Fom left: Linda E Johnson, president and CEO, Brooklyn Public Library; Eric
Adams, borough president and mayor elect, and Nina Collins, chair, Brooklyn
Public Library Board of Trustees. Gregg Richards/BPL
Caribbean Life, DECEMBER 3-9, 2021 3
By Tangerine Clarke
New York State Senator, Roxanne J.
Persaud, kicked off the holidays with
the 19th District’s First Annual Small
Business Saturday, on Nov.27, to help
merchants in their fight, to rebound as
New York opens after almost two years
of the coronavirus pandemic.
The afternoon holiday market on
the pedestrian plaza, outside Capital
One Bank at Rockaway and Glenwood
Road, was filled with excitement, entertainment
and a determination by merchants,
to return to their economic
boom, this festive season.
Sen. Persaud felt pleased about the
partnership with the Brooklyn Chamber
of Commerce (BCC) and Mark Kerr,
president of Rockaway Parkway Merchants
Corridor Association Inc. and
owner of Sylk Cove Lounge.
Including a Financial Literacy
Event, an Artist Showcase, and Sunset
Festival of Lights, the festivities that
concluded with, Coco and Cookies and
holiday music, brought much attention
to the district, in which, her office has
been working to engage business owners
while assisting them to rebound,
as New York continues to open, as
the city work to control Coronavirus
pandemic.
The politician said the event was
to inspire residents to shop local, and
she was honored to partner with other
community agencies, to bring back
vibrancy to the area, while thanking
merchants, whom she had visited, and
encouraged to give back to the community.
Sen. Persaud, who also welcomed,
President and CEO of the Brooklyn
Chamber of Commerce, Randy Peers,
Assembly Member Jamie Williams,
District Manager, Sue Ann Partnow,
and others, said she is committed to
addressing the needs of residents of elderly
homes and schools in the district.
By Tangerine Clarke
Guyanese musician, David McRae,
and family members are recuperating
from injuries sustained during a devastating
fire that gutted their 716 89th
St., recently.
Orisa Cameron, another family
member, in a Facebook post, expressed
sadness, stating: “Still thinking this
is a dream or more like a nightmare.
My family has lost everything in a
devastating fire. Please keep them in
your prayers. The Give Where You Live
Project will be collecting necessities.”
“At this time, you are welcome to
donate to the family’s donation page.
Thank you in advance,” she said and
posted a Gofundme.com page. www.
gofundme.com/f /the-taylors-family
home-gone-into-f lames?utm_
campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_
medium=copy_ l ink _ a l l&utm_
source=customer
Rissa D. Rudder posted, “Yesterday,
everything turned upside down for my
family. They lost their home in a fire
and some almost lost their life, but
God. Giving thanks for his mercy and
blessings. Please keep them lifted in
prayer and donate anything you can.
Thank you in advance for the love and
support
According to News 12 Brooklyn, multiple
people were hospitalized, including
a two-month-old, after the fire started
under the stairs in the cellar and rapidly
spread to the first and second floors
before becoming a 2-alarm blaze.
The report added that family members
inside the home say they heard
people shouting fire! as they jumped
out the back window to escape the
smoke and flames.
While some family members were
able to escape, a mother and her twomonth
old, one-year-old and fiveyear
old children were trapped inside,
according to News 12 Brooklyn.
Firefighters were able to rescue the
group from the building. But authorities
say the two-month-old, as well
as other family members, including
McRae, totaling seven, were taken to
the hospital. No one died in the blaze,
said the report.
Lavern Cumberbatch, director, and
cosmetologist of Carib Funeral Home
on Utica Avenue, told Caribbean Life,
that the organization is praying for
McRae, a talented and dedicated musician,
and his family, and will donate to
the fund to help the family return to
normalcy.
By Nelson A. King
Mayor-Elect and Brooklyn Borough
President Eric Adams on Tuesday issued
a proclamation today Brooklyn Public
Library’s 125th anniversary.
“For more than a century, the Brooklyn
Public Library has been a hub of
learning, enrichment and civic participation,
serving Brooklynites of all backgrounds.
As we celebrate the 125th anniversary
of this institution this year, it is
also worthwhile to reflect on what the
next 125 years will look like, and how
the library can deepen its commitment
to equity,” said Adams in a ceremony at
the new Civic Commons at the Central
Library at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn.
“The two new facilities we are unveiling
today, the Civic Commons and the
TechMobile, point the way forward,”
added Adams. “These new facilities will
help us tackle some of our city’s most
pressing issues, such as the difficulty
immigrant New Yorkers face in accessing
city services and the shameful digital
divide that holds people of all ages
back from realizing their full potential.
“I was so proud to allocate funding to
both of these facilities and look forward
to working with the library’s leadership
to continue providing services on which
Brooklynites and New Yorkers rely,” he
continued.
The founding of the borough’s public
library began with an act of the state
Legislature “to establish and to maintain
a public library and reading room”
in the independent city of Brooklyn.
Today, Adams said Brooklyn Public
Library is one of the nation’s largest
library systems, with 61 locations,
a thriving online library with virtual
programs and digital resources, and
outdoor reading rooms throughout the
borough, “offering access and opportunity
for New Yorkers from all walks
of life: immigrants learning a new language;
job seekers searching for opportunities;
students seeking help for
homework and preparing for college;
older adults seeking companionship;
entrepreneurs launching their dreams;
children discovering the world, and people
of all ages discovering the joy of a
good book.”
The new Civic Commons was made
possible with $2 million in capital funding
that Adams provided.
The library said the new Civic Commons,
opened earlier this year, is “an
easily accessible, dedicated hub for
organizations and services that facilitate
participation in public life, and features
a new entrance on Flatbush
Avenue.”
Winners of a singing competition
display their gift certifi cates,
as Senator Roxanne J. Persaud
(seventh from left), and Assembly
Member Jamie Williams, front
right, Melba Brown, and others,
pose at the First Annual Small
Business Saturday, on Rockaway
Parkway, Brooklyn.
Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud Offi ce
Adams marks Brooklyn Public Library’s
125th Anniversary with proclamation
Guyanese family’s home gutted by fire, seek help
Small
Business
Saturday
/Gofundme.com
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