Lawyer Marcia Johnson-Blanco is a ‘Special Person’

 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….

Guyanese  gospel singer/songwriter, Trenacia Esseboom-McKend, is known for her powerful vocals which set her apart from many in the local gospel music industry. She is the first born of two children to Bishop Terrence Esseboom (University of Guyana Print Journalism Lecturer) and Vanessa Esseboom, who both Pastor at the Light of Lights New Testament Church in Georgetown. She acknowledged in the past that growing up with parents who are Pastors has helped her walk with…

Congratulations to Guyanese-born Scholar, Kelly Hyles, on her recent graduation from the prestigious High School for Math, Science and Engineering in Queens, New York.  The 18 year old Valedictorian will be attending Harvard University this Fall on a full scholarship,  following her very impressive acceptance to a total of 21 colleges, including all 8 top Ivy Leagues schools in the US.  Back in April, 2016, Kelly was also the recipient of the very first Guyanese Girls Rock Award,…

Maureen Bunyan is an Emmy Award winning Anchor at WJLA TV 7, ABC Affiliate in Washington D.C.  She is of  Guyanese and Aruban heritage.  Her parents moved from Guyana to Aruba in the 1930s, where Maureen was born.  The eldest of three daughters,  immigrated with her family to the United States when she was just eleven years old, after her father, Arthur Bunyan, accepted a job with a company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her mother Wilhelmina was…

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…

Congratulations to 18-year-old, Vena Mookram, who captured the crown last night and walked away with the title of  Miss World Guyana 2017.   The  5’6″ tall beauty was born on September 12, 1998 in the Capitol City of Georgetown and is a first-time beauty pageant contestant.  She will represent Guyana on the Miss World stage this coming December in China. A fitness enthusiast, Vena’s Beauty with a Purpose platform focuses on physical fitness and nutrition and she has collaborated with Guyana’s Ministry of Public Health to…

Oonya Kempadoo is an internationally published and acclaimed author, born in England in 1966 to Guyanese parents. She was brought up in Guyana and studied art in Amsterdam. Oonya has lived and worked for most of her life in various Caribbean islands including Trinidad, Tobago, St. Lucia, and is currently based in Grenada. A creative writer and novelist, she also works freelance as a researcher and consultant in the arts, private sector, with youth and…

(Kaieteur News Online) Guyana’s first, First Dan World Taekwondo Federation Kukkiwon Black Belt holder La Toya Herbert recently returned from Mexico after participating in a High Performance training course for Coaches to aid the development of Taekwondo in Guyana. La Toya Herbert with other coaches and participants in Mexico. According to the Guyana Taekwondo Association (GTA), the course was sponsored by the Mexican Olympic Committee under the auspices of the Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO)…

Vannetta Seecharran has been influencing art and design in the jewellery field for nearly 20 years. Born in Guyana in 1969, the London-based jewellery teacher migrated at the age of 11 with her parents to New York City. She graduated in 1991 from the prestigious Parsons School of Art with a BA in Product Design, and in 1996 earned an MFA in Jewellery from State University of New York at New Paltz.   She later moved…

Letitia Wright is having a fantastic 2018.  Not only was she in one of the biggest movies of the year,  she’s also an Emmy nominee!  The 24 year-old Black Panther actress was nominated  for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for her role as Nish in Black Mirror.  Last night Photographer Basia Bowen captured the Emmy nominee getting ready for the ceremony with her beloved grandmother, Ms. Claudette. According to Vogue UK, after floating…

“A dream is a wish that your heart makes” and 9 year old Sapphire Autumn Rose is following her dream and sharing her heart with the world!   The pint-size entrepreneur recently launched her “Heart Full of Dreams” collection via her online retail store dobviousrose.com. The pink and rose color infused collection includes beautiful fashion necklaces, bracelets, scarfs, dream pillows, T-shirts, blankets, and charms for young girls. The daughter of Guyanese designers, Michelle Cole and the late…

Elizabeth Jaikaran is a New York-based author and lawyer who has  published work across a spectrum of print and digital media.   She began writing at a very young age and published her first article to Stardust Magazine when she was only eight years old.  Elizabeth has since published fiction, nonfiction, comedy, poetry and legal commentary. She is a proud child of Guyanese immigrants, born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Queens. Elizabeth is most…

Charisse Holder is on a mission to preserve her legacy. The young first generation Guyanese-American filmmaker recently wrapped up production of  “Where’s My Inheritance?“,  a film she co-produced with Randy Harris that documents their journey back to Guyana, the land of their ancestors in search of the missing pieces of their identity. The much anticipated film will premiere at Metro Tech Center’s Pfizer Auditorium in Brooklyn, New York  on Friday, June 21, 2019. Film Synopsis…

Her Ladyship, the Hon. Justice Louise Esther Blenman graduated from the University of the West Indies in 1986 with a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B.) with Upper Second Class Honors. She later obtained the Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad in 1988.  She was called to the Bar in Guyana, in 1988. Justice Blenman obtained the Masters of Law Degree (LL.M.) with merit from the University of London. Justice Blenman has served…

On Sept. 9 in a lavish ceremony in Temple Hills, Maryland, Guyanese Ariana Austin married Prince Joel Makonnen who is the great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. Mr. Makonnen, known as Prince Yoel, is the 35-year-old great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. Ms. Austin, 33, is of African-American and Guyanese descent; her maternal grandfather was a lord mayor of Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. · Their marriage had been…