COMMENTARY: BY OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 17, 2019 – An article in yesterday’s BAHAMAS CHRONICLE on the picnic organized by Bahamas Association of Chicago to celebrate the 46th anniversary of The Bahamas’ attainment of independence failed to mention who are the current officers of the association.
It is important to correct this omission because organizations like the Bahamas Association of Chicago are to be commended for the excellent job they do in helping Bahamians in the diaspora maintain meaningful ties to the cultural traditions of their native country.
The current officers of the Bahamas Association of Chicago are Cyril Jervis, President; Dianna Walkine, Vice-President; Jeffrey Crittenden, Treasurer; and Esmaralda Crittenden, Secretary.
As I noted in the article published in BAHAMAS CHRONICLE on July 16, thanks to the Hon. Michael C. Fountain, The Bahamas’ Honorary Consul to Chicago, the anniversary of The Bahamas’ attainment of independence from Great Britain over the past several years has received strong support from Bahamians in the diaspora in Midwest area of the United States.
In addition to the annual picnic that had always been used by Bahamians living in the Chicago area as a reason to “get together” to celebrate the independence of their home country, Honorary Consul Fountain also generally arranged some ancillary activities involving some of Chicago’s dignitaries and powerbrokers.
That article also noted: The fact that the picnic has been “a cornerstone event for Bahamians in the diaspora and around the Chicago area for decades” is due in no small measure to the efforts of a Wayne “Saldo” Saunders, Danny Colemore and Kendall Major – three Bahamians living in the Chicago area in the early 1980s who spearheaded the formation of the Bahamas Association in Chicago.”
In an interview via email, Wayne “Saldo” Saunders also gave credit to several other Bahamians living in the Chicago area as being founding members of the Association.
“Along with Kendall, Danny and myself, Emerson Fritz, Christopher Roberts, Perry Pearce and Donna Johnson, who did the cooking, were original members,” Saunders said. “We started out small, and later when Brenda Roker came to the Tourist Office, she registered the association with the government in Springfield, Illinois.”
Further crediting Ms. Roker for helping to make the association official, Saunders added: “We grew from there and here I am all these years later still doing all I can to help my fellow Bahamians in any way I can. I’m not rich, but I try my best to help.”
The Bahamas Association of Chicago, of course, is not the only active organized group of Bahamians in the diaspora who organize events to celebrate important landmarks in Bahamian history.
Probably the oldest of these associations is the New York-based Bahamian American Association, Inc. (BAAI), which was founded in 1912 as The Nassau Bahamas Association when “ten men of Bahamian ancestry came together and formed an organization in hope of filling the needs for fellowship and community among Bahamian families in the New York area,” according to the BAAI website.
“With the formation of this association, Bahamians coming to New York from The Bahamas and elsewhere could now meet, greet, and receive support as they pursued new jobs and attempted to reestablish themselves,” the website notes.
The website adds: “On September 17th, 1912, the Association was duly organized, a constitution was drafted, and the by-laws were framed. The ten Bahamians who founded The Nassau Bahamas Association in New York City were Austin A. Wilson, Rubin Clinton, Charles Sawyer, Bruce Roberts, Frank Russell, Robert Carey, Arthur Minnis, Edward Brown, Henson Styles, and Willie White.
“The Association’s purpose then, and remains now, is to provide a place of fellowship and community for Bahamian families in the New York area. In addition to its work in strengthening relationships between Bahamian nationals, the Bahamian American Association also serves as an example of what perseverance, tenacity and courage can accomplish. To date, the Bahamian American Association is the only organization founded by Bahamian migrants to own a building in New York City. Affectionately known as “The Bahama House” the Association’s headquarters is located in a brownstone at 211 West 137th Street near to the famed and historic Striver’s Row in Harlem.”
The BAAI holds monthly meetings, with the next one scheduled for Saturday, July 20, at 4:30pm
Although probably not at the same level as the BAAI, there are active organized associations of Bahamians in the diaspora in the Washington, D.C. area, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Miami, and in Toronto, Canada.
As I have noted on more several occasions, every government that comes to power in The Bahamas should offer more than just token support to these organiztions, not only because they unite Bahamians living abroad socially and otherwise, but also because as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations, Bahamians in the Diaspora have the potential to be very effective “living advertisements” to encourage potential visitors to choose The Bahamas as their vacation destination.
