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Barbados Comes to Atlanta

Barbadians attending the ‘Barbados Comes to Atlanta’ (BCTA) Memorial weekend events, got an opportunity to share their views with members of the Barbados Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC).

***Barbados’ Consul General to Miami, Rudy Grant, welcoming the audience at the town hall meeting.***

Barbados’ Consul General to Miami, Rudy Grant, in his welcome address at the Town Hall meeting, held this morning at the Clayton County International Park in Atlanta, Georgia, told the audience that the session provided them with the opportunity to say what they wanted to see in the new Constitution, and indicate how it would be shaped.

He stressed consultations such as these were “extremely important,” and persons at home and abroad should seize the opportunity “to contribute to this very important document which will inform how the country will function”.

From left: Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Reform Commission, Senator Gregory Nicholls; Barbados’ Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States, Noel Lynch, and Commissioner, Senator The Reverend Canon Dr. John Rogers, in conversation at the event. (A. Reid/BGIS)

Members of the CRC participating in the final overseas Town Hall meeting were: Chairman and retired Justice Christopher Blackman; Deputy Chairman Senator Gregory Nicholls; Commissioners Senator The Reverend Canon Dr. John Rogers; Attorney-at-Law Sade Jemmott, as well as Secretary to the Commission and University of the West Indies lecturer, Professor Cynthia Barrow-Giles.

In his introductory remarks, Justice Blackman (retired) stated that part of the CRC’s mandate was to consult both locally and abroad with persons, about what provisions they would like included in the Constitution “for the development of Barbados”.

He told those attending: “As a Commission, we are here to listen, [and] hear what you want to say to us. I think I should tell you all that every proposal may not be appropriate for inclusion in the Constitution…. However, I will also say, if you say something to us that we think has significance, that may require some alteration to the other substantive laws of the country. We commit to making that recommendation for consideration by the powers that be.”

The main discussion centred around Barbadian citizens living abroad having the right to participate in the electoral process. While most attendees seemed in favour, Father Richard Winston proposed that persons who have registered businesses employing residents could be considered as a category of persons eligible to vote.

***Shamara Callender was one of the many Barbadian citizens by descent who contributed to the discussion on reforming Barbados’ Constitution.***

However, Shamara Callender, a 23-year-old Barbadian citizen by descent said: “I don’t necessarily think that they should be allowed the right to vote in the Barbados General Elections because, as stated, they do not necessarily have to live with the consequences of [the] results of the election on a day-to-day basis.”

Both Ms. Callender and Donna Hope proposed having a Diaspora Representative be part of a Council that submits the views, ideas and concerns of persons living overseas to the Government of Barbados.

Rosalind Sealy, in her contribution, suggested that the President of Barbados and Senators should be elected and not chosen by the Government. She further stated that election times should be regulated and not called “willy nilly”; and leaders should have term limits and not be allowed to serve “as long as they wanted”.

***Audience members listening attentively to the presentations made and responses given by members of the Barbados Constitutional Reform Commission in Atlanta, Georgia.***

Other topics raised included laws regarding the rights of children, parents and one’s sexuality; checks and balances of Government operations; the size of the Cabinet; public sector reform; more involvement of the ordinary citizen in crafting policies; and a suggestion that the relationship between labour and the private and public sectors should be rooted in the Constitution.

Deputy Chairman, Senator Gregory Nicholls, informed the attendees that they could visit the CRC’s website https://www.crcbarbados.com/ and that they could submit any further suggestions via email to constitutionalreform@barbados.gov.bb. Previous to the meeting in Atlanta, the CRC visited the United Kingdom in March; and New York, Boston, and Toronto in May 2023. (PR/GIS)

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SPECIAL POLLING DAY NOTICE

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FundAccess To Host Legal Clinic Workshop from May 13th

Entrepreneurs will soon get another opportunity to learn about critical legal matters that are key to the operation of their businesses.

FundAccess will be hosting The Legal Clinic Workshop, which will commence on Tuesday, May 13, and continue each Tuesday, until May 27, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The workshop will be facilitated by Attorney-at-law Ondene Kirton and participants will discuss Understanding Business Legal Structures; Contracts & Agreements; Employment Law & Compliance; and Examination of the Various Laws Relating to Small Business.

During those sessions, the participants will be exposed to sole proprietorship, partnerships, corporations – pro and cons; how to choose the right legal structure for a business; the importance of contracts in business operations; avoiding common contract pitfalls; and employee rights & employer responsibilities, among others. Some of the pieces of legislation to be examined include the Employment Rights Act and National Insurance and Social Security Act.

Interested persons may attend the workshop in person at FundAccess’ Pinfold Street, Bridgetown location, or online via the Zoom Platform. To register, click on the following link: https://bit.ly/3Fu09Jv.

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Centenarian Built On Firm Foundation Set By Grandmother

“Trust God first” is the mantra of one of Barbados’ newest centenarians, Athelstan Browne, who celebrated his 100th birthday on April 29, 2025, at his home in Montrose, Christ Church, surrounded by family and friends.

One of his specially invited guests was President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

Mr. Browne shared that he grew up “not knowing a mummy” as his mother passed away at age 23, when he was two years old, and his brother was only one year old.

Crediting his grandmother for his upbringing, Mr. Brown remarked: “I had a real good, good grandmother that raised two of us, and everything we learn before we went to school, she taught us.”

Pointing to a humble yet deeply religious upbringing, Mr. Browne said: “I and my brother slept on the floor. Our grandmother spread things down there, and she just put the pillow under our head.”

He recalled that they had to sing the hymn “Under the Blood” before going to bed, and first thing in the morning before they had breakfast, which usually consisted of “a cup of tea and two biscuits”. Adding that the hymn was “our song”, Mr. Browne sang the hymn from memory.

Stressing that his grandmother was a great provider, he noted: “My grandmother had land, and she would work the land…. We would eat raw potato, raw okras, (green) peas, cucumbers…. The only thing we did not eat was raw yams and eddoes.”

Mr. Browne continues to enjoy his ground provisions “with a little rice”, as he likes his rice with green peas, and if available, chicken boiled with the rice. “I am a fish man,” he remarked, eating it either fried or with a “stew sauce”.

Continuing to nurture his Christian beliefs, he joined the Mount Ararat United Holy Church (currently in Dayrell’s Road, Christ Church) in 1967, at age 33, and has continued there ever since.

Once the Superintendent of the Sunday School at the church, Mr. Browne is still instrumental in providing leadership to the youth there. “I have a crowd of young people at church that love me…especially when I have to talk to them…. It is what they should hear and what they should have,” he said.

The centenarian was raised in Montrose, Christ Church, and attended the Christ Church Boys’ School (now Milton Lynch Primary School). After leaving school, Mr. Browne initially took to agriculture but then worked cutting soft stone in two quarries in Christ Church.

In 1947, at the age of 22, he decided to join the US Farm Labour Programme and took the first Pan American Airlines flight out of Barbados. Over 10 years later, Mr. Browne returned to Barbados and married Monica Browne (deceased). Together, they built the house where he currently resides.

Returning to his roots in agriculture, the centenarian worked at the Ridge Plantation, Christ Church, until retirement. He also planted and reaped ground produce at home, as well as planted and cut canes.

Mr. Browne, who is generally in good health and has a sharp memory, still works around the home and enjoys reading, which he does without glasses. He also keeps in touch with his family in New York and North Carolina, and will do some travelling, but he is always ready to return home.

After toasting the centenarian, Her Excellency remarked: “You are in the midst of a lot of love, and I am sure you are going to enjoy the rest of your birthday. I am really happy to have met you. I am grateful for the work that you still continue to do with our young people because a lot of them lack direction, and we, nowadays, don’t take enough time to sit down and speak with them…. We don’t remind them that they are important, that they are somebody.”

Mr. Browne responded: “You got to make them understand what … the Lord expects of them… We have to acknowledge the Lord.”

Mr. Browne has two children, 10 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. (PR/GIS)

Caption: President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, and Barbados’ newest centenarian Athelstan Browne take a walk outside during his birthday celebrations in Montrose, Christ Church