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The Washington-based Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) paid special tribute to eight Caribbean Americans who it claims have “blazed paths of success” in the arts, science, technology, business and the media.

At the 18th Annual Caribbean American Heritage Awards (CARAH) Gala at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 11, ICS honored the Rev. Neville Callam, Maryse Condé, Hazelle Goodman, Garth Fagan, Larry Quinlan, Dr. Frank L. Douglas, Janet Rollé and Dr. Arlie Petters “for their success and contributions to the American business and arts landscape.”

Callam, of Jamaican heritage, is secretary general of the World Baptist Alliance, a 47 million-member body of Baptists in 200 countries; Condé, a Guadeloupian author, has garnered worldwide acclaim for her novels that intertwine history with important social issues such as gender, race and discrimination; Goodman, a Trinidadian actress and comedienne, created a cadre of characters that earned her an HBO special.

Fagan, an award-winning Jamaican choreographer, whose “awe-inspiring and breathtaking choreography” for The Lion King earned him the 1998 Tony Award; Quinlan of St. Kitts-Nevis, serves as Chief Information Officer for Deloitte LLP, and is being recognized for this business acumen for developing and implementing a global strategy for the use of technology to improve business efficiency;and Rollé, of Jamaican heritage, is the executive vice president and chief marketing officer for CNN.

Douglas, of Guyana, is a biochemist who turned his love of science into a successful biotechnology business; and Petters, of Belize, is a renowned physicist, who has earned international recognition for his groundbreaking research on how light is affected by the warping of space and time. He was the first to develop the mathematical theory of gravitational lensing, which is instrumental to astronomy and math.

The elegant affair is ICS’ major fundraiser for its programs, which include an annual Legislative Conference and Arts & Humanities Festival during June, National Caribbean American Heritage Month.

ICS said the CARAH Awards raises the profiles of Caribbean Americans and Friends of the Caribbean who are making important contributions to the American landscape as leaders or emerging leaders in their industry.

“ICS has been organizing the CARAH Awards for 18 years as an important event for spotlighting those of our community who have achieved so much but are often unknown,” said ICS’ Jamaican-born president Dr. Claire Nelson.

©2011 Community Newspaper Group