Trinidadian soca star Machel Montano was among the honorees at this year’s American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI) Annual Legacy Awards Gala on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at The Pierre in New York City.
Montano was awarded the Bob Marley award and in his acceptance speech said, “Receiving the AFUWI Bob Marley Award is a dream come true for me. It feels like my graduation.” The Trinidadian star also thanked AFUWI for honouring him and God for the privilege of a talent that has allowed him to achieve so much. He added that he was very grateful for where music had taken him. He looked up to the example of Trinbagonian calypsonians like the Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener and others including Harry Belafonte and Bob Marley.
Freeman, CEO, President and Founder of the Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute in New York and Professor Emeritus of Surgery at Columbia University also walked with an award that night, receiving the 2016 American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI) Lifetime Achievement Award.
Among the other distinguished honorees was Larry Miller, President, Jordan Brand, a division of Nike Inc., who received the “AFUWI Trailblazer Award”; Phillip Gore and Christine Gore, both Directors of the Jamaica-based Phillip & Christine Gore Family Foundation, recipients of the “AFUWI Vice Chancellor’s Achievement Award”, Tirrell Whittley, CEO & Principal of Liquid Soul, recipient of the “AFUWICorporate Award”, while healthcare executive Daphne Jones, Chief Information Officer GE Healthcare Global Services, accepted the the “Caribbean Luminary Award”.
Now in its 19th year, the annual event, organized under the auspices of Honorary Patron, Dr. The Hon. Harry Belafonte, O.J., seeks to raise funds for the University of the West Indies (UWI), the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean.
This year’s event received strong support from a number of celebrities who were in attendance includingformer ESSENCE editor-in-chief Susan L. Taylor and her husband, screenwriter Khephra Burns; actor and activist Danny Glover, entertainer Doug E. Fresh and Lloyd Williams, President and CEO of The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. WCBS News Anchor Maurice Du Bois, NBC 4 reporter Checkey Beckford and Dahved Levy of WBLS shared the duties as emcees for the evening.
Proceeds from the gala each year go toward providing scholarships and last year 50 scholarships were awarded to deserving students for the academic year.
The American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI) since its establishment has positively impacted the lives of many Caribbean nationals. This has been made possible through the kind contributions and financial support of numerous individuals and corporations who are committed to nation building through education. Patrons attending this year’s gala at The Pierre in New York City heard from a number of scholarship recipients how the scholarships have impacted their lives.
