The late Dr. Lamuel Stanislaus representing Grenada at the United Nations
General Assembly. Associated Press / Richard Drew, File
Caribbean Life, FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021 3
By Nelson A. King
Brooklyn Democratic Party chair
Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn has
joined her political colleagues in celebrating
Black History Month, noting
that the commemoration started
since 1976.
“We use this time to honor the
brave activists who fought against
racial discrimination and oppression,
as well as the artists, leaders and
innovators who’ve left an indelible
mark on our nation,” said Bichotte
Hermelyn, representative for the
42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn,
on Wednesday. “As we reflect on these
pioneers, we must keep in mind that
the battles fought by these trailblazers
of history are still being fought
today.”
Bichotte Hermelyn, the daughter
of Haitian immigrants, said one such
pioneer, Shirley Chisholm, the first
Black woman elected to the United
States Congress, “lived right here in
Brooklyn.”
The late Chisholm was the daughter
of a Barbadian mother and a Guyanese
father.
In addition to representing New
York’s 12th Congressional District for
seven years, Chisholm became the
first Black candidate to run for President
of the United States, as well as
the first woman to run for her party’s
presidential nomination.
“Last year, we witnessed history in
the making, with the election of Vice
President Kamala Harris, the first
Black woman to hold the position in
the United States,” Bichotte-Hermelyn
said.
She said history has also been made
on Capitol Hill, stating that, in 2020, a
record number of Black women were
elected to Congress, which builds on
the history made in 2018 when a
record 57 Black members were sworn
into the 116th Congress.
By Nelson A. King
Brooklyn Democratic Congressman,
Hakeem Jeffries on Monday reflected
on Black History, saying “African
Americans have been here since before
there was a country.”
“We arrived on these shores in 1619
in shackles and as a result of our blood,
our sweat, our tears, our intellect, our
ingenuity, our hard work, we helped to
build this great country,” said Jeffries,
who represents the 8th Congressional
District, comprising parts of Brooklyn
and Queens.
“This month is a time to reflect on
the countless achievements by our African
American ancestors and acknowledge
the price generations have paid to
bring us to where we are today,” added
the chair of the US House of Representatives’
Democratic Caucus. “We
must use the momentum granted to
us by generations of civil rights leaders
like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to rise
up and mark another era of progress.”
But, despite more than 150 years
since the abolishment of slavery, Jeffries
said African Americans “continue
to fight for equal protection under the
law.
“This once-in-a-century pandemic
and economic crisis has opened up a
lot of eyes as it relates to the need to
deal with the systemic racism and inequality
in America that have been in
the soil of our nation since its birth,”
he said. “It’s clear that, while we have
come a long way, we still have a long
way to go.
“As we continue our long, necessary
and majestic march towards a more
perfect union, we must never forget
how we arrived here,” Jeffries added.
“In the words of the late, great Representative
John Lewis,
we must never give up, never give in
and never give out because together,
we can redeem the soul of America.’”
By Nelson A. King
In June 2019, a street in Brooklyn was conamed
in honor the late Grenada Ambassador
to the United Nations, Dr. Lamuel
Stanislaus.
In a grand celebration, New York City
Councilman Dr. Mathieu Eugene, the Haitian
born representative for the predominantly
Caribbean 40th Council District in
Brooklyn, hosted the street co-naming for
“Dr. Lamuel A. Stanislaus Way” in his district,
at Rutland Road, between Flatbush
and Bedford Avenues.
“When I look at the audience and see so
many leaders that means Dr. Stanislaus was
an outstanding leader,” he told the ceremony.
“As an immigrant, I feel very proud.
“I am proud to commend this street Dr.
Stanislaus Way,” he added.
US Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke,
the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who
represents the 9th Congressional district,
said she, too, was very proud to represent
a district in which Dr. Stanislaus lived and
served.
“It is, indeed, an honor to rise in tribute
to the life and legacy of the late Dr. Lamuel
A. Stanislaus,” she said in a letter read by
her Brooklyn district manager Anita Taylor.
“Sir Lamuel A. Stanislaus’ life demonstrated
a love of God, humankind, love of
country, love of his birthplace and its people,
as well as the Caribbean community
at large,” Clarke added. “Dr. Stanislaus was
and will remain an inspiration to us all.”
Former Brooklyn President Marty
Markowitz said: “No one had a better command
of the English language than Dr.
Stanislaus (applause).
“During the challenges of the 1970s and
80s, he was the voice of the Caribbean (in
New York),” he added. “He was truly a very,
very special person.”
Dr. Roy A. Hastick, the late Grenadianborn
president and founder of the Brooklynbased
Caribbean American Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (CACCI), said, at
the time, that it was “an historic day for the
Stanislaus family.”
“Dr. Stanislaus was a legend; was a
father, a grand-father, a mentor; he was a
role model to may of us,” he said. “He was a
statesman. We must make sure this neighborhood
remains historic to continue the
legacy of Dr. Lamuel Stanislaus.”
Dr. Stanislaus’s eldest son, Lamuel, Jr.,
said he was happy that the street on Rutland
Road was co-named in his father’s
memory.
“This block really means a lot to all of
us,” he said. “It’s a great block. We’ve been
here for over 60 years, and I wouldn’t go to
any place else.”
Lamuel, Jr.’s younger brother, Eugene,
who followed in his father’s footsteps to
become a dentist, said the co-naming of the
street is also “a tribute to all the families of
Rutland Road who share his (Dr. Lamuel
Stanislaus) love of a strong family unit and
contribution to community.”
“Our family believes that Dr. Lamuel
Stanislaus will always represent ‘Rutland
Road Family Way,’” he said. “My family is
proud and humbled as our father receives
this prodigious tribute today. I feel confident
that he is illuminated in glory and
watching from a higher authority.”
Derek Ventour — the Brooklyn-based,
Grenadian-born entertainment producer,
who was instrumental in Dr. Lamuel Stanislaus
receiving US Presidential and Congressional
recognitions, at Clarke’s behest,
told Caribbean Life that he had approached
Dr. Eugene to host the co-naming of Rutland
Road in Dr. Lamuel’s honor.
“For everyone who attended the unveiling
ceremony, it was a blessing,” Ventour
said. “Dr. Lamuel Stanislaus served as an
inspiration to many for the life he lived. I
promise that I will never forget his dedication,
his service and his friendship. It was
my pleasure to serve.”
Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte
in her offi ce in Flatbush.
Photo by Caroline Ourso
Remembering Grenada’s Amb. to
the UN, Dr. Lamuel Stanislaus
Jeffries reflects on Black History
Bichotte
Hermelyn
celebrates Black
History Month