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

Sasha Wintz, 18, who is born to Guyanese parents, was crowned Miss World BVI 2015 on Sunday, October 3rd. She is known for her stunning performance at BET Music Matters last year and her ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ project will be focused on persons with special needs. During her introduction, the teenager shared her personal experience, having an 8 year-old nephew who has Down Syndrome. Her nephew, Jaquan Wintz also shared the stage with Wintz after…

Meet Vanessa Lee Chester, television and film actress, born on July 2, 1984 to Guyanese parents.  She is the oldest child, and the first member of her family to be born in the United States.  She has a younger brother named Kevin. Vanessa began acting at the tender age of 3 when her mother signed her up for an audition with a New York agency.  She spent her early years in Brooklyn before heading to…

“Winner are not people who never fail, but people who never quit” and Lisa Punch keeps on winning.  The model/singer/songwriter who represented Guyana at the 2015 Miss World Pageant in Sanya, China beat out her fellow contestants earlier this week and made history for Guyana when she performed one of her original songs and won the Talent category of the Competition. Per missworld.com,  “Miss Guyana received a standing ovation from her fellow contestants and the…

In 1958, Martha Ruby Holland (nee Nicholson) founded the first Ruby Holland School of Music  in British Guiana, South America. She was an avid believer in music education and the art.  She believed that everyone possessed creative talent and spent her life providing artistic opportunities for students regardless of their age, social standing or financial means. Martha’s approach to teaching music (the piano) was unique and quite enriching. She offered her students a rich array…

A family that braids together stays together!  The braiding technique developed by the talented Smith sisters has made them a household name in Kansas City, Missouri and earned them a well-deserved feature in the May issue of Allure Magazine.  Originally from Linden, the five sisters (Glynnis, Shelly, Rhonda, Alecia and Leslyn Smith) are the powerhouse stylists at “Braid Heaven” Hair Salon who have perfected the “bubble braiding” technique.  Here’s their story by Allure Magazine. They…

SHE was recently elected the first woman president of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), shattering the glass ceiling that existed for seven decades. Although excited for her new role, Nazima Raghubir is ready to hit the ground running with plans to have the GPA offer more training for its journalists. “There is a high turnover of media workers, journalists in Guyana. A lot of us aren’t trained and we don’t have a journalism programme at…

Marcie De Santos started designing over five years ago. She always had a passion for unique clothes, so she started by designing for herself and soon realized that she had a flair for designing. She prides herself in the uniqueness of the color blends that she uses. Her target is mainly women whose desire is to exude femininity in unique, exuberant, eye catching styles. The Guyana Fashion Week (GFW) 2008 was her debut runway show…

Twenty-two year old Letitia Wright was born in Guyana and moved to Britain aged six.  The rising star got her start on TV in the British series “Doctor Who,” “Cucumber,” and “Chasing Shadows.” She recently landed a key role in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming big-budget tentpole “Ready Player One,” beating out dozens of young actresses to costar opposite Tye Sheridan and Olivia Cooke. Letitia also plays the role of  Irene “Rene” Watson, on season 2 of the…

 Amy Barbour-James  (named Caroline Amy Aileen Barbour-James) was a London-born Guyanese civil rights activist and civil servant. Barbour-James was born in London on 25 January 1906 to Guyanese parents, John and Caroline Barbour-James. They were a middle-class family who lived in west London in the early 20th century. Amy’s father, John Barbour-James, was a postmaster in Victoria-Belfield, in Guiana and was transferred to a post office off the Gold Coast (now: Ghana) in 1902. The family later relocated to London in 1905….

Sukree Boodram left Guyana as a teenager in 1983 for a better opportunity in the US.  Four years later she was married to the person who would become her abuser for 21 years.  Born into a Hindu family and raised to keep her personal problems to herself, Sukree never sought any help nor did she stand up to her abusive husband. A wife and mother of two, who strongly embraced her cultural and traditional beliefs,…

Fear can paralyze your life and prevent you from following your dreams. It’s all in your mind; – stop thinking  about the hurdles and just jump over them.

From floor sweeping gowns in black and gold, to white frocks and bridal wear, models sashayed down a long flight of stairs to display a floral patchwork attire by Guyanese Melissa Payne, swimwear embellished matched with costume head-pieces by Marlon Smart, in addition to Mariska’s popular Resort Collection, that continues to take the world by storm. Caribbean flair and fashion

Whether you are having a destination wedding on a tropical island of the Caribbean, or in a Luxury Hotel or Mansion in New York, London, Paris, Jordan, Dubai, or just an intimate celebration in a Boutique Hotel overlooking snow covered peaks of Aspen, Lydia Short is your Planner and Designer.​ Born and raised in Guyana, Lydia moved to New York in 1988.  She is the Owner and CEO of  TTT  Event Planning, LLC; a full…

Quick response by the Guyanese nurses saw the safe delivery of twin boys who were immediately named David and Moses after the new Guyanese President David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. It’s understood that while the victory parade was ongoing the American woman went into labour on Church Avenue, delivering David at 16: 37 hours between East 48 and 49 with the assistance of the ladies. By that time, a vehicle had rendered assistance…

WASHINGTON, DC June 10, 2018 (CMC)  — Guyanese American television host Joy-Ann Reid has been inducted into the into the “Wall of Fame” of the Washington-based Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS)  Reid, is also a political analyst, journalist, and national correspondent for MSNBC. Reid was born in Brooklyn, New York to a father from the Democratic Republic of Congo and a Guyanese mother. She graduated from Harvard University in Massachusetts with a concentration in film…