‘It’s Joe Time!’ proclaims Vincentian nurse at DNC
By Nelson A. King
A Vincentian-born Registered
Nurse (RN) at Brookdale University
Hospital and Medical Center
in Brooklyn did not hesitate to
“big up” her country while hailing
Joe Biden, the Democratic
Party’s presumptive nominee, as
the next president of the United
States during Tuesday night’s
virtual Democratic National
Convention (DNC).
“As an immigrant from St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, and
an 1199SEIU (local union) Registered
Nurse, I’m proud to be
part of America’s fight against
COVID-19,” Scheena Iyandé
Robyn Tannis told a national
television audience during the
delegate roll call for New York
State.
“But many health care workers
do not get paid sick leave, or
have enough protective equipment,”
she added. “I have two
children with asthma and a
mother who’s high-risk. I worry
every day about bringing this
virus home to them.
“Joe Biden’s plan will help us
take better care of your loved
ones, as well as our own,” Tannis
continued. “Along with Lt.
Gov. (Kathy) Hochul, I cast New
York’s votes: 44 votes for Bernie
Sanders, and 277 for our next
president, Joe Biden. It’s Joe
time!”
In a text message to members
Tuesday night, before the roll
call, 1199SEIU said: “Scheena
is a dedicated RN at Brooklyn’s
Brookdale Hospital, and we are
proud to have her representing
1199 on the national stage.”
Caribbean L 8 ife, August 21-27, 2020
Tannis, 41, disclosed to Caribbean
Life on Wednesday that her
mother, Charlene “Faye” Cato,
64, who resides with her in the
Prospect-Lefferts Gardens section
of Brooklyn, has a genetic
clotting disorder.
“Being asked to represent New
York State at this year’s Democratic
National Convention to
nominate Joe Biden for President
came as a shock to me,”
said Tannis, the Assistant Head
Nurse in the Coronary Care Unit
at Brookdale Hospital. “I could
never have imagined being given
such an honor.
“When I was approached, I was
told that I caught their attention
after they saw two interviews
I did during New York’s height
of the pandemic and that the
DNC wanted to highlight everyday
heroes,” she added. “I do not
believe that I am a healthcare
hero. I am a person who truly
believes in using one’s talents to
benefit the community.
“I want people to know that
COVID-19 is very serious,” Tannis
continued. “I have lost colleagues,
friends and patients to
this dangerous virus. We must
continue to be vigilant in the
fight against it.”
Tannis said that when she was
asked to write the nominating
speech for Biden, she “had no
other choice than to use that
platform to highlight my country
of birth.
“I am proud to be a native of
St. Vincent and the Grenadines,”
she said. “I hope that I made my
fellow Vincy (Vincentian) people
proud on the national stage in
the United States.”
Tannis, better known as
“Yande” to most, said she was
born on June 8 1979 in Villa,
a few miles outside Kingstown,
the Vincentian capital, to Cato,
formally from Georgetown, the
country’s second main town, and
Godwin “Bruds” Tannis, a native
of Bequia, the largest to the St.
Vincent Grenadines islands.
RN Scheena Iyand Robyn Tannis (right) with daughter, Siboney (center) and New York Lt.
Gov. Kathy Hochul during roll call at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night.
RN Scheena Iyand Robyn Tannis
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