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Contact :
George Jude
Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony will on Saturday,
February 28, 2004 deliver the feature address at a gala ceremony at Flushing Meadow Park in
Queens, New York in observance of St. Lucia’s 25th Independence Anniversary.
The independence ball is also being held as a fundraising event for the Desmond
George Memorial Scholarship Fund, established to assist needy St. Lucian
students in New York. The Mighty Sparrow has agreed to be a guest of honour at
this event, which will showcase St. Lucian performances, including a ten member
section of the Diamond Steel Orchestra and the calypsonian, Invader.
The gala event is part of a packed independence anniversary programme which
starts with a church service on Sunday, February 22nd at 3.00 p.m. at the St.
Ignatius Roman Catholic Church. Messages will be delivered on behalf of the
Governor General, Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy and Prime Minister, Dr.
Kenny Anthony.
A special town hall meeting on the subject of immigration and citizenship will
be held on Monday, February 23rd, at 6.00 p.m. The panel of speakers will be led
by Mr. Colin Moore, editor of “The Immigrant” journal, and includes St. Lucians
working with the United States Immigrant Service and the staff of the St. Lucia
High Commission in New York.
On Thursday, February 26th, at 6.00 p.m., Msgr. Dr. Patrick Anthony will deliver
a multi- media presentation entitled “The Influence of Derek Walcott and His
Generation, On the Social, Cultural and Spiritual Life of St. Lucia”.
A Community Awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday 27th at 6.00 p.m., where a
number of St. Lucians will be honoured for their contribution to the social and
economic development of St. Lucian nationals residing in New York. At this
ceremony St. Lucian writers, including John Robert Lee, George Fish Alphonse and
Anderson Reynolds will present their work. A launching of the anthology entitled
“Roseau Valley” is also planned for this evening. The Diamond Steel orchestra
will perform there.
All the events will be held at the St. Ignatius Church Hall on Rogers Avenue in
Brooklyn.
A highlight of the anniversary celebrations will be the St. Lucian Independence
reception at the Untied Nations headquarters, where the Diamond Steel orchestra
will perform.
St. Lucia’s ambassador to the United Nations, His Excellency, Anthony Severin
says every effort has been made to work with the wide range of St. Lucian
organisations in New York, including the sports organisations, the Mothers and
Fathers Groups and the St. Lucia Associations. He stated that there was
heightened interest in the activities, and St. Lucians were looking forward for
the opportunity to meet to discuss immigration and citizenship and the other
issues facing St. Lucian and Caribbean communities in the United States.
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