Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain stands in the
pit-lane after the qualifying at the Formula One Abu Dhabi
Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Saturday,
Dec. 11, 2020. Associated Press/Kamran Jebreili, Pool
Caribbean Life, JANUARY 8-14, 2021 39
By Nelson A. King
The Brooklyn-based Everybody’s
magazine has named
Lewis Hamilton, a Caribbean-
Briton, who is the most successful
Formula One racing driver of
all time, as its Person of the Year
for 2020.
Everybody’s said on Monday
that Hamilton, of Grenadian
heritage, is the most successful
driver in Formula One history
having won seven world Formula
One Championships, totaling
95 grand prix victories.
“We thank our subscribers
and Caribe Fete fans who sent
us their choice and for making
the selection process a spirited
one,” said the 43-year-old
magazine, in a statement, whose
publisher is Grenadian Herman
Hall. “Many were passionate
about their choice and sent us
thoughtful, persuasive essays.
“After 42 years of presenting
the magazine’s Person of
the Year, we observed that many
broke with custom,” it added.
“That’s reflected in so many in
the Diaspora and across the
region rejecting parochialism
and voting for someone from
beyond their respective borders.”
Everybody’s magazine said
many of the popular choices
were “very competitive in the
selection process.”
The popular magazine said
they included Barbados Prime
Minister Mia Mottley (“no other
Caribbean prime minister
received a single vote this year”);
US Vice-President-elect Kamala
Harris; Trinidadian American
Abby Phillip, CNN White House
correspondent, “who captivated
audiences with her spot-on
analysis of the elections and the
pandemic”; and Stacey Abrams,
a former Georgia Gubernatorial
candidate and civil rights activist.
“Unlike politicians, who are
tasked with protecting the wellbeing
of the public, Lewis Hamilton
has no such obligation, but
he made a conscious decision to
inform the world of the dangers
of the dreadful virus by wearing
a face mask in the countries
he raced in during 2020 for his
protection and to encourage everyone,
especially the youth, to
wear a mask,” Everybody’s said.
“The truth is Lewis Hamilton
may have saved more lives
than President Donald Trump,”
it added. “Most tellingly, Hamilton
has been a supporter of
Black Lives Matter (BLM), and
has been wearing the insignia
of BLM on his racing suits and
racing cars – much to the displeasure
of many fans of a hugely
white-fan-based-sport. And still,
he persists.
“His prowess in racing encourages
Black and brown youth
throughout the world to dream
about car racing,” Everybody’s
continued. “In that respect, he
stands as a symbol of hope just
like the late tennis icons Althea
Gibson (French Open 1956,
Wimbledon and US Open 1957-
58) and Arthur Ashe; today, what
Tiger Woods is in golf.”
Like Colin Kaepernick and
Lebron James among others,
Everybody’s said Hamilton
added his voice to the quest for
social justice, “even as President
Trump and the American
rightwing castigated BLM and
its supporters.
“Standing firmly with the
forces for equity and against
social injustice, Hamilton, wearing
a T-shirt emblazoned with
the words, ‘Arrest the cops who
killed Breonna Taylor,’ has boldly
proclaimed his opposition to
police brutality, even at the Tuscan
Grand Prix, the premier and
one of the most challenging car
races in the world,” the magazine
said.
Lewis Hamilton named Everybody’s
magazine Person of the Year