Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States (US) has appointed a transitional regional board to further the engagement and involvement of Jamaican nationals residing in that region of the US.

The board members are Andy Adams representing Texas, New Mexico and Arizona; Janeth Simpson-Brown, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma; Alan Alberga and Jason Walker representing Georgia; Wayne Golding, representing West/Central/North Florida; Junior Farquharson, Palm Beach and Treasure Coast, Florida; Dale Holness, Broward County, Florida; and Jennifer Hue/Salomie Chung, Miami-Dade County, Florida.
North and South Carolina as well as the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi have open seats on the board.

There are an estimated 400,000 Jamaicans in the Southern US, who are involved in hundreds of faith-based/church organizations; alumni associations; charitable groups in the areas of health, education, culture and crisis support; and sports, recreation, education, law and business/trade organizations.

Marlon Hill, advisory board member, explained that "the regional advisory board will represent individual regions or states, interface with various community organizations in the respective regions, and provide leadership on the issues and concerns of Jamaicans living in the Southern US within their local communities". Honorary Consuls in the region will also serve as members of the regional board.

The membership will meet once a month to discuss regional organizational development, collaborative initiatives, among other issues, which will be shared with the government and private sector in Jamaica.

The regional board has been given a mandate to develop a more formal process for election and appointment within their respective geographic communities.

Meanwhile, the Jamaican Diaspora Southern US is in the process of constituting various working groups comprising areas of health, education, faith-based initiatives, national security/public safety, cultural traditions, youth/leadership, and mobilization/civic engagement.

The Jamaican Diaspora refers to and includes all Jamaican nationals and persons of Jamaican heritage, who reside overseas. The purpose of the movement is to unite and galvanize all Jamaicans, their talents and resources for the development of their local communities and their homeland.
For more information on the Jamaican Diaspora, persons may visit http://www.diaspora.org.jm or visit www.myvirtualoffices.com to learn more about the Southern United States Diaspora.

JIS, Washington, DC
Derrick A. Scott

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