Boston Based Authentic Caribbean Foundation Honors Diaspora Achievers For Black History Month
Boston/CMMInc…The Authentic Caribbean Foundation (ACF) will this weekend honor several Caribbean Diaspora Community members as part of Black History Month Celebrations. The Afro Caribbean Gala and Award will recognize Diaspora achievers who, through their work and community involvement, have demonstrated leadership and excellence. The star-studded virtual event will take place Saturday February 20, 2021 at 6pm and will be streamed live on various platforms, including the Authen Caribe Facebook Page as well as on its Instagram Page, Authentic Foundation.
Quinton Zondervan Photo Credit: Kyle Klein PhotographyHonorees are: Councillor Quinton Zondervan, a tech entrepreneur, non-profit leader, environmentalist, climate change and community activist who is currently serving his second term on the Cambridge City Council; Orville Joseph, NASM-CPT, ACE FNS, the founder of OJFit based in Boston a company which trains private clients to increase their fitness levels; Carl Smith, began playing in 1975, for about two years with Modern Sounds, a Boston-based Steel band. He is also a master plumber, union member, and former Trinidad and Tobago National Soccer player.
Dr. Rodelaire Octavius is a physician by training, but also a gifted entrepreneur with extensive marketing skills by nature. Dr. Octavius majored in Business Administration before switching to medical school where he was the only student to have his own business, Roro-Copy, a photocopy service at the facility. Within four years, that venture grew into a great success with seven locations.
Louise Michelle Vital, PhD is an Assistant Professor of International Higher Education at Lesley University. A scholar of Caribbean descent, her primary line of inquiry is related to the global dimensions of higher education. Broadly defined, her research agenda centers on a regional focus of Haiti; international perspectives of education practice and student experiences in U.S. higher education.
Louise Michelle Vital, PhD - Multimedia Producer Lesley University Photo credit: Mark Teiwes
Andrew A. Tulloch is the owner of Flava Jamaica Restaurant in Brockton, MA which serves customers in the Metro South area of Massachusetts including the Greater Boston locations. Bernadine DeSanges is the founder & CEO of Know Your Truths. Speak Your Truths., LLC; a consulting company and brand committed to curating brave spaces that empower individuals, organizations, and corporations to engage in difficult dialogues that lead to internal professional and personal shifts within inequitable infrastructures.
United States Senator Elizabeth Warren and four others will receive Honorary mentions.
Senator Warren is a fearless consumer advocate who has made the fight for middle class families her life's work. She is widely credited for the original thinking, political courage, and relentless persistence that led to the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which she helped to protect millions of consumers from the financial pitfalls often included in mortgages, credit cards, and other financial products.
Michelle-Ann Tinglin, MSN, RN is a healthcare professional with diverse experiences in emergency nursing, interventional, cardiac nursing, nursing education and nursing administration.
Councilor Kenrick Clifton is in his seventh term serving the town of Randolph, Massachusetts. He has also served as Vice President and President of the Town Council. Councilor Kenrick Clifton has been educated globally including in America, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean.
Bruce Ayers is a small business owner and state legislator, currently serving as State Representative for the 1st Norfolk District. He represents parts of Quincy and Randolph. Michelle Wu is a mom, daughter of immigrants, and a fierce believer that we can solve our deepest challenges through building community. As a Boston City Councilor, Michelle has worked in coalition to deliver bold, systemic change and redefine what is possible through activist city leadership across our neighborhoods.
“It’s an honor to recognize, during Black History Month, Caribbean-Americans of Massachusetts who have demonstrated excellence through their life’s work,” said Andrew Sharpe, Executive Director of ACF.
For more information, contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 857-271-6006, 914-536-2440 or visit the website http://authenticcaribbeanfoundation.org/
About The Authentic Caribbean Foundation
The Authentic Caribbean Foundation (ACF) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, based in Boston, geared toward transforming the lives of Caribbean children impacted by disabilities and HIV/AIDS and assisting caregivers and institutions.
The Authentic Caribbean Foundation was established in November 2012. ACF seeks to eliminate poverty through the development of community tourism and other self-sustaining opportunities in Disability and HIV/Aids affected communities. Its long term goal is providing education and training, health services, to children and adults with disability and HIV/AIDS within the Diaspora and the Caribbean.
ACF seeks, through its mission, to bolster HIV/AIDS research in the Diaspora and the Caribbean.
