{"id":1153,"date":"2013-09-15T16:11:55","date_gmt":"2013-09-15T16:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/?p=1153"},"modified":"2013-09-15T16:11:55","modified_gmt":"2013-09-15T16:11:55","slug":"caribbean-american-history-the-manhattan-based-antigua-and-barbuda-progressive-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/caribbean-american-history-the-manhattan-based-antigua-and-barbuda-progressive-society.html","title":{"rendered":"Caribbean-American History: The Manhattan-based Antigua and Barbuda Progressive Society"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following article was written by Jared MacCallister and published in the New York Daily News, Sept. 14, 2013.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"AntBarb\"<\/a>The national flag flies proudly outside the Antigua and Barbuda Progressive Society’s Harlem headquarters, purchased in 1964. Picture by Jared MacCallister.<\/em><\/p>\n

Those who think Caribbean immigrants are newcomers to New York really need to think again. The 79-year-old Antigua and Barbuda Progressive Society shatters that untruth.<\/p>\n

The Manhattan-based organization will have its history and decades-long dedication to Caribbean culture and Harlem, and some of its artifacts, touted in \u201cA Lighthouse in New York: Opening Reception; Panel Discussion,\u201d a free exhibition at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Blvd. (at W. 135th St.), from 6 p.m to 9 p.m., in Manhattan, on Sept. 27.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is going very, very well,\u201d society spokeswoman Mona Wyre Manigo said of the exhibition, which reflects the trials and tribulations of Caribbean peoples \u2014 here and abroad \u2014 over the organization\u2019s first 50 years of exsistence. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be an exciting moment for Antigua and Barbuda. I\u2019ve looked at the documents and every time I think about it, I get chills.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, said Manigo, there are documents about an urgent meeting calling \u201call Caribbean people in Harlem\u201d to support a letter to Britain, demanding that the head of colonial Antigua be removed from office for mistreating island residents. Antigua and Barbuda gained independence from Britain in 1981.<\/p>\n

The donated materials also contain historic correspondence from institutions and individuals, such as Antigua Trades and Labour Union President V.C. Bird, before he became Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s first prime minister.<\/p>\n

Donated in 2011, the historic records provide a detailed glimpse into migration to New York and the life and pursuits of new arrvials. The records will later be available for researchers.<\/p>\n

In 1934, James Roberts and 22 other Antiguan immigrants started the Antigua Progressive Society, which was incorporated the following year with the goals of promoting their culture, aiding members and their families in times of sickness and death, aiding their Caribbean homeland and encouraging \u201ceducational excellence\u201d among youth.<\/p>\n

The Antigua and Barbuda Progressive Society was created through a 2010 bylaw change designed to incorporate Barbudian New Yorkers who were served by the now-defunct Barbuda Benevolent Society of America. The Barbuda group was established in 1915 and lasted 62 years.<\/p>\n

Today, Antigua and Barbuda Progressive Society members continue to work hard at maintining cultural \u2014 and many civic \u2014 commitments under a board of directors, including President M. Roz. Olatunji. The group meets monthly at society headquarters, the Antigua and Barbuda House on W. 122nd St. in Harlem.<\/p>\n

In addition to aiding Antiguan and Barbudian nationals, the children in the Harlem and other projects, the group fulfills its civic responsibility by participating in the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association, Central Harlem\u2019s Community Board 10 and the 28th Precinct Community Council.<\/p>\n

In October, the society will commemorate its birthday with a 79th Anniversary Celebration and Awards Banquet, \u201cHonoring Our Past and Embracing Our Future.\u201d The event will be held Oct. 19 in the faculty dining hall of the City College Of New York, 160 Covent Ave., from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Donation is $75 and proceeds will aid the organization\u2019s building renovation fund.<\/p>\n

Read more: NYDailyNews<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following article was written by Jared MacCallister and published in the New York Daily News, Sept. 14, 2013. The national flag flies proudly outside the Antigua and Barbuda Progressive Society’s Harlem headquarters, purchased in 1964. Picture by Jared MacCallister. Those who think Caribbean immigrants are newcomers to New York really need to think again. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[160,211,239,188],"tags":[377,376],"class_list":["post-1153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community-organizations","category-culture","category-diaspora","category-history","tag-antigua-and-barbuda-progressive-society","tag-caribbean_american"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4zx0X-iB","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1153"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1158,"href":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1153\/revisions\/1158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}