( L - R ) ORANE and MORRIS
SIR WILLIAM Morris, O.J., and Douglas Orane, C.D., two outstanding Jamaicans, were on Saturday night awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. humanitarian award for their demonstration of the firm ideals espoused by the African-American civil rights leader.
Sir William was born in Jamaica, but spent his youthful years in England where he worked in the Transport and General Workers Union, becoming the union's first black general secretary in 1991.
Sir William retired from the position in 2003, but has continued his contribution to society by serving as Chancellor at the University of Technology and is a patron of several charities, including The National Black Boys Can Association.
SUPPORT FOR INNER CITY
Douglas Orane, who has served as the chief executive officer and chairman of GraceKennedy Limited since 1995, was honoured for his support through the company's programmes for inner-city residents and youth. One of Mr. Orane's outstanding contributions to the Jamaican society was his initiation of a task force that examined the ways to reduce waste in the public sector which saved the Jamaican Government US$3.5 million.
In his acceptance speech, Sir William stated that "Only a confident, educated and tolerant society can successfully confront the challenges of crime, poverty, injustice and discrimination." He added that the crime rate in Jamaica was not just horrible, but was "totally and utterly unacceptable."
USING CSM OPPORTUNITIES
For his part, Mr. Orane said he remains optimistic about Jamaica's future and that he has been heartened by the smooth transition in the general change of leadership in the political parties.
Stating that he is encouraged by the pro-active and open attitudes of young people, he implored them to take advantage of the oppor-tunities offered by the Caribbean Single Market.
Said he: "I have seen construction booming and I have been told that 18,000 construction workers will be needed in Trinidad and Tobago over the next year," he said.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. award is a project coordinated by the Jamaica America Friendship Association, which is a merger of the Jamaica-America Society founded in 1979 and the American Studies Association of Jamaica launched in 2000.
