SUNY Downstate Welcomes Barbados Prime Minister
By Office of The President | Sep 26, 2022
SUNY Downstate welcomed the Honorable Mia Amor Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, to the campus for a town hall conversation with Bajan constituents in the tri-state area. PM Mottley was in New York to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly.
Dawn S. Walker, MPA, Office of Communications & Marketing Vice President, provided remarks and greetings on my behalf to the hundreds gathered in Alumni Auditorium. Downstate is home to many faculty, staff, and students from the Caribbean. In fact, in East Flatbush, where we are located, 54 percent of those who identify as Barbadian—or Bajan—live, work, and or come to University Hospital at Downstate for their healthcare needs.
During the peak of COVID-19 in 2020, UHD nurses received nutritious lunches and much needed PPE supplies; the meals were prepared and presented by Bajan-owned Culpepper’s Caribbean Cuisine. This event was organized by the Honorable Mackie Holder, Barbados Consul General/New York.
Thank you to Vincent Castro, Room Scheduling Supervisor, and the Review Committee members William Versfelt, Linda Corby, Ellen Watson, Alishia Goodridge, Adam Burgman, Chris Bellerjeau, Joubert Milord, and to Jasper Hewitt for coordinating this event. We also thank Izzy Maldonado, UPD Chief of Police, Paul Alleyne, Assistant Chief of Police, and Environmental Services for ensuring a safe and clean environment.