By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 7, 2024 – The United States Embassy in Nassau posted an excellent collection of photos on Facebook two days ago. Given the fact that I give top priority to events that take place in Grand Bahama, where I lived for 10 years before returning to Washington, D.C. as the Press, Cultural Affairs and Information Manager at the Bahamas Embassy in 2013, I was surprised that I was only now seeing these photos for the first time after they were reposted on Facebook yesterday by my Facebook friend Deborah Anderson Pratt, who used to do a column for The Freeport News when I was that newspaper’s editor.
By the way, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE has been making a concerted effort to fill the news void created in Grand Bahama by the unfortunate closure of The Freeport News two years ago as the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GPBA) continues the excellent job it is doing daily in providing the level of leadership that’s necessary to restore Freeport’s “Magic City” nickname. Therefore, I am actively looking for someone to represent BAHAMAS CHRONICLE in Grand Bahama. Anyone who is interested, please contact me by email.
Meanwhile, I absolutely had to share some of the photos reposted by Deborah Anderson Pratt on Women’s Month in Grand Bahama with readers of my Washington, D.C. – based online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
The United States Embassy in The Bahamas posted the collection of photos with the following narrative:
“What a way to close out Women’s History Month! On Saturday, March 30, the women on Grand Bahama who are participating in the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program came together to celebrate their achievements at the mid-way point of the program.
The event was hosted by Access Accelerator, Small Business Development Centre Bahamas (SBDC), in partnership with U.S. Embassy Nassau, as the AWE program is facilitated though the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). SBDC serves as the implementing partner for AWE.
Fifty-three dynamic women, all residents of Grand Bahama, make up this year’s cohort. The delightful brunch, held in honor of the beautiful ladies at the Pelican Bay Hotel, served as an opportunity for the women in attendance to celebrate and motivate each other through their entrepreneurial journeys. On hand for the occasion, Samantha Rolle, Executive Director at SBDC; Lisa Moxey, AWE Program Coordinator from Embassy Nassau and Lisa Turnquest, a prominent local insurance executive and female entrepreneur who is the founder of “Kaptin Korn,” was the keynote speaker. Lisa’s personal and motivational story was the catalyst that the women needed to inspire them to pursue their personal and professional goals despite setbacks and challenges.
These 53 AWEsome women entrepreneurs are almost to the finish line! We invite you to continue to follow along with us on our social media platforms as we highlight their journey through the completion of the AWE program leading up to the graduation ceremony in the next few weeks!”
