Ambassador Marks Hails Founders of the West Indies Social Club in Hartford, Connecticut

Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Audrey Marks, has hailed the founders of the 74-year-old West Indies Social Club (WISC) in Hartford, Connecticut, as visionaries who have, over the years, created the unifying and enduring spirit characterising the Caribbean Diaspora.

“Since 1950, when the WISC was formed by a group of farm workers from the Caribbean, the Club has cultivated a culture of togetherness and demonstrated the collective power of our Diaspora,” she noted.

Addressing the Club’s 74th annual anniversary gala at the organisation’s headquarters on Main Street in Hartford on April 20, Ambassador Marks told the over 400 attendees that the occasion was timely.

“This 74th anniversary gala and awards banquet is an inspiring moment in time. It is a tangible display of dedication and commitment. This year’s theme: ‘Ignite Unity’, is very important. It underpins the notion that there is strength in numbers, which is embodied in the mottos of several West Indian nations, including Jamaica’s – ‘Out of Many, One People’,” she said.

Ambassador Marks thanked Club President, Beverly Redd, and the WISC Executive for upholding the vision and continuing in the footsteps of the founding fathers by fostering a “home away from home” for West Indians in the Diaspora.

In her remarks, Ms. Redd announced the establishment of a museum slated to be opened at the Club’s complex in October, which will display various items of history detailing the development of Hartford’s West Indian community.

“Our history is an amazing story, because we have been igniting unity within Hartford for 74 years of our existence consistently. The West Indies Social Club was born between the 1940s and 50s, in an era which was indicative of social injustice and inequalities.

“In the US, the West Indian migrants were granted the opportunity to work in the agricultural sector of the United States under the British West Indies Temporary Alien Labour Programme as farm workers in Connecticut’s tobacco industry,” she informed.

Ms. Redd pointed out that consequent on challenges arising under the programme, the founding fathers came together to forge unity by setting their differences aside and building stronger connections for survival; hence, the formation of the West Indies Social Club.

“They came together, they bridged the gaps and built collective strength that transcended the boundaries, and to do this, they had to focus,” President Redd stated.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Marks used the opportunity to “invite all Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica… to come home to the 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, which also emphasises the potency of unity, under the theme – ‘United for Jamaica’s Transformation: Fostering Peace, Productivity, and Youth Empowerment’.

“I am inviting you to come, see, and participate in the significant strides we are making as a country, from the expansion of our airports, highways and access to more skill training for our youth, to the dramatic improvement in our macro-economic framework.

“We are being hailed as a turnaround story by the leading global financial institutions in what we have achieved in cutting our national debt from 149 per cent of GDP (gross domestic product) to now 74 per cent, more than half. So we can now start investing in our infrastructure, schools, health services, security, housing, etcetera… ‘big tings a gwaan’!” she declared.

Ambassador Marks emphasised that “the Conference is the place to meet with the Government of Jamaica and have an input in the future of the country and to make use of opportunities that are now available to do business or to return for retirement.

Consequently, she told them that “I look forward to seeing many of you in Jamaica in June.”