Prime Minister Mottley among distinguished persons of Caribbean heritage to receive UWI Gala Awards

Barbadian Prime Minister, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Q.C., M.P. is one of seven distinguished persons to be honoured at the 24th annual Legacy Awards Gala of the American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI). She will be presented with AFUWI’s ‘Legacy Award’ at a virtual edition of the Gala scheduled for February 21, 2021.

For over two decades, this signature black tie event, hosted in New York City where the Foundation is headquartered, has been an annual tradition that helps provide increased access to education. AFUWI partners with UWI alumni, the Caribbean community in the US as well as American foundations and corporations to raise funds for scholarships, development projects and academic programmes at The University of the West Indies (The UWI). A major fundraising event in the United States, the Awards Gala provides an average of 50 scholarships each year. In addition to bringing together alumni and partners of The UWI for fundraising, the annual Gala recognises the achievements of notable US and Caribbean personalities. This year’s honourees celebrate Caribbean heritage and contributions to the region in their respective sectors including politics and nation building, music, acting, media, entrepreneurship, business, academia and education.

In addition to Prime Minister Mottley, the 2021 honourees include:

• Arlene Isaacs-Lowe, Global Head of CSR, President, Moody’s Foundation—recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Achievement Award.

• Dr. Jermaine Omar McCalpin, Chair, African and African American Studies Research Interests, New Jersey City University—recipient of the Pelican Award.

• Cedella Marley, OD, CEO of Tuff Gong International—recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Global Leadership.

• David Mullings, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Blue Mahoe Capital Partners—recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Business Leadership.

• Amanda Seales, Actress, Activist, Artist and Media Personality—recipient of the Caribbean Luminary Award.

• 107.5 WBLS FM radio station in New York and celebrity host, Dahved Levy—will receive the Trailblazer Award for Excellence in Community Engagement.

• Derrick ‘D-Nice’ Jones, Activist, DJ, Humanitarian & Producer—recipient of the Beacon Award.

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, said “Each year the AFUWI has the privilege of saying thank you on behalf of the people in the Caribbean and the Diaspora, to a select group of distinguished persons of Caribbean descent or heritage who are blazing a trail of excellence. We acknowledge and honour them as eminent standard bearers for a region that has contributed much particularly to the development of the USA in a range of spheres.” He added, “As large as America is, our Caribbean immigrants continuously punch way above the weight of the small island nations of their birth or heritage and we share in the pride of their accomplishments”.

This year’s virtual production will accommodate online contributions. Visit http://www.afuwi.org for further details.