‘Carib Inauguration’ to celebrate Kamala
America’s election of Kamala Harris — who will be the nation’s first Caribbean-American vice president — will be celebrated with a vibrant virtual international affair Sunday at 7 p.m., during the Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend.
Billed as the “Caribbean Inauguration” of Harris, the event will feature entertainers, organizations, dignitaries and others joining forces to mark the Election Day win by President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Harris — and recognize Harris’ history-making victory.
Harris will give a recorded message for the event, which will be livestreamed by One Caribbean Television on its Facebook page — facebook.com/onecaribbeantelevision, YouTube and Twitter pages at @ onecaribbeantv.
The virtual event can also be seen on the New Americas Now Facebook and Twitter pages, ABS Antigua/Barbuda Broadcasting Services, Guyana’s Demerara Waves and 102.9FM in Antigua and Barbuda. Caribbean Media Corp. will air the affair across the Caribbean region.
The Invest Caribbean global investment agency, with the Caribbean American Action Network of Caribbean American and Caribbean organizations, is presenting the live, virtual, Caribbean inauguration party under the theme “Celebrating #CaribbeanAmericanKamala.”
Harris — who will become the highest-ranking female elected official in America — has roots in the Caribbean and Asia. Her father was born in Jamaica and her mother came India.
The growing lineup of enthusiastic entertainers for the event includes noted Jamaican jazz pianist and bandleader Monty Alexander; veteran DJ Jamaican Papa Michigan; Jamaican-born dancehall star Flourgon; Barbados’ soca star Edwin Yearwood; Jamaican gospel singer Joan Meyers; independent Jamaican artist Janine Jkuhl; Owen Dalhouse; rising stars Toni Norville and Kirk Brown; the Fab Five Band, and spiritual leader/master drummer Menes De Griot, who will perform and pour libations to the ancestors at the event’s opening.
Actress Trina Parks — featured in the James Bond movie “Diamonds Are Forever” — and singer Kirk Brown will host the affair.
Messages of congratulations for Harris are due from a long list of dignitaries including Caribbean-born, New York Congressman Adriano Espaillat; University of the West Indies Vice Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles; Dr. Michelle Chester, the Guyana-born Northwell Health executive who administered the first COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. last week; Mackie Holder, Barbados consul to New York, and others.
The Caribbean Inauguration precedes the official U.S. presidential inauguration and swearing-in ceremony Wednesday in Washington.
Phillip soars at CNN
Caribbean-connected journalist Abby Phillip is going places — to her own show on CNN. Phillip — whose parents were born in Trinidad and Tobago — has been promoted to the position of senior political correspondent and will become the new host of “Inside Politics” on Sunday.
The show, airing from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Sundays, was formerly hosted by CNN mainstay John King.
Phillip was a CNN political correspondent, covering the 2020 presidential election from the campaign trail and her base in Washington.
She joined CNN to cover the Trump administration in 2017, and was White House correspondent through 2019. Phillip also moderated CNN’s Democratic presidential debate in Iowa in January 2020.
Phillip, who came to CNN from The Washington Post, is also set to become an author. Her book, “The Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson, Black Political Power and the Year That Changed America,” is due to be released in 2022.
And be sure to catch the CNN Special Report “Kamala Harris: Making History” on Sunday at 10 p.m., in which Phillips interviews the vice president-elect and her family and friends.
DysChick means business
What is “DysChick” all about? Well, Denna “DysChick” Mitchell is a blogger and podcaster providing music updates and spotlights on performers small businesses, films, and much more.
Covering festivals all over the globe, Mitchell chronicles her travels and adventures in her DysChick blog and on her “Rant & Rave” podcast.
The fetes are fun, but there’s a serious side to Mitchell — who also operates DysChick Consulting and helps “nightlife entrepreneurs create media kits, websites and newsletters to communicate their brand value.”
“Caribbean Music Marketing: Real Solutions from Marketing Pros” was a recent contribution from Mitchell. The session — part of her “Clubhouse Chat” series — focused on getting Caribbean performers the “real information on how to use social media, podcasts, influencers and brand marketing to take your music career to the next level.”
Visit dyschick.com and its social media pages.
Founder’s Day ‘Sounds’
From sea to shining sea, the sisters of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority are coming together to celebrate Founder’s Day, and the Staten Island Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is doing its part by presenting “Sophisticated Sounds.”
The event is a virtual evening of live music featuring artists Donna Tucker-Jones and Imani Diggs marking the sorority’s 108th anniversary. “Sophisticated Sounds” will be held Jan. 24, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Visit dstsialumnae.org/events/sophisticated-sounds for tickets.