THE MONTHLY GLEANER | MARCH 3 - APRIL 2, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 6 TORONTO: J AMAICA-BORN BLACK entertainment trailblazer Denise Jones will be posthumously awarded the 2022Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award as part of this year’s annual JUNO Awards festivities. The announcement was made by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). Jones, who passed away inDecember 2020 after being diagnosed with brain cancer, spent a lifetime championing Afro-Caribbean culture in Canada and around the world through her company, Jones & Jones Productions. She also established the internationally renowned JAMBANA OneWorld Festival, and was the founding chair of the reggae category for the JUNO Awards. TheWalt Grealis Special Achievement Award recognises individuals whose work has significantlyimpacted the growth and development of the Canadian music industry. Named after legendary Canadian publisher and co-founder of the JUNO Awards, this year’s award will be handed over at the JUNO Opening Night Awards, presented by Ontario Creates on Saturday, May 14, and streamed live on CBC Gem, and globally at cbcmusic.ca/junos. Throughout her career, Jones received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Urban Music Association of Canada, the Bob Marley Memorial Award for her work in entertainment, a Government of Ontario Community Service Award, a Ministry of Citizenship Ontario Government Award, an African Canadian Achievement Award, and a Harry Jerome Award for Excellence in Entertainment. She was also named one of 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women in 2018. “Growing up around my mother’s presence made me believe that things are possible. I saw her achieving and realising, every single day. I am forever grateful for that, because I think that’s the most important thing you can give somebody, hope and belief in themselves. Mom did this for us at home and as she passed away, I also came to realise she was doing that for a lot of other people, too. She created a pathway for myself and many others in this country to follow, and we’re committed to keeping that energy, that fire and legacy alive for generations to come,” said Jesse Jones. “Denise Jones will forever be an important and respected figure in the Canadian entertainment industry,”said Allan Reid, president & CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards. “She leaves behind an inspiring legacy, and we are honoured to recognise her devotion to championing black culture and artistes throughout her career.” Jones emigrated to Canada from Portland, Jamaica, in the 1980s and earned her BA in communications and theatre from the University ofWindsor. She went on to serve as a theatre critic/ arts reporter for CBC Radio in Sudbury, then as an executive director for the Peel Multicultural Council, where she later resided. Jones’ roots in entertainment, along with her passion for championing under-represented art forms and artists, inspired her to create Jones & Jones Productions with her husband Allan Jones in 1987. Among her many accomplishments, Jones established the second-largest Afrocentric cultural event in Canada, JAMBANA OneWorld Festival, which, at its height, drew over 45,000 attendees. It was named one of Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals in 2015. Denise Jones’ renowned accomplishments have been recognised far and wide, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling her “an incredible advocate for Caribbean arts and culture [who] contributed so much to our country”. The 51st Annual JUNO Awards and JUNO Week will be hosted in Toronto from Monday, May 9, through to Sunday May 15, culminating in The JUNO Awards Broadcast, produced by Insight Productions, at Budweiser Stage, live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and globally on CBCMusic.ca/junos. ‘She leaves behind an inspiring legacy’ Late Denise Jones named for 2022Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award JONES Lester Hinds/Gleaner Writer AFTER SOME 20 years in the making, the Caribbean marketplace – Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace – where vendors can be housed is finally a reality. Located on Caton and Flatbush avenues in Brooklyn, New York, the new facility offers: • Caribbean-themed food hall • Upgraded amenities • Expanded space for food vendors • Shared commercial kitchen, bar, and lounge; and • New programming to engage entrepreneurs and the broader community in building connections and celebrating the cultures of Flatbush and Central Brooklyn. Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace is located on the ground floor of Caton Flats, a 14-storey, mixed-use development containing 255 units of 100 per cent affordable housing and over 20,000 square feet of community space in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Flatbush Central’s rebrand was inspired by a desire to fulfil the vision of the market’s founder – Una S.T. Clarke, former New York City council member, who sponsored the market’s creation to build an institution for Caribbean people in Flatbush through the incubation of Caribbean businesses. Through an extensive research and design process that involved discussions with several community stakeholders, including patrons and vendors of the market, a new logo and brand emerged to reflect the diversity of the vibrant Caribbean cultures that influence the market. PERMANENT HOME FOR VENDORS “I am delighted to see my vision fulfilled, that vendors and entrepreneurs from our community now have a permanent home which gives both pride and dignity to those who struggled for existence and recognition,” Clarke said. “The name of the new site – Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace – is fitting because it acknowledges the contribution that Caribbean nationals have made to Flatbush and East Flatbush. I have long dreamt of and supported the aspirations of the Caribbean people. As a civil rights leader at the forefront of the community for more than four decades, building long-standing institutions rather than promoting temporary programmes in our community is of the utmost importance. Because institutions last while programmes come and go,” she said. “Flatbush Central Caribbean Market is an embodiment of NewYork City’s small business recovery,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Rachel Loeb. “We are excited to open the doors to this market whose resilient vendors celebrate the rich Caribbean culture of this area of Brooklyn. We are proud to have worked with our development partners to deliver a project that will strengthen the Caribbean and Brooklyn communities for generations to come.” “The Flatbush market has served as a cultural hub for the Caribbean community for more than 20 years and the opening of the new Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace continues with that tradition, while also bolstering resources and opportunities for local small businesses, which will also provide 255 affordable homes to New Yorkers from a range of incomes,” said Housing Development Corporation President Eric Enderlin. More than just a shopping destination, Flatbush Central represents a central place where Caribbean culture and diaspora traditions are expressed in a shared space through commerce, food, events, myriad arts, and more. The market features a variety of small businesses that operate year round. Additionally, the market will introduce its Mangrove accelerator – an economic mobility platform and incubator programme whose goal is to spur community wealth opportunities – to the site to promote the growth of new and existing small local businesses. The Mangrove at Flatbush Central will offer access to state-of-theart shared food and culinary, natural body care and cosmetics, newmedia and textile production facilities, specifically targeting black, indigenous, and people of colour entrepreneurs to support the growth of their businesses. The Mangrove will provide direct, industry-specific technical assistance, access to capital, cohort-based business curriculum for informal and emerging businesses, respectively, as well as facilitate partnerships with larger corporate entities and institutions for business-to-business opportunities. “Small, local vendors like the ones returning to Flatbush Central are part of what makes Brooklyn so unique,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I’m excited to see them in a new, permanent home that celebrates Caribbean culture and will also have incubator space to support new small businesses. I can’t wait to go and try some doubles and roti!” A BEACON OF CULTURE “The distinctly Caribbean character of Flatbush is one of the many reasons I’m so proud to represent the neighbourhood in the council,” said council member Rita Joseph. “The Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace will be a beacon of culture in Central Brooklyn for both Caribbean and non-Caribbean, and I’m thankful for all the leaders who made the opening possible.” “The new Flatbush Central Market will at once serve as a vital hub for Caribbean commerce within the community, and as a first-rate retail destination attracting visitors and locals alike,” says James Johnson-Piett, principal and CEO of Urbane. “For over two decades, the market has served as a cultural and commercial anchor in the neighbourhood. “The opening of the Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace is a victory that our entire community can rejoice in,” said Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. “The new amenities, and Mangrove accelerator, give us hope for renewed prosperity and socio-economic growth in our area. This project also promises to uplift those who suffered the most from the wrath of the pandemic – black small business owners. As chair of the New York State subcommittee on Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprises, I applaud this opening, and encourage NewYorkers to come explore and experience the rich culture our neighbourhood has to offer.” “More than 20 years ago, my mother, former NYC council member Una Clarke founded a marketplace for Brooklyn’s Caribbean community on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Caton Avenue. The Flatbush Caton Market soon burgeoned into a hub where a host of Caribbean, West African and South American vendors gathered to share culture and sell their goods. Today, what started out as a small gathering on blankets and in tents has become an invaluable resource for all of New York, especially the Caribbean community. And my mother’s legacy to this proud and historic moment certainly makes her the cornerstone of this new foundation. Beyond her tireless work to improve our Brooklyn community and help grow local businesses, my mother helped countless others establish roots in their new country, and Flatbush CatonMarket is a testimony to this work,” said Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. Caribbean marketplace opens in NY 20-year dream comes true Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace. CONTRIBUTED
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