Contributed
Yvonne Graham Lolita Long, Editor
NEW YORK:
"IT IS with a great sense of optimism that I undertake this new challenge." With those words, Jamaican, Yvonne Graham, founder and executive director of the Caribbean Women's Health Association (CWHA), a community-based organisation in Brooklyn accepted her selection as Brooklyn's new deputy borough president.
Ms. Graham was selected to serve in this capacity by new Borough President Marty Markowitz, who assumed office on January 1. Markowitz, a Jew, who describes himself as "a Caribbean man", won decisively in the November elections, mainly because of the strong support of the Caribbean community.
He enjoyed tremendous support in Flatbush, Brooklyn, a Caribbean enclave, during his 21-year tenure as State Senator. Michael J. Burke was appointed as his chief of staff, Seth J. Cummins as general counsel, and Glen F. von Nostitz as Director of Communications.
Caribbean community leaders have hailed Ms. Graham's appointment and she is seen as "the right pick." In several quarters she was touted as the best person for the job that carries a salary of reportedly over US$100,000.
She said she was "thrilled" at the opportunity to "continue a passion for community service," and says she look forward "with great enthusiasm" to work with Markowitz.
Some of the areas she intends to focus on include supporting the cultural diversity of Brooklyn; revitalising the neighbourhoods; strengthening families; and investing in the youth.
"Brooklyn is a culturally and ethnically diverse borough with people from more than 100 countries from around the world and we are committed to making Brooklyn's cosmopolitanism more interactive and synergistic, where people from the various neighbourhoods will join forces around common interests, engage in cultural exchange, and galvanise their assets and leverage their resources for mutual benefits," Graham said.
Before migrating to the US, she graduated from the University of the West Indies as a Registered Nurse, Bachelors of Science Degrees in Health Administration and Comm-unity Health from St. Joseph's College, and Masters in Public Health from Hunter College, New York.
