Excitement Building For First Flag Raising For Guyana On Bowling Green

New York, NY, Apr. 23, 2007: Guyanese from all across the US and especially in New York are already buzzing with excitement over the raising of the Guyana flag in honor of its independence above the financial district of the Big Apple on May 26th.

The event, a brainchild of Hard Beat Communications CEO Felicia Persaud and the Bowling Green Association of New York, continues to attract a growing list of interested supporters and sponsors as well as cultural performers.

The growing list of supportive committee members increased yesterday with the addition of Guyana Tri-State Alliance’s Pat Jordan Langford, who endorsed the event and agreed to join hands to present a united event for this year’s independence. Jordan Langford, recovering from a recent illness, has lauded the initiative and readily agreed to participate.

Additionally, businessman Edgar Henry has also decided to be a part of the team effort. Other current members to date include Ron Bobb Semple, Chuck Mohan, Rickford Burke, Ramesh Kallicharran, Urrell Wilkinson, Roger Gary, Tanuja Raghoo, Shani Persaud and Alim Hassim and a growing list of organizations.

The free event, being presented in tandem with Guyana’s Ambassador to Washington, D.C. the Honorable Bayney Karran and the Committee For Guyana’s Independence Anniversary, is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Lower Manhattan on Saturday May 26th, where New York City was founded at Bowling Green, in Lower Manhattan, just below Wall Street.

It will include a presentation of the country’s varied and diverse cultural ambassadors, including The Dheeraj Cultural Foundation’s Ghungroos Dance School; poet James Richmond; the Guyana Shanto drummers; tassa drummers, singers Almira Brasse and Slingshot Drepaul, who is recovering from an accident and will make his first return to the stage at this event.

Following the public event, a private VIP only reception will be held at the prestigious Rotunda of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House at Bowling Green, one of the most spectacular Federal Government buildings in the nation outside of Washington, DC.

The inaugural honorees are actress CCH Pounder, who was born in Guyana and stars currently in the television series, ‘The Shield;’ Guyanese American actor Sean Patrick Thomas, known for his role in ‘Save The Last Dance,’ as well as the producers of Guiana 1838 – Rohit Jagessar; Rainbow Raani – Mikey Nivelli and boxer Vivian Harris. Additionally, Bollywood actors Kumar Guarav and Aarti Bathija, the lead acts in ‘Guiana 1838,’ are scheduled to make appearances.

To date, the event has received the support of Western Union and North American Airlines.

Financial partnership and promotional opportunity options are still available for a number of companies to reach this diverse group by calling Hard Beat Communications toll free at: 866-487-3419 or emailing Felicia@caribpr.com. Volunteers are also urged to call.
Guyanese In The US

Nationals of the country account for the fourth highest number of the foreign born population of New York City foreign and continue to make great strides as entrepreneurs and homeowners. In one area of Queens, NY alone, their annual earnings are more than both native born black and white Americans according to the US Census’ recent American Community Survey report.

Many Guyanese have launched their own businesses in a striving community where they create employment for each other in real estate offices, mortgage companies, stores, restaurants and travel agencies. The median income is over $50,000. And most are homeowners, who work hard to send their children to top colleges – where they count among the rising Black and Asian presence on many college campuses today.

ABOUT GUYANA:

Guyana is the only country in South America where English is the official language. It is bordered by Venezuela on the west, Suriname on the east, Brazil on the south and the Atlantic Ocean on the north. It has an area of 214,969 sq km (83,000 sq mi), about the size of Great Britain. The name Guyana is an Amerindian word meaning Land Of Many Waters. Kaieteur is one of the highest waterfalls in the world, being nearly five times as high as the Niagara Falls in North America.

Guyana is a major producer of bauxite, Manganese, gold, and diamonds are also produced. It has a population of 758,619. About 50 percent of the people are of East Indian descent, and about 30 percent are of black African descent. Five percent are Native Amerindians, and about 10 percent are of mixed background. Others include Chinese and Europeans. About 90 percent of the mostly rural population lives along the coast. About 42 percent are Christians, 34 percent are Hindus, and 9 percent are Muslims. The country's official language is English. The economy is dominated by agriculture, concentrated largely on the alluvial belt along the coast. Sugar and rice account for most agricultural exports.