GGR Book Club: The Black Man Drought by Lorraine Jonelle Stephens

Flora Zeta Zhang Elizabeth Tian Ai Cheong-Leen was born in Hong Kong in 1959.  Her father Hilton Cheong-Leen was born in Georgetown, British Guyana but is of Chinese descent and her mother Pauline Chow is from Beijing. Flora graduated from The Royal Ballet in the UK and at the Paris Opera in France. She starred as the lead actress in movies such as: “Life After Life”, “Duel to the Death”, “Chasing Girl” and “Return of…

Founder & CEO of the award-winning global organization, Women on the Crossroads, Sherry Ann Dixons, was recently admitted to The Black 100+ Hall of Fame. The Black 100+ Project is an Exhibition of the top 100 Black Achievers in Modern Britain. Guyanese by birth, Sherry is highly respected in the ethnic community in Britain and developed a following of dedicated readers with her health, lifestyle, beauty and relationship articles  She is very passionate about raising the…

At a time when many cultural forces continue to stand in the way of women pursuing careers in the science and technology fields, Dr.  Shabana Amanda Ali is proving to be a great role model for young female scientists.  A self-professed “Multidimensional Student of Life” her work speaks volumes of her level of commitment to the field of research science.  After witnessing the decline of her grandmother’s health due to osteoarthritis, Dr. Ali  decided to dedicate her career to finding a…

At the young age of 8, Anaya Lee Willabus will go down in US history as the  youngest published female author of a chapter book.  She was born in Brooklyn, NY to Guyanese parents, Dimple and Winston Willabus of Georgetown.  Anaya’s book, The Day Mohan Found His Confidence, tells the story of a young boy named Mohan and the many challenges he faces at home and at school. On June 9th, 2015, Anaya was recognized by Guyanese-born New York State…

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett was born in the Amerindian Village of Santa Rosa, Guyana. She received her early education in Santa Rosa and then move to the capital Georgetown to attend a private school.  Minister Rodrigues-Birkett then left Guyana for Saskatchewan, Canada, on scholarship, to pursue studies in Business Administration and Indian Studies. Following her return to Guyana in 1993, she read successfully for a degree in Social Work at the University of Guyana, while simultaneously managing…

Sunday’s Child by Anne Lyken-Garner is the remarkably inspirational true story of a little girl struggling to rise above poverty, appalling living conditions, food lines, violence, abuse, mental anguish and political hardships. It shows how she picks out little glimmers of hope and love and uses them as positive anchors in her life. She draws on everything she has – just to survive. Readers, all of the events I’ve recorded in this book have happened…

You can be happy if you choose to be thankful.  Even if your life is not perfect, there are lots of reasons to feel good about something.

Fifteen year old Table Tennis Star, Chelsea Edghill, was introduced to the sport at the tender age of 9, and she has served up quite an impressive career record. The Bishop’s High School student first got her start at the Teach Them Young training Summer Camp and later at Mae’s where she regularly competed for the school. In 2006,  Edghill made her first regional appearance at the inaugural tournament of the annual Caribbean Pre-Cadet Table…

Entrepreneur, projects specialist, author: Sabrina Panday is a ‘bold and fearless’ woman.  She has a contagious positive attitude, which she credits to being “bold and fearless and never underestimating oneself”. These attributes have propelled Sabrina in assiduously pursuing her “dreams”, which included being a cookbook author. This ‘dream’ became a reality when Sabrina finally launched her cookbook. Adding a delicious twist to traditional ground provisions meals, Sabrina’s “Provisions: Cooking Healthy with Nature’s Bounty” inaugural cookbook is…

Meet Halima Yusuf, CEO & Founder of FRX International Drugs (FRXID), a pharmaceutical company based in Berlin, Maryland. As Chief Executive Officer, Halima Yusuf has had a very influential role in steering the ever-evolving business. In fact she indicated that she used her upbringing in Guyana as inspiration to create the company. According to her, the scarcity of proper pharmacy care and knowing the facts relating to the medication and its usability drove her to create…

Joyce Ferdinand-Lalljie  was a child prodigy who began playing one of her mother’s piano pieces when she was three years old. She and her younger sister Mavis both became concert pianists and were known as the two Ferdinand girls. Joyce is accredited as being the first black woman, if not the first woman to play a full piano concerto.  In his article on radio in British Guiana for the 1951 Chronicle Christmas Annual, Albert E…

Krista Martins is a professional choreographer, ACE-certified group fitness instructor and founder of Wukkout!® She has been teaching and performing professionally for over 15 years; she is also a Professor at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus where she teaches hip hop dance to undergraduate students. Krista has performed in a wide variety of music videos, commercials and television shows including but not limited to performances with MTV, BET, and the NFL. Most notably, her choreography…

Reigning Miss Universe Guyana Soyini Fraser recently embarked on a journey to vie for the coveted Miss Universe crown.  Following extensive training in New York, the Georgetown-native traveled to the Philippines on January 8th where she will compete with delegates from over 80 countries.  The Miss Universe Pageant is in its 65th year and will be held on January 30, 2017, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. “As I represent this beautiful country of ours, I’ll strive to have the…

`Georgetown, October 9th 2018 Global Dignity announced the appointment of Natasha Martindale as the organization’s Country Chair for Guyana. As Guyana’s Country Chair, Natasha embodies the core values of Global Dignity, an international non-profit dedicated to uniting everyone with the belief that we all deserve to live a life of dignity. Her passion for and commitment to helping young people be the best versions of themselves and embrace self-love and self-worth are what will serve…

Former Miss Guyana World, Guyana Universe, Miss United Nations and Miss Jamzone International Soyini Fraser will take to the stage once again, this time to represent Guyana at the Miss Grand International Pageant 2015 to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on Sunday, October 25. The third edition of the Miss Grand International will see delegates from around the world assembling to compete fiercely in the world renowned pageant. Fraser, who is no stranger to pageantry,…