Caribbean Life, Dec. 31,2021-Jan. 6, 2022 15
of masqueraders would normally
be expected to converge
on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway
on Labor Day Monday. But
clearly, since these are not normal
times, the West Indian
American Day Carnival Association
(WIADCA), organizer of
the massive annual carnival
parade, took no chance
The Brooklyn-based group
cancelled the massive, spectacular
event for the second
successive year, because of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
However, it still allowed
carnival aficionados to enjoy
Caribbean culture by hosting
a series of carnival events,
including a march on Eastern
Parkway.
In late September, Haitian
community leaders in Brooklyn
strongly condemned the
mass deportation of Haitian
migrants from the Texas border
.T
he leaders — including
legislators Assembly member
Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn,
chair of the Brooklyn Democratic
Party, and Council Members
Dr. Matthieu Eugene and
Farah N. Louis — rallied outside
Brooklyn Borough Hall
denouncing the deportations.
The Biden administration
had begun deporting thousands
of Haitians who have
migrated at the southern border
after illegally entering the
US, overwhelming the South
Texas town of Del Rio.
With the week-long
76th Session of the United
Nations General Assembly
Debate taking place during the
last week in September, Caribbean
Community (CARICOM)
Heads of Government and Foreign
Affairs Ministers ensured
their voices were well heard, as
they lamented the dire, adverse
effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
on their respective economies.
They, unequivocally, capitalized
on this year’s General
Assembly theme, “Building
resilience through hope
— to recover from COVID-19,
rebuild sustainably, respond to
the needs of the planet, respect
the rights of people, and revitalize
the United Nations.”
OCTOBER
In early October, immigrant
New Yorkers increased pressure
on Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer to deliver on
citizenship in the federal budget
reconciliation package.
In front of Senator Schumer’s
Manhattan office, immigrant
advocates and community
members urged the Majority
Leader to ignore the faulty
assessment offered by the
parliamentarian and fulfil the
promise that Democrats made
to immigrant communities,
according to NYIC.
In mid-October, the Biden
administration moved to end
mass worksite raids conducted
by the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) agency
that had resulted in the
arrests of hundreds of undocumented
Caribbean and other
immigrants.
In a memorandum, Mayorkas
directed ICE, US Customs
and Border Protection
(CBP), and US Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS)
to “take actions to promote a
fair labor market by supporting
more effective enforcement
of wage protections, workplace
safety, labor rights, and other
employment laws and standards.”
The policy change remakes
how ICE had been operating
during the previous administration
of President Trump.
During Trump’s four-year
administration, ICE raided several
work places arresting and,
subsequently, deporting hundreds
of undocumented Caribbean
and other immigrants.
NOVEMBER
A number of Caribbean candidates
who were victorious
in June’s Democratic Primary
romped to victory in early
November in the general elections
in the heavily-Democratic
New York City.
Williams was re-elected,
as well as Louis, and Hudson,
Joseph and Narcisse were elected
to New York City Council for
the very first time.
In mid-November, Williams
officially announced his candidacy
for Governor of New York
State.
Williams’ announcement
came after a seven-week exploratory
phase, during which he
visited and spoke with communities
from Long Island and
Brooklyn to Rochester and Buffalo,
among other places.
DECEMBER
In early December, Williams
hailed the City Council’s passage
of Intro 1867, expanding
the right to vote in municipal
elections to roughly 900,000
non-citizen New Yorkers,
including Caribbean nationals,
with legal permanent residence
status or other valid
work authorization.
A week later, Williams disclosed
that he has tested positive
for the COVID-19 virus.
Then, at the end of December,
a week after Mayor-elect
Adams announced that the historic
Kings Theatre in the Flatbush
section of Brooklyn in the
heart of the Caribbean community
will be the site of his
inauguration ceremony on Jan.
1, Adams said that the muchanticipated
ceremony will be
postponed for a later date.
Adams, the incumbent
Brooklyn Borough President,
said the ceremony will be held
in conjunction with those for
Comptroller-elect Brad Lander
and Public Advocate Williams,
the son of Grenadian immigrants.
“Dear fellow New Yorkers, it
is clear that our city is facing
a formidable opponent in the
Omicron variant of COVID-19,
and that the spike in cases
presents a serious risk to public
health,” said Adams in a
joint statement with Lander
and Williams.
“After consulting with public
health experts, we have decided
that our joint inauguration ceremony
will be postponed to a
later date in order to prioritize
the health of all who were planning
to attend, cover and work
on this major event,” the statement
added.
REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol
Outgoing Borough President, now Mayor-elect Eric Adams greets New Yorkers at 2021’s “Hometown Heroes” ticker-tape
parade in New York City. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid