By Nelson A. King
Sen. Zellnor Y. Myrie (D-Brooklyn)
recently unveiled a package of legislation,
kicking off what he describes
as “Black Future Month,” to address
persistent racial health disparities
impacting New Yorkers of color.
“Black and Brown people in the
Brooklyn neighborhoods I represent
have some of the most consistently
poor health outcomes in New York,”
said Myrie, who represents the 20th
Senate District. “The pandemic has
exposed and exacerbated these disparities,
but they’ve always been here.
“From poor maternal healthcare
to high rates of respiratory illness,
diabetes and heart disease, Central
Brooklyn has long been the epicenter
of a racial health gap that plagues
our people from birth, diminishes our
quality of life, and often leads to premature
death,” added Myrie, whose
grandmother hailed from Jamaica.
“Enough is enough.”
The legislation Sen. Myrie
announced includes: S.7516, banning
the use of “bug bombs.”
He said 1.5 million New Yorkers
suffer from asthma, and people
of color are over 300 percent more
likely to be exposed to polluted air, a
trigger for asthma, than their white
counterparts.
“This bill would restrict the use of
total release fogging pesticides, commonly
known as ‘bug bombs,’ from
consumer sale and prohibit their use
in multi-unit commercial buildings,”
said Myrie, pointing to a 2019 study,
which says these products were largely
ineffective in eliminating pests but
likely to disperse insecticide where
humans are likely to come into contact
with it, exacerbating asthma and
other respiratory effects.
Myrie also announced S.322, the
Chisholm Chance Act that would
direct millions in additional resources
to create a maternal health hub at
SUNY-Downstate Hospital, located in
the epicenter of the severe maternal
morbidity crisis.
Caribbean Life, F 46 ebruary 18-24, 2022
By Nelson A. King
Black History Month
When La Soufriere Volcano in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines erupted
explosively last April, a group of Vincentians
in New York immediately
sprang into action to coordinate relief
efforts for their ravaged homeland.
With the Friends of Crown Heights
Educational Center in Brooklyn serving
as the hub of activities, Vincentian
cultural icon and community organizer
Verna Arthur headed the initiative.
As president of Brooklyn-based SVG
Relief USA, Inc., Arthur told Caribbean
Life on Monday that she is “proud to
lead an exceptional team of members
and volunteers who selflessly responded
to the clarion call of St. Vincent and
the Grenadines.”
Arthur said the team has not only
responded to relief efforts, in view
of the explosive eruptions, but also
sought to address the needs of their
compatriots “faced with the multidimensional
threat” of dengue fever,
COVID-19.
“The team work tirelessly on weekends
and weekdays to deliver nine
commercial bind, and five 40-ft containers
of items, one of which went via
airfreight,” said Arthur, adding that
the organization is now participating
in the ongoing recovery efforts in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines by “focusing
on specific requests.”
Considered a dynamic force in the
community, Arthur began her cultural
journey as a masquerader in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, at the
tender age of five, with the late Fuzzy
Knights’ mass band.
She is also a former member of
Kingstown Chorale and ex- member of
the then Abbucalypse Steel Orchestra.
As co-founder of the former Brooklyn
based J’ouvert band, Yuremi Productions,
Arthur continues to be an
ardent participant in carnival as evidenced
by her founding of SVG (St.
Vincent and the Grenadines) Connect
J’ouvert Band in Brooklyn, which participates
in Vincy Mas, the country’s
national carnival.
Arthur, who holds a Master of Science
degree, was among the first
to introduce “some of our Garifuna
brothers and sisters to the Vincentian
community in New York.”
She 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.
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.
Vincentian Cultural Icon and Community Activist, Verna Arthur. Verna Arthur
She is now the committee’s coordinator,
working with the Regional
Integration Diaspora Unit (RIDU) and
Invest SVG in St. Vincent and the
Grenadines to coordinate and acquire
products from St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, as well as getting Vincentian
performers for the exposition.
Additionally, Arthur is the former
president of Troy Avenue H & I Block
Association (TAHIBA) in East Flatbush,
Brooklyn.
A champion of community volunteerism,
Arthur’s efforts, as chairperson
of the SVG Cultural Symposium
Committee, New York for 2005-
2009 — the brainchild of Ellsworth
John, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Ambassador to Cuba, and former
Ambassador to the United States and
the Organization of American States
(OAS) – resulted in two successful
symposia and the much-lauded Vincy
Homecoming 2009.
Arthur’s exceptional work was also
demonstrated with Club St. Vincent,
Inc.’s three-day Cultural Exhibition,
held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
in December 1995.
She said one of her proudest
moments was spearheading efforts
and working tirelessly to bring Starlift
Steel Orchestra, the perennial panorama
champions in St. Vincent and
the Grenadines, to New York for Club
St. Vincent, Inc.’s Cultural Exposition,
a further testament of her leadership
skills.
The indefatigable Arthur continues
to make significant contributions
to several organizations in New
York, such as the Harlem Week Senior
Jubilee Committee, a component of
the Harlem Week, Inc. Celebrations,
regarded as the largest cultural event
in the US; Henry Street Senior Companion
Advisory Council; Manhattan
Community Board 9 Senior Issues
Committee; and Manhattan Community
Board 10 Senior Strategic Committee.
As a senior citizen advocate, Arthur
is also the Government Affairs Officer,
Manhattan – New York City Department
for the Aging (DFTA).
In that role, she said she is “one of
the agency’s primary liaisons to elected
officials, community boards, aging
services providers and advocate to promote
DFTA’s mission and priorities.”
In addition, Arthur represents the
commissioner at public hearings,
high level-meetings and community
events.
Over the years, Arthur has received
several proclamations, awards and
citations for her cultural and community
activism.
They include: NYC Council Members
East Caribbean Heritage and Cultural
Award; Congressional Citation;
The Progressive Democrats Political
Association Caribbean Heritage;
Council Member Matthew Eugene’s
City Council Citation; Senator Bill Perkins’
Community Service Award; Club
St. Vincent, Inc. Past President Award;
Vinci Cares, Inc. Community Service
Award; and Harlem Week, Inc. Public
Service Award.
Brooklyn Democratic Sen. Zellnor
Y. Myrie. https://www.nysenate.gov
Vincentian cultural icon Verna
Arthur heads volcanic relief
Myrie kicks
off ‘Black
Future Month’
/www.nysenate.gov
/www.nysenate.gov
