By Nelson A. King
In observance of St. Lucia’s 43rd
anniversary of independence, the Consulate
General of St. Lucia in New York
hosted a flag-raising ceremony on Tuesday,
Feb. 22 at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
On the day’s program were remarks
by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio
Reynoso, along with his deputy, Dianna
Richardson, the former representative
for the 43rd Assembly District in Central
Brooklyn.
Howie Prince, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines’ Consul General in New
York, brought congratulatory remarks
on behalf of his Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) colleagues, and Mathias
Wilkie spoke on behalf of the New York
City-based St. Lucia House Foundation.
St. Lucia’s incoming Consul General,
Jeremiah Hyacinth, also addressed the
gathering.
He said the theme chosen for this
year’s celebration, “Douvan Ansanm
– Celebrating Our People,” is “quite
appropriate, because, as a people, there
is much to celebrate as we remain resolute
in our belief that better days are,
indeed, ahead of us.
“I know that this year’s theme is,
undoubtedly, of great significance
to overseas based St. Lucians simply
because, despite the severe challenges
of the last 24 months, you never gave
up on your family and friends, who
depend on your remittances and other
contributions,” Hyacinth added. “And
so, you’re more than worthy to be celebrated,
given your resilience and unwavering
commitment to your beloved
homeland.”
The Consul General expressed his
“heartfelt appreciation” to “the Borough
of Brooklyn, City of New York and its
great people for their generous support
and goodwill extended to St. Lucia and
its people.”
Caribbean L 18 ife, MARCH 4-10, 2022
By Nelson A. King
Jamaican-born Rt. Rev. Sylveta A.
Hamilton Gonzales, the founder, chief
executive officer and bishop of QKingdom
Ministries, Inc., continues to make
her mark in Brooklyn.
Qkingdom is an interfaith community
based organization comprising the
New York Ecumenical Convocation;
the Mystical Temple of the Rose and
Flame; the Inter-Cultural Awareness
Council; the Education in Advancement
Program/QK Scholarship Foundation;
Woman of Great Esteem (WGE) Award;
MACADEMY School of Science & Technology,
“where students are educated,
inspired and advanced;” QK International
Student Exchange Program; and
the Interfaith Academy.
In 2016, Bishop Hamilton Gonzales
was appointed as a human rights commissioner
by former New York City
Mayor Bill de Blasio.
She is also the chair of the Caribbean
Research Center at Brooklyn’s predominantly
Black Medgar Evers College, City
University of New York.
Bishop Hamilton Gonzales graduated
Summa Cum Laude from the College
of New Rochelle, earning a Bachelor of
Arts in psychology and religion.
She is also a graduate of the New
York Theological Seminary, receiving
certification in Christian Ministry.
Accepted at both Harvard and Princeton
Seminary, Bishop Hamilton
Gonzales said she chose Princeton,
where she received a Master’s degree
in Divinity.
She was subsequently accepted at
Drew University to work on her Ph. D
in religion and society and a Doctorate
in Ministry.
Rt. Rev. Hamilton Gonzales said her
service to the community was extended
when she became a member of the
Brooklyn-based Progressive Democrats
Progressive Association (PDPA) “under
the magnanimous leadership of the
Hon. Dr. Una Clake, CD,” the Jamaicanborn,
first Caribbean-born woman to
be elected to New York City Council.
Dr. Clarke is the former Council representative
for the 40th District in Central
Brooklyn.
On this journey as a member of the
PDPA, Bishop Hamilton Gonzales told
Caribbean Life that her dream was
“to build, in the 35th Councilmatic
District, where I reside, an academic
institution of higher learning to reduce
the gap and disparities in education in
Central Brooklyn.”
She said because her passion is education,
while observing the lack of
opportunities for students in the community,
she reached out to Dr. Clarke
for “guidance on how to gain access to
the proposals being distributed for the
Universal Pre-K Program for 4-yearolds.”
She said her intentions were to
extend the development of her school
and offer more opportunities to parents
Rt. Rev. Sylveta A. Hamilton Gonzales. Rt. Rev. Sylveta Hamilton Gonzales
and students.
Rt. Rev. Hamilton Gonzales said
she had a meeting with Dr. Clarke
that “crossed the Councilmanic lines,
because Dr. Clarke was the council
member for the 40th District,” and she
lived in the 35th District.
Bishop Hamilton Gonzales said
Mary Pickett was her council member,
but when she reached out for Pickett’s
assistance, she told her she was “unable
to provide any assistance or guidance.”
During the meeting with Dr. Clarke,
the bishop said Dr. Clarke informed her
that “programs come and go when the
administration changes.”
Hamilton Gonzales said Dr. Clarke,
however, urged her to “continue to
build a school and not just have a program.”
She said Dr. Clarke supported her
vision, guided her through the process
and introduced her to the experts in the
field of education, who helped her to
“navigate” her way through the Department
of Education.
Bishop Hamilton Gonzales said Dr.
Clarke’s “assistance and words of wisdom
were added to the building blocks
that laid the foundation for the expansion
of MACADEMY School of Science
and Technology, from elementary to
middle school, in Central Brooklyn.”
“Dr. Clarke championed to way for
this accomplishment,” she said, adding
that her two sons, Ashley and Laurence,
became “the magnificent columns of
strength.”
“They were the young visionaries
who renamed the school, wrote the
proposals, and continued the process to
develop a world class education system
for the academic advancement for our
students and school,” Bishop Hamilton
Gonzales said. “They did marketing
promotion, recruitment for the school
and managed the day-to-day operations.”
She said she left MACADEMY, under
the management and care of her sons;
consultant Dr. Brenda Boyd Bell; attorney
Earnest Wilson; “a team of competent
accounts”; and members of her
organization, Qkingdom Ministries,
Inc., “and joined Dr. Clarke.”
Bishop Hamilton Gonzales said Dr.
Clarke invited her to study “the political
arena” and placed on her head “an
amazing political hat,” which opened
her eyes to the political needs of the
community.
“Dr. Clarke’s central goal was to
develop a robust, organized, local
democracy that brought community
members together across various ethnicity
to fight together for the common
interests of the community,” she said.
Under the “outstanding leadership
of Dr. Una Clarke,” Bishop Hamilton
Gonzales said she was “exposed to the
goals of her political plans and the blueprint
were defined.”
St. Lucians waving miniature fl ags,
celebrating their 43rd independence
anniversary on the steps of
Brooklyn Borough Hall. Shaun Walsh
@whatzupnewyork
Rt. Rev. Sylveta A. Hamilton Gonzales
continues to make her mark
St. Lucians
participate in
flag-raising
ceremony