We must commend the elected and civic leaders who have come together to bring about this COVID-19 remembrance and we should add how pleasing it is to see that this initiative is happening in the Bronx Borough with strong ties and collaboration with the immigrant community; a borough that produced General Colin Powell of Jamaican immigrant roots who made history in Washington first as Joint Chief of Staff and then as Secretary of State. Look again today at another immigrant’s history story – the first black speaker of the New York Assembly, Most Honorable Carl Heastie, an immigrant playing an important role in the resurgence of the economy of New York and indeed parts of the US.
The hip hop culture revolution has fused the music of the Jamaican style with the talent of the American artiste and revolutionized the music and cultural industry that continues to impact this country even today. The Bronx was the home of Cleveland Robinson, the blind labor leader who stood shoulder to shoulder with both Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, a proud Caribbean immigrant; so the ties are very strong with the Caribbean-American community in the Bronx and so recognizing the pain of all people is so important and this is what the COVID Remembrance is achieving.
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For the immigrant community, COVID-19 was the perfect storm, suffering mortality rates far higher than the general population, increased lack of job opportunities, lack of services and pre-existing inequalities including racism, providers of essential services from basic janitorial and delivery services, to nurses and doctors in our hospitals and healthcare facilities; the effort of the immigrant group is hardly recognized, underappreciated, and in many instances just outright ignored. With the COVID remembrance project they will be recognized, they will be remembered and they will be memorialized; this then is why the COVID-19 Remembrance is so meaningful.
This is why the Jamaica Progressive League is so vigilant to work for the respect and value of immigrants. It is a mission that the League has undertaken for decades and was the first black organization to sue the US federal government over immigrant rights. It was the only black organization that lobbied for the repeal of the Walter-Mccarran Act (The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952), and had it successfully replaced with the 1965 Immigration Act, a sign-in ceremony to which the then president of the Jamaica Progressive League was invited to by president Lyndon Johnson to attend.
The League in its Jamaica House office in the 70’s established free immigration advisory service among other immigrant services it rendered. Communities must come together for equality and justice, this wall, this COVID remembrance is a symbol, and it’s just the beginning of marking an era, the legacy of so many doing work that are making a difference. We must show appreciation for leaders and encourage them to continue to act in what we call the partnership for progress.
Mrs. Sadie Campbell, president of the Jamaica Progressive League who worked to bring this remembrance about, to Senator Jamaal Bailey who led the effort of the elected officials and for his colleagues Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Congressmember Jamaal Bowman, City Council members Kevin Riley and Eric Donovich and their respective staff; working together we can get things done – this COVID remembrance is showing us the way.
