GUYANA’S first female World Champion Boxer, Gwendolyn ‘Stealth Bomber’ O’Neil, Wins Heavyweight Title in St. Maarten

Jill Gomez, Countess of Northesk was born in Guyana to a Hispano-Trinidadian father and British mother and was raised in Trinidad and Tobago. After studying briefly at St Joseph’s Convent (Port of Spain) in Trinidad and dominating at the islands’ biennial Music Festival, she moved to England at 13, where she studied at London’s Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She has made her career primarily in the United Kingdom….

Aubreana Stephenson Holder lives by the motto, “You can do anything you put your mind to, and given an opportunity to prove herself, she will show you her worth.” As such, she has achieved the title of Chief Operating Officer of Federal Management Systems, Incorporated (FMS), a government contracting company with over 25 years of working with the federal, state, local and international government, at a young age. Additionally, she is on the Board of…

Navigators Travel to Guyana gives a taste of what Guyana has to offer to its readers, and it is the follow up to Navigators Travel to Barbados written by Howard Liverpool. This time our intrepid explorers travel to Guyana and learn about the history and geography of the country. They also sample some of the local cuisine and have a scary encounter with a ram sheep. It’s a children’s book geared to kids from ages…

Born in Georgetown, Guyana on March 23, 1963, Restaurateur Doris Rodney is a woman living out her dreams.  Not growing up with a silver spoon upbringing, Doris knew from a very young age that she wanted much more than life had to offer her at that time, so she set out to find ways of providing a better future for herself and her family. Doris loves to cook and soon realized that the key to…

Baroness Valerie Ann Amos is a trailblazer in the world of politics and diplomacy, and she has once again made history for her ceremonial roles during the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in London. As a Guyanese-British politician and diplomat, she has broken barriers and shattered glass ceilings throughout her career. Born in British Guiana (now known as Guyana), Amos moved to the UK as a child and eventually rose to become…

Nola Ro spent the first 10 years of her life in Guyana before migrating to the United States. Most of her family (maternal side) lived on the East Bank of the Demerara River, stretching from Timehri to Coverden.  The daughter of Restaurateur, Doris Rodney, Nola inevitably caught the cooking bug and developed a passion for the culinary arts herself.  In 2015, she founded Sumptuous Bites Catering, which specializes in the Caribbean/American cuisine all made from natural & organic ingredients….

The year was nineteen seventy-five. Barren couple, Pearl and Edward Riley stumbled upon a newborn baby girl. Her cries could only be heard by a true mother, which Pearl immediately became. Bundled up with their new child, they discovered a parcel of artifacts and a scribbled note that read: Sakkara. Pregnant seamstress, Petrina Dugal, became a runaway at the age of twenty-six. She ran away from a brutish husband, Roger, and a well-loved South American…

Kenise Etwaru was born in Guyana and emigrated with her parents at age nine along with her sister who was then six in order that they would have greater education opportunities.  They wanted to ensure them having the best possible opportunities in life.  They left a very comfortable life at the church her father Pastor Lionel Etwaru and his wife Margaret had started for a completely new life in a new country.  Seeing them persevere…

Guyanese Lawyer, Anita Pali, was recently named Rising Star In Law at the 2019 London Asian Business Awards. She was awarded at a prestigious awards ceremony in Kensington, London earlier this month. The event honors some of the best professionals and businesses for their achievements over the last year. Anita’s mother Ouma (originally Ouma Mohabir) originates from Black Bush Polder, Berbice, Guyana but migrated to the UK in the late sixties. Anita  works as a…

Linda McPherson is the current President of District Council 1707 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employee (AFSCME).  She represents some 28,000 non-profit social services ranging from home care, social services, direct care, public center-based day care, educational, fundraising and her own local Heat Start.  She is employed at Community Parents, Inc. /Medger Evers Head Start where she works as a Family Service Coordinator.  She praises the federally-funded Head Start program for…

Guyanese-born art curator Grace Aneiza Ali has made it her mission to create spaces for works of art that bring more visibility and awareness to the many experiences of the little-known Guyanese community across America. Migrating to Washington D.C. at the age of 14, her curatorial work heavily focuses on migration, particularly from Guyana, and examines the intersections at which art, activism and social change connect. Ali spoke with Brown Girl Magazine recently about the…

Guyana’s first female pilot, 72-year-old Lucille Dawsey was honored by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Thursday, November 13, 2014, at the Silhoutte Restaurant in Georgetown. Ms. Dawsey was recognized for the major contributions she made in the aviation arena, and for the many examples, she set for the other female plying the trade. The Guyanese-born retiree received her pilot’s license in 1961 and was attached to TransGuyana Airways Limited at the now Ogle…

Dr. Oneka LaBennett is Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Cornell University. She received her Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University in 2002, and her B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Wesleyan University in 1994. Born in Guyana and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. LaBennett’s research and teaching interests include popular culture; race, gender and consumption; urban anthropology; transnationalism and diaspora; and Caribbean migration. Dr. LaBennett is the author of She’s Mad Real:…

Born November 5, 1995, in Miramar, Florida, Sachia Vickery is one of the most promising young players in American tennis. Her Guyanese mother, Paula Liverpool, formerly of Kwakwani on the Berbice River, has made many sacrifices to facilitate the career of Sachia, which is now paying off with her daughter rising to be among the top junior players in the United States and the world. Sachia started off on the track with older boys and…

In Nirmala’s Kitchen: Everyday World Cuisine ABOUT THE BOOK:  Through her travels to such exotic locales as New Zealand, North Africa, India, and the Caribbean, to name a few, Nirmala Narine has scoured local markets and remote hillsides for herbs and spices to bring home to her own kitchen. In this collection of recipes and personal anecdotes, Nirmala includes a thorough glossary of herbs and spices to guide even the most inexperienced cook beyond table…