Jamaica-born Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, a former Maryland State Senator, has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jamaica Association of Maryland.
At a gala celebrating Jamaica’s 60th year of Independence held in Baltimore Nathan-Pulliam was recognized for 20 years of service in the Maryland House of Delegates and five years in the Maryland Senate.
Elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994, she was the first Jamaica-born and first Caribbean person to ascend to the Maryland General Assembly in its over 300-year history.
A Democratic member of the House of Delegates, she represented District 10, Baltimore County, from January 1995 to January 2015. In 2014, she was elected to the Senate of Maryland.
Born in South Trelawny, Nathan Pulliam, a nurse by profession, grew up in Kingston, where she attended Mico Teachers’ College (now The Mico University College). She emigrated to the United States where she distinguished herself in the field of healthcare, before turning to representational politics in 1994.
Also recognized by the Jamaica Association of Maryland was Dr. Basil Buchanan, who was presented with the prestigious Marcus Garvey Award for his over 42 years of providing invaluable support to the Jamaican community in Washington DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) and the Jamaican Embassy.
Among his list of accomplishments is successfully working to get legislation passed for the establishment of a permanent office of Caribbean Affairs in the government of the District of Columbia, a first in the nation.
Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States Audrey Marks, in a message delivered by Community Relations Officer at the Embassy of Jamaica, Emile Wallace Weddell, noted that “since lowering the red, white, and blue Union Jack and hoisting our esteemed black, gold, and green flag 60 years ago, Jamaica has experienced myriad successes in the spheres of diplomacy, arts, sports, academia, and entertainment”.
“We have produced countless firsts in a plethora of areas that have enabled Brand Jamaica to gain the recognition, acclaim, and credibility it deserves.
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