2 Lester Hinds/Gleaner Writer JAMAICA-BORN NEWYork Police Department (NYPD) officer, Ruel Stephenson, has been promoted to the rank of assistant chief and named the new commanding officer of Patrol Borough Manhattan North. Stephenson previously held the rank of deputy chief and served in Brooklyn before this latest promotion. In his new capacity, Assistant Chief Stephenson will be the commander of Manhattan north, which includes areas such as Harlem, Dyker Heights and other areas touching on the Bronx. Manhattan is split into two separate boroughs, north and south, for policing purposes. Stephenson previously served as precinct commander for the 47th precinct in the Bronx and later headed the housing police division before being promoted to deputy chief. A s s i s t a n t C h i e f Stephenson joined the New York City Police Department in June 1995 and began his career on patrol in the 70th Precinct. He has served in various capacities in the NYPD, including the 28th, 30th, 32nd, 47th, 50th, and 81st precincts, Patrol Borough Manhattan North, the Internal Affairs Bureau, and the Housing Bureau. He has been promoted several times during his illustrious career, rising from sergeant to lieutenant, captain, deputy inspector, inspector, and, most recently, deputy chief. Jamaica’s Consul General to New York, Alsion Wilson, has offered her congratulations to Assistant Chief Stephenson. “ Chief Stephenson’s promotion to this esteemed position is well deserved, and I congratulate him on this milestone achievement,” said Consul General Wilson. “His distinguished career in law enforcement, combined with his leadership, expertise, and unwavering commitment to serving the people of New York, make him an outstanding choice for assistant chief. We are fortunate to have him as a member of the NYPD family.” “As a Jamaican who now serves in the highest ranks of the NYPD, he continues to show the immense possibilities of our people,” added Consul General Wilson. She said, “on behalf of all Jamaicans here in New York and those at home, I extend the heartiest congratulations to Chief Stephenson. Continue to fly the flag high.” Chief Stephenson was born and raised in Race Course Clarendon, Jamaica, where he spent his formative years prior to migrating to the United States. He continues to give back to the school attended in Jamaica, during his regular visits to the island. George Ruddock/Gleaner Writer AS THE countdown to the Coronation of King Charles this Saturday, May 6, gathers pace, three outstanding women from the Caribbean have been given key roles in the ceremony which will be held for the first time since 1953 in Britain. The three women of Caribbean origin who will be given major roles are: Baroness Floella Benjamin from Trinidad, Baroness Valerie Amos, who is originally from Guyana, and Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who is originally from Jamaica. Baroness Floella Benjamin, the former children’s TV presenter, and now an author and peer, who chaired the Windrush Commemoration Committee, will carry Charles’s sceptre, traditionally known as the Rod Of Equity AndMercy, which represents his spiritual role. Baroness Amos, who was invested into the Order of the Garter last year and is the first black woman to serve as a Cabinet minister, will be joining the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Act of Recognition in the beginning of the Coronation. It will be the Archbishop of Canterbury who will also crown the King with St Edward’s Crown later during the ceremony. Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who is the Bishop of Dover, will present the Queen Consort’s rod during the early stages of the ceremony. Announcing the full list of roles chosen for the Coronation, Buckingham Palace said: “Those undertaking these historic roles in the service have been chosen to recognise, thank and represent the nation due to their significant service.” According to the Palace, the first processions into Westminster Abbey will be made up of faith leaders, followed by dignitaries fromHis Majesty’s realms. The faith leaders will consist of four peers representing the Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish faiths and they will all present the King with a piece of regalia. Including non-Christian faith leaders in the Coronation of a British King has never been done before. Flags of each realm, including those from the Caribbean, will be carried by national representatives accompanied by the governors general and prime ministers of those countries. As chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee, Baroness Floella Benjamin led the campaign to erect the NationalWindrushMonument in Waterloo Station last year. She described the permanent monument “as a symbolic link to our past and a permanent reminder of our shared history and of the extraordinary contribution to this country by theWindrush generation”. Baroness Amos was appointed Secretary of State for International Development by Gordon Brown in 2003, becoming the first black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) woman to serve as a Cabinet minister. She was later appointed Under-SecretaryGeneral for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator with the United Nations, and then in 2015, was appointed Director of SOAS, University of London, becoming the first black woman to lead a university school in the United Kingdom. Reverend Prebendary Rose HudsonWilkin, was appointed the Bishop of Dover in June 2019. Before that she was Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons and Priest in Charge of St Mary-at-Hill, London. Revd Rose was born and raised in Jamaica. She was educated at Montego Bay High School for Girls and later at BirminghamUniversity. In 2007 she was appointed as a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen and in 2010, she became the first female appointed to the position of the 79th Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons. The coronation ceremony of King Charles will take place at Westminster Abbey, London on Saturday and will be viewed by a world-wide television audience. Caribbean women named for key roles in Charles’ coronation Baroness Floella Benjamin Baroness Valerie Amos Rev Rose Hudson Wilkin J’can Ruel Stephenson is new assistant chief in NYPD Assistant Chief NYPD - Ruel Stephenson CONTRIBUTED AS NEWS of Harry Belafonte’s death sank in, fans and admirers reacted with glowing tributes to a towering international figure: singer, songwriter, actor, activist, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Prime Minister Andrew Holness described Belafonte as a true ambassador for Jamaica and Jamaican culture. “Representing the best of our culture and values, his music and activism touched the hearts and mind of people globally,” the prime minister tweeted. The NewYork Times said in part, “he understood how to dedicate his fame to a politics of accountability more tenaciously than any star of the civil rights era or in its wake. He helped underwrite the Civil Rights Movement, paying for freedom rides. He maintained a life insurance policy on the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with Corretta Scott King as the beneficiary because Dr. King didn’t believe he could afford it.” Tyler Perry, the celebrated American actor posted this tribute on social media, “I’m humbled by how you used your light to help brighten a path for us all. Your soul has returned to the creator but what you’ve left on earth will live with you forever.” Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr, said: “When I was a child, Harry Belafonte showed up for my family in very compassionate ways. In fact, he paid for the babysitter for me and my siblings … . I won’t forget.” The outpouring of sympathy coming from the Jamaican parliament, world leaders, celebrities and activists from all corners of the earth, we interpret as affirmation that efforts to achieve social and racial justice are admired by people everywhere. Indeed, Belafonte had become a global citizen seeking to urge action on a range of humanitarian issues, many of which are still unresolved. And to think this pioneer walked among us. Born in Harlem, New York, at age five, Belafonte’s mother Melvine took himself and his brother to live with her relatives in St Ann. With her job as a household helper and his chef father often absent, the young boys were on the street a lot. Belafonte was knocked unconscious by a car and spent days in a New York hospital. Growing up in Jamaica, he attendedMorris Knibb Preparatory School andWolmer’s Boys’ School. Even though Belafonte returned to New York at age 12, he has always been described as an American-Jamaican. And thus he became a source of pride for this country of his ancestry. He found his acting career path in the most unlikely place. On being honourably discharged from the US Navy, he landed a job as a janitor’s assistant in an apartment building where he met Clarice Taylor, mother of Dr Huxtable of television fame. She gave him two tickets to the theatre. Harry described the moment: “... and when the lights went down and the curtain opened and the players walked on, a whole newworld opened up for me, and I was deeply touched andmoved by it. That’s how I got into theatre.” In 1949, Belafonte launched his singing career after doing gigs in a NewYork nightclub. He acquired lasting fame with the Banana Boat song with its “Day O” refrain. Then he conceived the idea of bringing together a star-studded cast to produce the monster hit We Are The World, which raised $100m for starving families in Ethiopia. Three Grammy Awards, an Emmy and a Tony were some of the trophies this gifted man collected along the way. He has also been honoured variously for his work in the arts and humanitarianism. Naming a section of the North Coast Highway in honour of this transformational figure is a fitting tribute to the superstar who was also bestowed with the Order of Merit in 2018. We salute, Harold Belafonte OM. Walk good! Harry Belafonte – A Jamaican farewell [EDITORIAL] THE MONTHLY GLEANER | MAY 4 - JUNE 7, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS
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