Tag Archives: caribbean

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Hurricane Season 2021 Could Bring 5 Major & 20 Tropical Storms

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Experts says this year’s hurricane season won’t be as bad as it was in 2020, but there’s a 60% chance the 2021 season, which started June 1, will be above normal.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there’s a 30% chance of a near-normal season and a 10% chance of a below-normal season.

The NOAA is expecting three to five major hurricanes, classified as category 3, 4, or 5, with winds of 111 miles per hour or above. It says it predicts these storms with 70% c

The Atlantic hurricane season is also expected to bring 13 to 20 named storms – storms with winds of 39 miles per hour or higher. Of those, six to 10 could become hurricanes with winds of 74 miles per hour or above.

The average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, of which seven become hurricanes, and three hurricanes that are classified category 3, 4, or 5.

Atlantic tropical storms are named ahead of time, are alphabetical, and alternate between traditionally female and male names. Some of the names for the 2021 season are: Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Elsa, Fred and Grace.

Atlantic storm names - hurricane season 2021

“Although NOAA scientists don’t expect this season to be as busy as last year, it only takes one storm to devastate a community,” said Ben Friedman, acting NOAA administrator.

“The forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are well-prepared with significant upgrades to our computer models, emerging observation techniques, and the expertise to deliver the life-saving forecasts that we all depend on during this, and every, hurricane season.”

The city Office of Emergency Management (OEM) revised its hurricane evacuation zones just as the Atlantic storm season begins.

On Staten Island, much of the East Shore and West Shore are covered by the first and second evacuation zones, which represent the most at-risk parts of the city, and much of the Island is covered in the less severe evacuation zones.

City officials may order evacuations in these zones depending on a hurricane’s forecast strength, track and storm surge, and the map is intended to help New Yorkers better prepare for that possibility, according to OEM.

The maps also feature evacuation centers around the city, like the Michael J. Petrides school complex, and Curtis High School

OEM recommends that all New York City residents make an emergency plan ahead of any storms and prepare for flooding and power outages. The city offers many preparation examples that families can build upon for their own homes.

“Now is the time for communities along the coastline as well as inland to get prepared for the dangers that hurricanes can bring, said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The experts at NOAA are poised to deliver life-saving early warnings and forecasts to communities, which will also help minimize the economic impacts of storms,” Raimodo said

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Cuba Testing Its Own COVID-19 Vaccine On Children

The head of the Centre for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (CECMED) in Cuba, says a clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccination for children is currently underway and is progressing satisfactorily.

According to Dr. Meiby de la Caridad Rodríguez González, the first anti-COVID-19 research in children and adolescents complied with a rigorous approval process seven weeks after the dossier was submitted to the regulatory authority and on June 14, during the application of the first dose, they had the first sanitary inspection by the CECMED.

The Soberana-Pediatrics clinical trial, includes in its first and second phase, children and adolescents between three and 18 years of age, healthy, of Cuban nationality.

Fifty volunteers have been included in the first stage and 300 in the second.

The health authorities in Cuba said the study will be carried out sequentially, after the first week of immunization, blood tests will be performed to determine the safety of the product, to request the approval of CECMED with a view to continue with the group from three to 11 years of age and to continue towards phase II with a greater number of adolescents.

The first stage of the research will be carried out at the Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital and later the trial will be extended to the health areas of the municipalities of Playa, Marianao and La Lisa, said Rodríguez GonzáleA.

CMC

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World View: Storm Heads for US East Coast, Biden Back Home, India Vaccine Fears, Tigray, More

June 21, 2021

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Good morning from Johannesburg. Here’s a look at the top stories from The Associated Press at this hour to start your week.

  • Claudette is regaining strength and expected to return to tropical storm status as it nears the coast of the Carolinas just days after 13 people died due to the storm in Alabama.
  • President Joe Biden is settling in for what appears will be a long, hot summer of working on legislation.
  • Congress is hunkered down, the House and Senate grinding through a months-long stretch to draft Biden’s big infrastructure proposals into bills that can be signed into law. Perhaps not since the drafting of the Affordable Care Act more than a decade ago has Washington tried a legislative lift as heavy.
  • In India, vaccine hesitancy is putting at risk the country’s gains against the virus.
  • Ethiopia is starting crucial elections amid the conflict in its Tigray region.
  • Inflation is accelerating and a top economist says it may become a persistent problem
  • 15 months after closing for the pandemic, Radio City Music Hall is reopening in New York
  • Brothers set record for highline walk in Yosemite National Park
  • In golf, Spaniard Jon Rahm’s steady back nine paves way to winning the U.S. Open

Andrew Meldrum

Africa News Editor

Johannesburg, South Africa The Associated Press

The Rundown

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ATLANTA (AP) — Claudette was regaining strength early Monday and expected to return to tropical storm status as it neared the coast of the Carolinas just days after 13 people died — including eight children in a multi-vehicle crash — due to the…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Until recently, the act of governing seemed to happen at the speed of presidential tweets. But now President Joe Biden is settling in for what appears will be a long, summer slog of legislating. …Read More

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JAMSOTI, India (AP) — In Jamsoti, a village tucked deep inside India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, the common refrain among the villagers is that the coronavirus spreads only in cities. The deadly infection, they believe, does not exi…Read More

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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia was voting on Monday in the greatest electoral test yet for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as insecurity and logistical issues meant ballots wouldn’t be cast in more than 100 constituencies of the 547 across the…Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two months of sharply rising prices have raised concerns that record-high government financial aid and the Federal Reserve’s ultra-low interest rate policies — when the economy is already surging — have elevated the risk of ac…Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

SHOW LOW, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities were trying to determine why a 35-year-old man driving a pickup truck plowed into bicyclists during a community road race in Arizona, criti…Read More

Everyone who’s played it, from the late, great Ben Hogan to the guys you get paired with down at the local muni, has probably said it at one time or another: Golf is a game o…Read More

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two brothers from San Francisco say they have set a record for the longest highline ever walked in both Yosemite National Park and California, the San Fr…Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — Fifteen months after shuttering for the pandemic, New York’s Radio City Music Hall reopened its doors Saturday for the Tribeca Festival premiere of a new Dave…Read More

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Windrush Day Celebrations Kickoff in UK

To celebrate the Windrush generation’s many contributions to the UK, Islington Council is hosting events from Windrush Day on Tuesday, 22 June through to NHS Day on Monday, 5 July.

This year, in a first for Islington, on Tuesday 22 June the Windrush Day flag will be hoisted above Islington Town Hall.

The flag raising ceremony will mark 73 years since the Empire Windrush ship arrived at Tilbury docks in London in 1948, carrying hundreds of people from the Caribbean, invited by the British Government to make a new life in Britain and perform a vital role in helping to re-build the country after the Second World War.

This large influx of Caribbean labour created the opportunity to rebuild Britain and is widely acknowledged as providing the foundation for many to ‘Stand on the shoulders’ of the Windrush Generation to rebuild the nation.

Islington will mark the event with a minute’s silence to remember those that are no longer with us, but have contributed so much to our country. Residents can watch the ceremony live from the council’s Facebook channel from 10.30am on Tuesday, 22 June, and the video link will be shared after the ceremony for general viewing.

In the evening, an online event ‘Windrush Then and Now: A Day to Reflect and Celebrate’, hosted by the council’s Black History Working Group, will explore the experiences of the Windrush Generation arriving in the UK and reflect on ‘Then and now’, looking at how has life changed in the UK since the Windrush Generations came to the UK.

Acclaimed broadcaster, political activist, oral historian and musician Alex Pascall, OBE will speak about coming to the UK and how that journey has shaped Black Caribbean culture as we know it today.

Islington Heritage and Libraries have also produced a booklist called ‘100 Caribbean books that made us’, to explore the history and culture of the Caribbean experience and the stories that have shaped Caribbean culture worldwide from music, food and poetry to political activism.

On Monday, 5 July, Nubian Jak, in collaboration with Islington Council and the Whittington Hospital, will unveil a statue entitled ‘Nursing a Nation’ dedicated to the tireless work of Windrush and Commonwealth NHS nurses and midwives who answered the call and came to ‘the Motherland’.

The statue stands 7ft tall and 7ft wide representing the seven decades that Black nurses have and continue to support the NHS. 40,000 nurses and midwives from around the Commonwealth came to the UK from 1948 – 1973 to help the fledging NHS, which was facing problems recruiting enough staff. The dedication and service of these nurses was exemplary; it has been said that without their contribution, the NHS would have collapsed.

Last week a single called ‘I have a song – The Remix’ written by Nubian Jak, with appearances by Eric Roberson and the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir, was released to help raise funds for the statue. The single is available on iTunes and all other platforms.

A book ‘Nursing a Nation’ is being released on Saturday, 10 July to accompany the statue. Nubian Jak Community Trust is collaborating with Islington Council, Islington Black History Working Group, and other partners to deliver workshops and create resources for teachers which will be used to help teach Islington school children the importance of the Windrush Generation. They will also hold storytelling sessions and other educational Windrush events at libraries, providing copies of the book in every library across the borough.

Both the statue and the book have been endorsed by Her Majesty the Queen, and the book’s introduction includes a letter of support from the Queen. The Nubian Jak Community Trust is a community organization and the largest diversity plaque and statue scheme in the world.

Amy Buxton-Jennings, Islington Council’s Partnerships Director Fairer Together, said: “I am extremely proud to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution of the Windrush Generation to Islington, London and the UK as a whole. My mum and grandmother came here from Jamaica in 1954 and both were teachers in London’s East End.

“Like so many others, their contribution to building world class public services was incredible given the difficult context they faced. We must not only give thanks but keep doing our very best to continue their legacy.”

Created in 2018, Windrush Day began to celebrate the rich diversity that Commonwealth citizens brought to the country and to mark the major contribution they and their descendants have made to British society, culture and the economy.

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U.S Extends Travel Restrictions at Canada, Mexico Borders To July 21

WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) – U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21, the U.S. Homeland Security Department said on Sunday.

The 30-day extension came after Canada announced its own extension on Friday of the requirements that were set to expire on Monday and have been in place since March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. government held working-group meetings with Canada and Mexico on the travel restrictions last week and plans to hold meetings about every two weeks, U.S. officials told Reuters.

Homeland Security said in a statement it noted “positive developments in recent weeks and is participating with other U.S. agencies in the White House’s expert working groups with Canada and Mexico to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably.”

Some U.S. lawmakers and border communities that have been hit hard by the restrictions have pushed to relax them ahead of the busy summer travel season.

Canada is also under pressure from companies and the tourism industry to ease the ban, which was imposed to help contain the spread of the coronavirus and has been renewed on a monthly basis since March 2020.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood firm, saying last week the border would stay largely shut until 75% of Canadians had received the first of a two-dose coronavirus vaccine and 20% had been given both shots.

In talks between the United States and Canada last week, the U.S. government did not endorse setting a specific threshold to trigger lifting the restrictions, a person briefed on the talks said.

“The inability of the U.S. and Canadian governments to reach an agreement on alleviating border restrictions … is simply unacceptable,” Democratic Representative Brian Higgins and Republican Representative Bill Huizenga, co-chairs of the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group said on Friday.

The United States is also holding working-group meetings on relaxing travel restrictions with the UK and the European Union, but U.S. and airline officials said previously they did not expect the Biden administration to lift the restrictions until around July 4 at the earliest.

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Brazil: Mass Anti-Bolsonaro Protests Over Pandemic Response

People participate in a protest against Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro and his handling of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Cuiaba, Brazil, June 19, 2021. REUTERS/Mariana Greif

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO, June 19 (Reuters) – Thousands took to the streets across Brazil on Saturday to protest against President Jair Bolsonaro’s pandemic response, blasting the leader for not acquiring vaccines fast enough and for questioning the need for mask-wearing.

Brazil surpassed 500,000 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, according to the Health Ministry, the world’s highest death toll after the United States.

The government faces fierce criticism for passing up early opportunities to buy vaccines. Pharmaceutical maker Pfizer said it got no response to offers to sell vaccines to the government between August and November last year.

“We are protesting against the genocidal Bolsonaro government that did not buy vaccines and has done nothing to take care of its people in the last year,” said 36-year-old Aline Rabelo, while protesting on the national mall in Brasilia.

Bolsonaro’s press office did not respond to request for comment. Only 11% of Brazilians are fully vaccinated and 29% have received a first dose, Health Ministry data shows.

Brazilian media reported that protests had been held in all 26 states as well as the capital Brasilia.

Many demonstrators called the 500,000 dead a form of genocide carried out by the government on the Brazilian people. They chanted, beat drums and held up signs demanding Bolsonaro be removed for office.

“Half a million reasons to oust Bolsonaro,” read one protestor’s sign in downtown Sao Paulo.

While organizers promised the largest demonstrations yet in more than 300 cities, gatherings in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia on Saturday morning did not appear to be larger than the last major protests on May 29.

Protests in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest city and financial center, blocked major downtown thoroughfares, where protesters unfurled a banner the size of a city block demanding “Life, Bread, Vaccines and Education.” It was unclear how the crowd compared to May 29 protest there.

A special Senate committee is probing the Bolsonaro administration’s pandemic response, highlighting delayed efforts to acquire vaccines while prioritizing unproven treatments for COVID-19.

Last month, a poll showed Bolsonaro’s popularity has sunk to new lows with only 24% of Brazilians saying his administration is “good” or “great.” The same poll showed Bolsonaro’s left wing rival, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, would win in a run-off vote if the 2022 elections were held today. read more

Reporting by Leonardo Benessatto in Brasilia and Sergio Queiroz in Rio de Janeiro; Writing by Jake Spring; Editing by David Gregorio

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Photos Mark World Refugee Day This Past Sunday

Photographic project 1000 Dreams is being created by 40 refugees to capture the stories of others living in Europe.

BBC- Here, on World Refugee Day, we share some of the photographs and stories gathered so far.

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Hana, 29

Hanaimage copyrightZozan Yasar / Witness Change for OSF
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Hana was a young girl when she and her family fled the conflict in Iraqi Kurdistan.

After a difficult year-long journey, they arrived in Germany.

Initially, she was scared and confused – but she was also thankful for the safety Europe provided.

Hana now lives in Scotland and runs a cafe, donating part of her profits to refugees in Greece.

“My goals for the future are to provide as many children as possible with a safe place, so they don’t have to go through the same childhood I had,” she says.

Many years of therapy have helped her through the many challenges she has had to face – that and a mother who is an enduring source of strength.

“She’s the main reason, along with optimism and just being so thankful that I’m still alive,” Hana says.

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Djenk, 26

Djenkimage copyright Shanthuru / Witness Change for OSF
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Djenk left his home country, North Macedonia, because of homophobia, violence and a marriage his parents tried to arrange.

“I was very depressed because I didn’t have anything to look forward to,” he says.

“I didn’t have any vision where my life would go.

“I was forced to live a life full of lies.

“And I did not want that for myself.”

Coming to a new country alone aged 20 was a real struggle for Djenk – but the experience has made him grow.

“I’ve developed a lot as a person,” he says.

“But I still have a long way to go.”

Today, Djenk, a student and LGBT activist, rents a house with four others in Brussels.

He still struggles with loneliness but sport, working hard and supporting other asylum seekers help him cope.

And his current dream is to complete his degree and buy a house.

“I was given this life and I’m trying to make the best out of it, so I’m glad that I’m very resilient,” he says.

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Shammi, 27

Shammiimage copyrightNooshin Sanjabi / Witness Change for OSF
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Growing up in Bangladesh, Shammi wanted to be a journalist and constantly questioned women’s role in society.

By her 20s, she was blogging about feminism and human rights – despite online death and rape threats

“I was always sure that what we were doing, what we are writing, and breaking the taboo, this is good for our society,” she says.

But when other bloggers began to be murdered, Amnesty International helped her reach Berlin, where she now has refugee status.

Being an outsider has led to bouts of depression – but she is no longer afraid.

“I can say whatever I want,” she says.

“I can raise my voice.

“In the end, I’m very happy that I could fight and I’m safe now and I know what does freedom mean – [it] is mine, nobody cannot take it.”

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Anna, 27

Annaimage copyrightNour Jarrouj / Witness Change for OSF
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Anna, an Albanian asylum seeker, escaped a physically abusive home and an arranged marriage only to fall victim to a sex-trafficking ring.

She recalls being transported across international borders and raped repeatedly, until finally managing to escape her abusers while in the UK.

“I’ve been in a really dark place emotionally,” she says.

“After everything, I was numb for many months.”

Now living in London, she tries to remain positive by attending school and volunteering with children.

“When I’m around children, it’s so joyful,” she says.

“I totally forget about everything else that’s going on in my life.

“My dream now is to keep teaching children… especially for children of immigrants or children coming from a domestic-abuse background like me.”

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Elton, 19

Eltonimage copyrightMostafa Darwish / Witness Change for OSF
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Elton had to leave his home, in Zimbabwe, with his brother and parents for “political reasons.”

And they now live in temporary housing for asylum seekers, which he says is “not good for anyone”, in Ireland.

Elton dreams of moving out and becoming a professional artist.

In addition to the poor living conditions, there is the uncertainty. His family have already been moved once.

And when Elton thinks of his life in Zimbabwe, he misses his friends.

“I feel lonely sometimes,” he says.

“I feel like this is not my home – [but] sometimes I feel like this is my home. So it’s kind of confusing.”

But no matter how hard the situation, “I would just say never give up”.

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Céline, 38

Célineimage copyrightMirza Durakovic / Witness Change for OSF
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In Cuba, Céline was arrested, beaten and fined because of her gender identity.

“People yelled at me, threw stones at me,” she says.

“Every day, I felt more that my life had no future.

“Before leaving Cuba, my dream was a better life… [to be] accepted into society and have my rights.”

In 2018, she flew to Paris.

“It was like being born again,” she says of the moment she learned her asylum application had been approved.

“I felt that I could take root here in France and that… they were going to accept me.”

Despite her initial optimism, she says discrimination in the job market affected her mental health and she began suffering from agoraphobic spells.

Eventually, however, she found a job cleaning houses and is now involved in several activist organisations.

“My life will continue with my fight against discrimination,” she says.

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Aram, 33

Aram, 33image copyrightMahdiyh Haidari / Witness Change for OSF
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Aram fled to Turkey from her home, in Iran, after her brother attacked her, breaking her nose and jaw.

He did not approve of the man she loved.

“He was really against us being together,” she says.

In Turkey, Aram’s brother continued to pursue them and forced the couple to flee once again.

“When I arrived in Europe, it was very difficult,” she says.

Life as a refugee gave her “feelings of anxiety and sorrow”.

“I used to be a happy person but now I hardly laugh and feel quite melancholic,” she says.

Now in a “small and good house” with her husband, she keeps herself busy caring for her son.

“I was not very strong,” Aram says.

“But because my beloved husband was beside me, I was able to overcome [the hardships] and become stronger.”

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Wafa, 30

Wafaimage copyrightEsra Gultekin / Witness Change for OSF
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When Wafa was a child, in Syria, her father took her to protests.

“This past, that my dad shaped in a huge part, was and still is the thing that gives me this strength to continue,” she says.

But when he was arrested and detained, Wafa and her family fled to Turkey.

“And since that, I guess I felt that I lost myself and I was very depressed,” she says.

Nevertheless, Wafa provided for her mother and sister for three years, until she was offered refuge in Germany and once again had to make the difficult decision to leave her family behind.

Now, in Berlin, she dedicates her life to political activism.

“I’ve always dreamed of a free democratic country where citizens have their dignity and where law is there,” Wafa says.

But the painful experiences “are still shaping my life”.

“By the end of the day, when I go to my bed, I’m not 30 anymore,” Wafa says, “I’m six years old – a child… who just wants her dad back.”

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Abdul, 19

Abdulimage copyrightMahmoud Jabbie / Witness Change for OSF
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Abdul fled Sierra Leone after being forced to participate in an initiation ceremony for a secret society, where he was drugged, tied up, beaten.

“I just feel like dying and end everything – but I was able to escape,” he says.

Despite medication and therapy, Abdul says: “I wake up and then scream like I have, I just have these bad dreams about these people.”

On his way to Athens, he nearly drowned but was rescued by the authorities.

“So I would say the Greek government is my strength and it’s my support,” he says.

“When you have hope, you have the ability to do things.

“When I was back home, actually my dream was to become an IT specialist.

“My hope is to continue my education.”

Abdul also dreams of starting a family.

“I don’t want to be afraid throughout to my life,” he says. “[I] just want to be free.”

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Khashayar, 29

Khashayarimage copyrightAli Jehad / Witness Change for OSF
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Khashayar left Iran more than three years ago.

Memories of the journey and nine months he spent in a refugee camp in Greece weigh heavily on him – but so do the happier ones of his former life.

“I had house, I had car, I had bank account, I had money,” he says, “but I left everything in my country, you know, like I don’t have nothing right now, you know, nothing – like zero.”

And that’s not all Khashayar has left behind.

“I cannot see my family,” he says. “I miss… them. I miss… my country.

“In the evening, when I’m alone at home, you know, and then I start thinking about the past, you know, I get sad.

“I just pray [to] God.”

Now working as a tattoo artist in Sweden, Khashayar dreams of having his own shop.

“I believe [in] myself,” he says. “When you believe [in] yourself, you can stay

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Usain Bolt Welcomes Twin Sons Thunder and Saint Leo

Sprinter Usain Bolt has had twin boys, named Thunder Bolt and Saint Leo Bolt.

Bolt, 34, announced the news on Instagram on Father’s Day, with a lightning bolt emoji next to each of his children’s names.

The Olympic champion posted a photo of him and partner Kasi Bennett, with their twin boys and one-year-old daughter Olympia Lightning.

The couple did not say when exactly the twins were born.

Bennett also posted a photo with the babies, saying Bolt was “the rock of this family and the greatest daddy to our little ones”.

Olympia Lightning was born in May 2020, and her name was announced publicly two months later.

Before her birth, Bolt had kept followers updated of Bennett’s pregnancy on his social media. However, neither he nor Bennett had posted about her pregnancy with the twins.

Bolt, a Jamaican sprinting icon, retired from athletics in 2017 and still holds the 100m and 200m world records, making him the fastest man in history.

He is also the only man to have won three 100m Olympic titles and 23 major gold medals during his career.

After leaving athletics he tried to play professional football, but then announced he was leaving sports entirely in 2019.

Bolt is not the first celebrity to use a play on words when naming children.

In 2013 Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian West, who are currently separated, made headlines when they named their child North West.

Musician Jermaine Jackson named his son, who is now 20 years old, Jermajesty.

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Cheers, Reflection as U.S. Marks New Juneteenth Holiday

By Rich McKay and Brendan O’Brien

 

Juneteenth commemorates end of U.S. slavery

ATLANTA/CHICAGO (Reuters) -Marching bands sparked loud cheers and quieter reflections about racial justice from crowds gathered on Saturday to mark Juneteenth as a new U.S. federal holiday commemorating the end of the legal enslavement of Black Americans.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday signed a bill making Juneteenth the 11th federally recognized holiday, just over a year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis ignited nationwide protests for racial justice and for ending police brutality.

“Juneteenth is a day of profound weight and profound power,” Biden tweeted on Saturday.

Juneteenth, or June 19th, marks the day in 1865 when a Union general informed a group of enslaved people in Texas that they had been made free two years earlier by President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War.

“This particular Juneteenth is special because last year we were in the George Floyd protests, and this year we received some resolution,” said Andrea Johnson of Atlanta, watching a parade under rainy skies near the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Outside the church where Martin Luther King, Jr. preached and led protests for voting rights, equal access to public services, and social and economic justice, boisterous crowds cheered marching bands and their dancers, who competed with dramatic dips and twirls and were followed by Jeeps adorned with “Black Lives Matter” signs.

Many onlookers were joyful but some said declaring a national holiday might be a hollow victory for Blacks, many of whom still suffer racial injustice in the United States that can be remedied only through more substantial efforts by the federal government.

“There are mixed feelings for me,” said Jermaine Washington, a marching band director who lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia, just 20 miles northeast of Atlanta.

“Oftentimes we see these types of events as a win when it’s just pacification for the Black community instead of making sure there’s an equal education or equitable housing,” Washington said as he herded his young musicians at the Atlanta procession.

Stone Mountain, a tiny village that is holding its first ever Juneteenth celebration this year, stands in the shadow of a nine-story high bas-relief of Confederate figures carved into a sprawling rock face, the largest monument to the pro-slavery legacy of the U.S. South.

Around the United States, concerts, rallies, art displays and lots of food were among events planned for Juneteenth.

Atlanta and its metro area have been celebrating Juneteenth for years. Richard Rose, president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP, said this year’s designation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday resonates in the city often called the “cradle of the civil rights movement.”

“While we celebrate, what we have to remember is that we must fight for our rights – in the ballot box, in the schools. And we have to stand up, city-to-city, across this nation,” Rose said.

Across the country, many events will take place in-person, unlike last year, as the United States emerges from the coronavirus pandemic and more Americans get vaccinated.

Chicago’s “March For Us” has a mile-long route in the city’s business district known as the Loop.

“We celebrate Independence Day, so we would be remiss if we don’t celebrate the day that people who were worth three-fifths of the person finally became free and started this journey towards equality,” said “March for Us” organizer Ashley Munson.

Munson said that while strides have been made, recent incidents of police brutality toward Black people and legislation in several U.S. states that curtails voting rights show that much work still needs to be done.

Among events planned in New York City is “Juneteenth in Queens,” a week-long festival of virtual panel discussions set to conclude on Saturday with food trucks of jerk chicken and waffles, BBQ and more, as well as in-person live performances.

The initiative is spearheaded by Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman, who sponsored legislation last year that made Juneteenth a state holiday.

One of the events taking place in Colorado is a flyover to honor the legacy of aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman, who in 1921 became the first African-American woman to earn a pilot’s license.

Deneen Smith, a 17-year-old Black high school student and aspiring pilot, is inspired by Coleman’s story.

“That’s what Juneteenth means to me – independence and freedom for African Americans because of what our ancestors struggled through,” Smith said.

(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago, Maria Caspani in New York, Rich McKay and Merdie Nzanga in Atlanta and Keith Coffman in Denver; Writing by Maria Caspani and Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Donna Bryson, Alistair Bell, Diane Craft and Richard Chang)

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ILO Meet: Global Pact on Post Covid Labor Recovery

The International Labour Conference has adopted a Global Call to Action outlining measures to create a human-centred recovery from the pandemic and avoid the long-term scarring of economies and societies.

M. Crozet / ILO GENEVA (ILO News) – Delegates from 181 countries representing the Governments, workers and employers at the International Labour Conference  (ILC) have adopted unanimously a Global Call to Action for a human-centred COVID-19 recovery that prioritizes the creation of decent jobs for all and addresses the inequalities caused by the crisis.

The Summit also heard video messages from key world leaders , including Pope Francis; South Korean President, Moon Jae-in; Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa and US President Joe Biden.

The Global Call to Action for a Human-Centred Recovery  outlines a comprehensive agenda. It commits countries to ensuring that their economic and social recovery from the crisis is “fully inclusive, sustainable and resilient.”

The agreement includes two sets of agreed actions. The first covers measures to be taken by national governments and their employer and trade union ‘social partners’, to achieve a job-rich recovery that substantially strengthens worker and social protections and supports sustainable enterprises.

A second set of actions covers international cooperation and the role of multilateral institutions, including the ILO, with the aim of increasing the level and coherence of their support for national “human-centred” pandemic recovery strategies.

 

“Unless we specifically address the inequalities that have deepened during this crisis there is a very real risk that the economic and social consequences will cause long-term scarring.”

Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General

It calls on the ILO – with its mandate for social justice and decent work – to play a leadership role and use all means of action to support the design and implementation of recovery strategies that leave no one behind, including by reinforcing cooperation with other institutions of the multilateral system.

The Call to Action is grounded in the ILO’s Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work , adopted at the 2019 ILC. The Call provides a path for accelerating practical implementation of the Declaration through enhanced policies and investment that support a broad-based, fully-inclusive recovery. It also calls for urgent, coordinated action in related areas, including international cooperation and solidarity to ensure global and equal access to vaccines, treatments and preventive measures.

ILO Director-General Guy Ryder welcomed the agreement: “Creating a recovery that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient must become a top priority for public policy. This resolution provides a clear and comprehensive way forward that will enable countries to convert the moral and political aspiration of leaving no one behind into concrete action.”

He added: “The effectiveness and resilience of the recovery from COVID-19  will depend heavily on how broadly-based and socially inclusive it is. Unless we specifically address the inequalities that have deepened during this crisis there is a very real risk that the economic and social consequences will cause long-term scarring, particularly for disproportionately-affected groups such as young people and women, and the small and microenterprises that provide most of the world’s employment.”

In a special sitting of the ILC, prior to adopting the Call to Action, delegates took part in the first day of the two-day World of Work Summit: Global action for a human-centred COVID-19 response. The Summit discussed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on labour markets, and recovery strategies that promote social justice and decent work.

 

 

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