Five Guyanese receive leadership awards

Five Guyanese receive leadership awards
Tangerine Clarke

The excellent contributions made by five Guyanese to up-lift their country and fellow citizens, were celebrated at the first 21st Century Leadership Now Breakfast & Leadership Awards Event, at the Georgetown Regency Conference Center, as part of Guyana’s Golden Jubilee of Independence celebrations.

Founder and President of the non-profit, Dr. Esther Haynes-Tross recently honored, Dr. Horace Griffith, Tangerine Clarke, Hilton Hemerding, Dr. Joseph Haynes, and Colin A. Moore, Esq.

Dr. Horace Griffith, DDS, is an oral maxillofacial surgeon practicing in St. Thomas, St. Croix and the British Virgin Islands. Dr. Griffith has participated in voluntary international surgical missions to Africa, the Caribbean, and earthquake ravaged Haiti. While in those places, he surgically managed deformities of the jaw; face congenital cleft lips and cleft palate for poor and medically underserved communities

Award-Winning Journalist, Tangerine Clarke, is a freelance reporter and photographer for Caribbean Life newspaper for more than 20 years, and where she has covered international fashion, and entertainment events, and highlighted the achievements of expatriates in the Guyanese, and Caribbean community.

Clarke is the recipient of a Certificate of Recognition from New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio, and was presented with Proclamations from Senator Roxanne Persaud, and NYC Councilmembers, and a Citation from Assemblywoman Yvette Clarke, for her outstanding journalistic endeavors.

Dr. Joseph Haynes is a visionary who received his doctorate in Natural Health & Nutrition at a time when this profession was emerging. Dr. Haynes is passionate about health and wellness, and continues to share his knowledge to help residents of hometown of Linden.

International Award-winning Musician and songwriter, Hilton Hemerding composed “Beautiful Guyana” two months before Guyana gained it’s Independence in 1966. That song is now included in the “Book of National Songs of Guyana.”

Hemerding also composed a gospel album titled “Songs of Inspirations,” and is the choirmaster and organist at the Truth Center for Higher Consciousness in Brooklyn.

Colin A. Moore, Esq., is a public speaker, and political analyst. A graduate of Brooklyn Law School, Moore has authored several academic papers, including “The Berbice Insurgency of 1763,” “The Venezuela / Guyana Border Controversy,” and “Guyana 2015-A strategy for the Transformation of Guyana.”

The mid-morning ceremony, set against the backdrop of Guyana’s rich cultural heritage and blessed by Rev. Ismay Griffith, sought to uphold the life of citizens at home and abroad, who Dr. Haynes-Tross, a Brooklyn resident, said have bountiful skills and talents to offer.

“Guyanese have shared their skills immensely around the world, and as we celebrate 50 years of Independence, I am delighted that we could continue in this vein to produce skills that are needed here at home.”

“These distinguished honorees have made tremendous strides in their fields and this is why my organization 21st Century Leadership Now, chose these people who show what we do to move our country into the future.”

“We want our young people to move into the 21st Century, in sustainability, education, and like the champions we were in the past, be productive so that we can control our natural resources to share in our country for everyone to benefit,” said the community leader.

Marlon Pearson, analyst in the Ministry of E-Governance who served as co-host, expressed the importance of youth taking the lead to move Guyana forward in technology.

Pearson, the former principal of the Linden School of Excellence, also praised the country for its role towards sustainable development.