and his wife Lorna. She spent 10 years at Honeycrust before migrating to the United States in 1992. Her first job opportunity in the United States was at the Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill located at 1381 E. Gun Hill Rd. After six years in that position the opportunity to purchase a Golden Krust franchise arose and with the financial support of Lowell Hawthorne, president and CEO of Golden Krust, she became the franchise owner of 67 South 4th Avenue in Mount Vernon, NY. Her dedication was noted in 2017 when she was honoured as Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association. Funds raised from the awards ceremony will go towards the mission of the Lowell F. Hawthorne Foundation, to promote education advancement for exemplary minority students studying business development or entrepreneurship in under served communities. Founded in 2018, its targeted beneficiaries are educational institutions in the United States and the Caribbean. The foundation aims to cultivate a relationship with donors, organisations and educational institutions, and will fund eight to 10 scholarships over the next five years. Neil Armstrong/Gleaner Writer TORONTO: A JAMAICAN-CANADIAN diversity and inclusion strategist is among the 99 new appointments to the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honours, which recognises people across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to the nation. Hamlin Grange is the president, cofounder and principal consultant of DiversiPro, a workplace diversity training, coaching, and consulting company established in 2000. He is the brother of Olivia‘Babsy’Grange, Jamaica’s minister of sports, culture and gender affairs. On Thursday, Mary Simon, governor general of Canada, announced the new appointments to the Order of Canada which include two Companions, 32 Officers and 65 Members. Three appointments are promotions within the Order. She said, “What a beautiful way to end the year, honouring Order of Canada appointees and learning about the depth and range of their accomplishments. Celebrated trailblazers in their respective fields, they are inspiring, educating and mentoring future generations, creating a foundation of excellence in our country that is respected throughout the world.” Appointments are made by the governor general on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada, with appointees invited to an investiture ceremony at a later date to receive their insignia. Grange, who lives in Courtice, Ontario, was honoured“for his pioneering work in diversity and inclusion, as a passionate change agent for social justice.” “There was that moment of surrealness and it still took me a while to process,”he says of being being notified of the appointment. He says the appointment brings a sense of closure given the mission of the persons with whom he has worked with over the years, notably among them human rights activists Dr. Wilson Head and Bromley Armstrong. “And to see what they went through and what they advocated for and to be part of that, from a historical standpoint, I am really humbled by it and I don’t take this lightly.” “It’s lifting up rocks, looking underneath and finding the nasty bits but also discovering some gems,” says Grange. In the aftermath of the killings of African Americans George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery there was a racial reckoning resulting in an increase in positions of equity, diversity and inclusion in many organisations. Asked the impact, Grange said. “When we have these moments of crises, as human beings we’re very quick to rush in and plug holes. Plugging holes is really not going to solve the problem as the dambursts. So we need to need to build different systems and change things.” Before launching DiversiPro, Grange had a stellar career as a journalist in Canada and the United States, was managing editor of Contrast, a community newspaper, and later was hired to be the director of a national youth internship programme of a large charitable organisation. He has served on the boards of the Toronto Police Services Board, the Royal Ontario Museum,the YMCA of Greater Toronto, and the Consent and Capacity Board, among others. Among his many accolades are: the Harry Jerome Award (President’s Award) for community service and career achievements and the Community Builder Award presented by Tropicana Community Service in recognition of his “outstanding leadership and years of service which have contributed to the development of community and opportunities for the people of Ontario and those served by Tropicana Community Services.” Grange was born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Toronto by his mother, Merle Linton. The journalist has worked with Denver’s Rocky Mountain News in the United States, and in Canada at CBC Television, Global Television, TV Ontario and the Toronto Star. Grange and wife, Cynthia Reyes, whose name he said “is part of this award as well because there’s no way I would have been able to do all of this over these many years without her”, are parents of two daughters, Nikisha Reyes-Grange and Lauren ReyesGrange, and grandparents of Vivian. Since its creation in 1967, the Order of Canada has honoured more than 7600 people. Hamlin Grange appointed to the Order of Canada Hamlin Grange. CONTRIBUTED Lowell Hawthorne Foundation to honour four at first gala Frederick Cheryl McKissack
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