Attorney GeneralLetitia James. Photo by Cate Dingley
Caribbean Life, MARCH 19-25, 2021 5
By Nelson A. King
In honor of Women’s History
Month, the Consulate General of
Jamaica, New York (CGNY) has recognized
Caribbean American Congresswoman,
Yvette D. Clarke, stating
that she is among “some remarkable
women, who have demonstrated leadership
in advancing our sustainable
development agenda, as a people and
as a nation.”
“Whilst our efforts will be focused
on women in Jamaica and the United
States, we use this opportunity to
express our heartfelt gratitude to all
women across the globe for your continued
impact and invaluable contribution,”
said the midtown Manhattan
based Consulate in a statement.
For its first feature, the Consulate
said it recognized Congresswoman
Clarke, who represents New York’s 9th
Congressional District, and was born
in Brooklyn to Jamaican immigrants.
The Consulate noted that Clarke’s
political career began at the New York
City Council, where she represented
the 40th District in Brooklyn, following
in the footsteps of her mother, Dr.
Una S. T. Clarke, the first Caribbeanborn
woman to be elected to New York
City Council.
“Since first being elected to the
US House of Representatives in 2007,
Congresswoman Clarke has worked
tirelessly to make sure that communities
of color and Black women of all
ages are not left behind,” the Consulate
said.
“Currently, she co-chairs the Congressional
Caribbean Caucus, which
works to establish links with the Caribbean
American community in the
US, and was recently appointed as the
chair of the Homeland Cybersecurity,
Infrastructure Protection and Innovation
Subcommittee, under the jurisdiction
of the House Committee on
Homeland Security,” it added.
By Nelson A. King
A Jamaican-born nurse educator in
New York City, an advocate for nursing
education and excellence in nursing
practice, has been in the vanguard
of mentoring nurses and prospective
nurses, particularly those in communities
of color.
Brooklyn resident Dr. Althea Mighten,
the senior director for Nursing Professional
Development and Nursing
Recruitment at NYU (New York University)
Langone Orthopedic Hospital
in lower Manhattan, serves as mentor
to student nurses and nurses who are
members of New York Black Nurses
Association (NYBNA).
“Nursing students are tomorrow’s
mentorship of students to facilitate their
transition from the role of a student to
that of a professional registered nurse,”
Dr. Mighten, who was recently honored
by the NYBNA, told Caribbean Life in
an exclusive interview. “Mentorship is
also important for those of us who are
already nurses.
“I am a strong supporter of mentorship
and have had the opportunity to
serve as a mentor for students who are
members of the NYBNA,” added Dr.
Mighten, who was born and raised in the
District of Hayes in the Parish of Clarendon
in Jamaica, and migrated to Brooklyn
in 1981. “This was a very rewarding
experience for me, and I am grateful to
the NYBNA for making it possible.”
By being an avid supporter of the
NYBNA since 2010, Dr. Mighten,
whose teaching experience spans from
academia to the practice setting, said
she has been able to develop a partnership
with the Department of Nursing at
NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital in
hosting several annual NYBNA events.
By Nelson A. King
New York Attorney General, Letitia
James on Tuesday helped to restore an
injunction against the continued implementation
of the Public Charge Rule
that had been issued by the previous
President Donald J. Trump administration
in the United States.
The Public Charge Rule denied green
cards and visas to Caribbean and other
immigrants who use or have used certain
US government assistance programs,
such as Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, also called
food stamps, and Section 8 Housing
Assistance under the Housing Choice
Voucher Program.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ),
under incumbent President Joe Biden,
on Tuesday agreed with the Office of the
New York Attorney General (OAG) to
dismiss the DOJ’s pending appeal before
the US Supreme Court.
That dismissal effectively lifted a previous
stay that the Supreme Court
had issued and restored a preliminary
injunction against the Public Charge
Rule that the OAG had successfully
obtained in October 2019 and defended
on appeal in August 2020.
“Today, we dismissed this case and
restored the preliminary injunction
that ensures that those living in New
York and in other states do not have to
choose between their immigration status
and securing the necessary support
to survive,” James told Caribbean Life.
“Our immigrant neighbors seeking
to make a better life for themselves
deserve more than living in the shadows
and on the streets, which is why the
Trump administration’s Public Charge
Rule was nothing more than an egregious
attempt to infringe upon the
laws and the values of this nation,” she
added.
“Quite simply, today, fewer children
will go hungry and more families will
get the medical care they desperately
need,” the New York attorney general
continued. “We look forward to continuing
to work with the Biden-Harris
administration as we bring more immigrants
out of the shadows and help
rebuild our economy, as well as our
nation’s public health.”
US federal law allows lawful Caribbean
and other immigrants to apply for
certain supplemental health and nutritional
public benefits if they have been
in the country for at least five years.
But, in August 2019, the US Department
of Homeland Security, under
Trump, issued a Public Charge Rule
that changed the established meaning
of public charge, which had long been
that immigrants who use certain supplemental
benefits are not considered
public charges, because they are not
primarily dependent on the government
for survival.
“This ‘bait-and-switch’ consequently
jeopardized immigrants’ chances of
becoming legal permanent residents
or renewing their visas if they used the
supplemental benefits to which they are
legally entitled,” James said.
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke.
Photo by Nelson A. King
Trump’s administration Public
Charge Rule rescinded
Jamaican nurse educator in vanguard of nursing mentorship
Jamaica
recognizes
Clarke in honor
of Women’s
History Month
Jamaican-born nurse educator, Dr.
Althea Mighten. Dr. Althea Mighten