BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The roof was collapsing. Water poured in from every direction. As Hurricane Beryl’s 150 miles per hour (mph) winds tore through Carriacou, Kisha McFarlene huddled with others in a building that was coming apart around them.

WASHINGTON, Mar. 20, CMC – For decades, many Caribbean nations have grappled with dependence on a small number of powerful countries to supply vital imports, fill hotel rooms with tourists, and grant visas that open doors to opportunity.

LONDON, UK – Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it is done.” As I reflect on my nine-year tenure as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, I find deep truth in these words. 

WASHINGTON,  Apr. 3, CMC – For decades, the 14 independent  nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have helped sustain American prosperity by collectively importing far more from the United States than they export, creating an enduring trade surplus in Washington’s favour.

As America grapples with shifting values and increasing chaos, we face an unsettling question: Could Black Americans find themselves pushed back to a time reminiscent of the 1870’s Post-Reconstruction era, where legally they had no rights whites had to respect?

WASHINGTON, DC –  In the latest round of barbs with which Venezuela has responded to events surrounding its claim to the Essequibo region of Guyana, Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali, was described as “the Zelensky of the Caribbean.” This characterization begs the question: If Ali is the “Zelensky of the Caribbean,” then who is the “Putin”?

WASHINGTON, DC – Recent media stories have suggested that King Charles III could “invite” the United States to join the Commonwealth of Nations. Yet as Professor Philip Murphy, Director of the History and Policy Institute of Historical Research in London, wrote in The Times on March 23, membership in the Commonwealth “is not in the King’s gift”.

My grandfather’s first cousin was Lieutenant Colonel Howard Lee Baugh. Cousin Howard was part of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first unit of the Tuskegee Airmen. This month marks the 84th anniversary of the activation of the Squadron at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois, about 120 miles southwest of Chicago.

A woman scorned or spurned, if you prefer, can bring down hell and damnation and a fury that only mother nature can match in the form of a tempest or volcanic eruption.

African-American families have known for generations that retirement at the age of 65 is often a mirage. We hope and pray it will happen, but it’s a dream that generally never gets fulfilled. In fact reports have shown that the typical White family - even at retirement age - has eight times the wealth of the typical Black family, with a typical Latino family faring only slightly better. These historic inequities will not change by themselves. Community leaders, policymakers, and industry experts must come together to identify and promote new solutions to this retirement wealth gap.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – In 1980, Adolf Ratzka, a German disability rights activist, grew frustrated with how decisions about disabled people’s lives were made without their input.

WASHINGTON, DC – The campaign for the position of Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) has been tainted by misinformation and political distortion, particularly on social media.