BY NELSON A. KING
Daliah Kareitha Ralph
Charles, the Vincentian-born,
long-serving member and
chief liaison communications
offi cer of the Brooklyn-based
Caribbean American Cultural
Group, Inc. (CACG) that
organizes the annual Miss
New York Continental Pageant,
succumbed to a long battle
against cancer in Brooklyn
on Jan. 19. She was 59.
According to her cousin
and compatriot Yvonne Peters,
CACG founder and president,
Ralph Charles’s funeral
service was held on Sat., Feb.
1, at Clarendon Road Church,
3304 Clarendon Rd., Brooklyn.
She declined to disclosed
the kind of cancer.
Peters told Caribbean
Life that Ralph Charles, who
joined CACG in June 2013 and
served as an executive member
until 2017, played “a major
role with the title of Chief
Liaison Communications Offi
cer.”
“She will be greatly
missed,” she said.
Adonna Lewis-Dudley, a
Vincentian-born CACG director,
also told Caribbean Life
that Ralph Charles was promoted
Caribbean Life, F 24 ebruary 21-27, 2020
to Chief Liaison Communications
Offi cer because
of her “diligence, unwavering
commitment, resilience and
love for people.”
“Kareitha was responsible
for coordinating all external
communication and shaping
the narratives that engage
donors, volunteers and clients,
the young ladies who
enrolled in our pageant program,”
she said.
“She was one of our biggest
recruiters,” Lewis-Dudley
added. “However, she became
much more than that
to the young ladies. She was
their mentor, their confi dant;
if there were any doubts or
fears, she would deal with
them one-on-one.
“She would meet with
concerned parents and assured
them that the organization
would take proper care
of their daughters,” Lewis-
Dudley continued. “She went
above and beyond – even going
into her own pockets or
raiding a closet or two to help
outfi t a young lady at presentation
events or on Pageant
Day.
“You see, not all of the
young ladies who participated
were of fi nancial means
or owned a high heel shoes,
much less a gown,” she said.
“And she helped to make that
happen.”
Lewis-Dudley said Ralph
Charles was also responsible
for the Hat Segment at
CACG’s promotional “Tea
with a Twist”, “a fun activity
that engaged and was enjoyed
by patrons.”
In addition, Lewis-Dudley
said Ralph Charles was responsible
for preparing pageant
contestants on Pageant
Night, “making sure they
were stage-ready by organizing,
labeling and assisting in
dressing, make-up, etc. before
facing the audience.”
Ralph Charles, who was
born on Feb. 4, 1960, in Sion
Hill, a popular village overlooking
the Vincentian capital,
Kingstown, also ensured
that contestants were fed.
Annual Miss New York Continental Pageant organizer Daliah
Kareitha Ralph Charles succumbed to a long battle against
cancer on Jan. 19. Photo courtesy of Adonna Lewis-Dudley
“She was all about the
young ladies, always buying
gifts to present for them,”
Lewis-Dudley said. “She was
very giving in so many ways
that, from the moment she became
ill, we felt the void right
away.
“It was quite a struggle,”
she added. “Kareitha was a
valuable member, who will be
greatly missed.”
Brooklyn pageant communications
officer succumbs to cancer