We regret to announce the passing of former Atlantan, Everton Barrett. He was president of the Atlanta chapter of the Kingston College Old Boys Association for several years.
Loved and admired by many, he will be sorely missed.
Mabrouk, as he was affectionately known, had recently published his memoir https://jamlanta.org/…/former-atlantan-everton-mabrouk…/
Patricia Thompson-Reid
Atlanta Jamaican Patricia Thompson-Reid recently wrote an article about voting in the time of covid-19 for the Atlanta Journal. You can check it out at the link below:
https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-voting-in-the-time-of-covid-19/H5VAKIOAVVC6DBNWPYXC7FQHYM/
Dr. Karen Russell-Randall
Atlanta Jamaican Dr. Karen Russell-Randall is a Morehouse School of Medicine 2020 Faculty Gala Honoree. Her award is for outstanding pharmacology Faculty member.
The faculty Gala gives students the opportunity to celebrate faculty members who have profoundly influenced their education.
Dr. Russell-Randall is a former co-president of the Atlanta chapter of the St. Hughs High School Alumnae Association.
Dr. Megon Saunders
We are excited to acknowledge that the National DPP has received the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Award for Service to America. This award recognizes employees for their contributions to the health, safety, and well-being of the nation. Congratulations to the National DPP team for all their hard work to prevent type 2 diabetes and improve the health of all Americans. The HHS Departmental Awards program recognizes individuals and groups throughout all levels of the Department whose leadership, exceptional job performance and customer service exceeded expectations. These are the highest awards issued by the Department.
As a part of the National DPP team, Jamaican, Dr. Magon Saunders provides technical assistance, fiscal, and management support to state public health department grantees, national organizations such as the American College of Preventive Medicine, the American Medical Association, and community-based organizations such as the Balm in Gilead, and Black Women’s Health Imperative.
Dr. Saunders’ work focuses on screening, testing, and referral services, bi-directional referral systems, engagement of community health workers, health equity, the social determinants of health and disease, and working with faith-based organizations. Dr. Saunders also serves as a subject matter expert to the National DPP Customer Service Center and responds to consumers and health care providers’ requests related to these topic areas.
Because of COVID-19, the 2019 Hubert H. Humphrey Awardees were recognized on May 6, 2020, in a virtual ceremony. Join us in congratulating Dr. Magon Saunders and other members of the National DPP team on this achievement.
Everton Barrett
Noted KC old boy and former Atlanta chapter President, Everton “Mabrouk” Barrett, has published his long awaited memoir which documents his life experiences in the USA.
Mabrouk migrated to the USA in December 1971 and attended Brooklyn College and the University of New Haven, CT. He has had impressive successes as both a consulting technical software engineer and technical manager for a number of Fortune 500 corporations. Most notably he was a senior technical manager for IBM, Chrysler and Blue Cross of Georgia.
His last consulting contract before retirement was with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) which he jokingly describes as the Petri dish of viruses; his last big fight was the Ebola virus. As a software engineer his job was to make the various CDC systems available to staff worldwide, ensure software solutions were created and deployed for epidemiologists and scientists in hot spots globally so they could effectively fight the latest virus or epidemic.
Mabrouk attended Kingston College from September 1966 to June 1971 where he had fond memories of performing unsanctioned chemistry experiments in the rear of the chemistry lab which resulted in him going home many evenings with acid holes burnt in his khakis. His mother was a little disturbed by this and made inquiries to the Deputy Headmaster and a later incident resulted in him being labeled a ‘mad scientist’ and subsequently banned from the chemistry lab.
Mabrouk’s challenging experiences after coming to the US at age 17 provides a virtual road map for youngsters who may immigrate to the United states and find themselves in turmoil as to the choices to make and roads to take in navigating a successful journey. While he does not advocate that all young men choose his route, he believes he can help to illuminate the American quagmire and how not to fall in the potholes. He wishes you happy reading and hope s it does something for the soul.
Order copies at: https://everbarrett.com/
Jewel Scott has won election to the Superior Court Judge seat to which Kathryn “Katie” Powers was appointed.
The former Clayton County District Attorney took 60% of the vote in the election held on June 9th, 2020.
Jewel also served as Jamaica’s honorary consul to Atlanta and was a partner at the Scott & Turner Law Group, LLC.
Scott was born in Manchester, Jamaica, and got her Bachelor of Laws from the University of the West Indies in Barbados. She earned her J.D. at Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law and joined the State Bar of Georgia in 2001.
Phoebe Douse is written and illustrated by L. Samuels.
Phoebe Douse is the story of a young teen, born to Jamaican parents – and raised in Texas with the help of her maternal grandmother – Naan who is very close to Phoebe.
read a review by the Gleaner at link below:
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/art-leisure/20200308/journey-vivid-imagination
Dr. Glen Laman will receive Brenau University’s Community Service Award on April 25, 2020 during the university’s Alumnae Reunion Weekend.
This prestigious award is being given in recognition of his exceptional professional path, service to Brenau, and passion for his community which make him an extraordinary embodiment of the Brenau ideal.
Brenau University is a private university located in Gainesville, Georgia. Founded in 1878, the university enrolls more than 3,500 students from approximately 48 states and 17 foreign countries who seek degrees ranging from two-year associate through doctorates
Laman received his MBA in management from Brenau in 1990. Over 20 years later he would go on to earn his doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Management and Technology where is currently a faculty member.
Laman is a founding board member and former president of the Jamaican Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta. He was also president of the Kingston College Old Boy’s Association Atlanta chapter and editor of its KCtimes.org newsletter. He is the author of the highly acclaimed book, Jamaican Entrepreneurship.
Below are the winners of the 2019 Global Jamaica Diaspora Council elections by region.
Dr. B. Waine Kong was awarded the 2019 Spirit of the Heart Legacy Award from the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at a banquet at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.
The award was in recognition of his exceptional commitment to the mission and vision of the Association of Black Cardiologists and his extraordinary contributions to reduce cardiovascular disease in minority communities.
Dr. Kong is currently the President of the Heart Institute of the Caribbean Foundation, and CEO Emeritus for the Association of Black Cardiologists.
Dr. Kong Kong was born in the tiny community of Woodlands, in St. Elizabeth Parish in southwestern Jamaica. He graduated from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa where he attended on a track scholarship and earned his MA in Educational Psychology from American University in Washington DC. He went on to earn an Advanced Graduate Specialist (A.G.S.) certificate in Special Education from the University of Maryland and a PhD from Walden University. Later, he would attend the Dickinson School of Law and join the Georgia Bar Association.
He was an Assistant Professor of Human Development at the University of the District of Columbia, the Vice President of Provident Hospital in Baltimore, the Executive Director of the Urban Cardiology Research Center in Baltimore.
He was the CEO of the Association of Black Cardiologists for twenty-two years before his retirement in 2008. He and his wife, Dr. Stephanie Kong, opened ZOe Pediatrics in 2012 in Thomaston, GA and along with ten other pediatricians, now serve 200 children per day from six locations.
Dr. Kong has visited over 100 countries and is an avid golfer who recently shot even par (4 better than his age) and served as President of Kiwanis (Thomaston, GA) and Lieutenant Governor (GA). He is a member of the Board of Trustees for Gordon State College (Barnesville, GA) and has been a weekly columnist for three years for the Thomaston Beacon. He is also the Director of Education for Alpha Phi Alpha in Columbus, GA.
Dr. Kong is author/co-author of more than 50 publications including several books, most notably “Bad Boy From Jamaica”. He made hundreds of speeches nationally and abroad; and is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades.
Under Dr. Kong’s leadership, ABC introduced its signature 7 Steps to a Healthy Heart. This campaign centered on research-supported steps individuals can take to reduce the development of cardiovascular disease and other health issues. For nearly two decades, this highly requested resource remains available in English, Spanish, print and digital formats.
ABC’s most recognized campaign, “Children Should Know Their Grandparents,” is the brainchild of Dr. Kong. This campaign, initiated in 2001, is still referenced today [18 years later]. It was designed to enlist family members to fight against heart disease in the African American community. The tools used to support this initiative included “A Guide to A Healthy Heart,” a 30-minute educational video starring actor Robert Guillaume, and a 44-page companion guidebook. “Children Should Know Their Grandparents” captured headlines in nine target markets and generated more than 9,937,562 impressions. More than 50,000 visitors logged on to ABC’s website and viewed the “Children Should Know Their Grandparents” video. The ABC fielded over 100 requests for the video and guidebook program to be sent to local libraries and community centers. The Journal of American College of Cardiology wrote an editorial about the program, commending the ABC for its ongoing commitment and said, “It is a different kind of program because it addresses the needs and culture of the African American community.”
One of ABC’s most enduring programs is its community outreach. Dr. Kong and ABC founding member and past president, Dr. Saunders, pioneered ABC’s community health programs beginning in the late seventies. With a five-year grant from the NHLBI in 1979, they started training volunteers from hundreds of churches in Maryland to monitor blood pressure of the churches’ members and make appropriate referrals. In 1980, as a way to more directly reach African American men, they used left over equipment and literature to organize 20 barbers in six barbershops as high blood pressure control centers as well. This Innovative approach paved the way for proliferation of church-based, barbershop and beauty salon programs throughout the U.S. Over a period of more than two decades, Dr. Saunders and Dr. Kong worked as a team to further develop and expand the reach of church and barbershop programs through the ABC and establish scholarship around their efforts. Though it now bears its signature name, “Spirit of the Heart,” it has evolved and expanded since its early beginnings, extending its reach to schools, corporate wellness programs and even an outreach on Capitol Hill for Congress and its staff.
Today, a grandparent himself with six grandchildren from his four children, Dr. Kong continues to work to increase the lifespan of people with or at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke in his role as president of the Heart Institute of the Caribbean Foundation headquartered in his native Jamaica.
The Association of Black Cardiologists is proud to honor Dr. Basil Waine Kong with the 2019 Legacy Award.
