AMBASSADOR BASIL K. BRYAN

Seven persons, including former Governor-General, Sir Howard Cooke, are to be honoured by the Jamaica Progressive League (JPL), at its 71st anniversary dinner and awards presentation ceremony on Saturday, September 8, in the Bronx, New York.

They will be recognised for supporting the JPL and for giving outstanding service to the New York Jamaican community over the years.

Others to be honoured include: Adolfo Carrion, president of the Borough of the Bronx; Dr. Karl Rodney, publisher of the New York Carib News and a former JPL president; Dr. Basil K. Bryan, consul general of Jamaica; Dr. Julius Garvey, community activist and son of National Hero, Marcus Garvey; Robert 'Bob' DeSouza, chief executive officer (CEO) of Trans-Continental Express Shippers, New York, and Solomon Goodrich, historian and chairman of the Southeast Queens Association, New York.

The gala event will be held at the Rose Hall banquet facility on White Plains Road at the border of Mt. Vernon and begins at 8:00 p.m. with a reception. Sir Howard will be the keynote speaker.

League President Sadie Camp-bell said that after 71 years, the grassroots organisation was as relevant today as it was when it was first formed.

Milestone

"It is important that we celebrate such a milestone, lest we forget and become complacent that we neglect to pass on to future generations the rich legacy that we inherited and are being sustained by," she said.

Campbell said it was important to remind the diaspora of the pivotal role that the JPL played in Jamaica's difficult transition from colonialism to independence and its agitation for change in United States Immigration policies in the mid-1960s.

She also pointed out that the upcoming event was pivotal in demonstrating to the community that the League was alive and well positioned to continue its commitment and support in the nation-building process at this critical juncture.