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JAMAICA:  Sutanya Ellington ‘Rocking The Boots and The Heels’

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#Kingston, March 9, 2023 – When she’s not out in the field tending to her animals or in front of a classroom full of eager students, National Farm Queen for 2022, Sutanya Ellington, can be found advocating for the equitable advancement of women in agriculture.

Since taking the coveted crown last summer at the Denbigh Agricultural Industrial Food Show, the Manchester native has built a network of other parish queens, whose mission is to use their platforms to encourage other women to get involved in the sector.

The network of queens, dubbed ‘Agro Ambassadors’, operates under the apt mantra ‘We know fi rock di boots and we know fi rock di heels’.

Ms. Ellington tells JIS News that the programme is a natural extension of her lifelong passion for farming.

“I basically grew up around different animals at home. Our backyard was relatively fruitful, which got me in the groove of agriculture. In that age, I didn’t know it as agriculture, I knew it as just farming,” she points out.

It was while she was a student at Bellfield High School that the young woman became exposed to the different aspects of agriculture and became actively involved with the Jamaica 4-H Clubs and its competitions. In 2015, she was crowned the National Pig Care and Management champion.

“This led me to see that I am definitely loving the field of agriculture, and I would want to go further in it,” she recalls.

Ms. Ellington graduated from high school with a grade one in agricultural science and later enrolled in the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE).

Looking back, she says she received immense support to propel her towards her current roles as an agricultural teacher, farmer and advocate.

“I had a very good teacher by the name of Mr. Hibbert, who basically pushed us and launched us into various training seminars where agriculture is concerned and just to learn about agriculture and the different aspects of it, the different careers and so on,” she explains.

“Because of the love I had for it (agriculture), I wanted to create more persons like me. I wanted to be a teacher that could make an impact just as how I was impacted by my teacher to go into the sector and to show persons that agriculture is attractive,” she adds.

Ms. Ellington was also a member of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs’ Youth Advocate Council where she says she “had a voice in agriculture”.

She tells JIS News that, “I decided I wanted an even stronger voice… .  The National Farm Queen competition caught my eyes because it focuses on empowering women in agriculture”.

Winning the contest was only half of the way towards fulfilling her dream of really making an impact in agriculture, thus ‘Agro Ambassadors’ was born.

The farm queen describes the group as “Basically a network of queens across the island”.

“Our mission is to promote the importance of the agriculture sector to Jamaica’s economy by spreading awareness of projects and programmes provided by established organisations. We also aim to stimulate young people and females by targeting all youth from the basic school and beyond,” she outlines.

Agro Ambassadors is targeting the registration of more than 200 young people and female farmers with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) before July 2023 and is looking to sensitise at least 100 females, aged 18 to 25, about the national farm queen competition.

The group also has the ambition of introducing 50 young people to aquaculture and aquaponics through the Jamaica 4-H Clubs.

The Agro Ambassadors will also be visiting and promoting agricultural events within their parishes. This is in addition to establishing one sustainable school garden in each parish, among other things.

As the global community marks  International Women’s Day 2023 on March 8, under the theme ‘Embrace Equity,’ Ms. Ellington is encouraging more young women to participate in the sector.

“When we speak about embracing equity, we want young females to understand that agriculture is not for males alone. Your creativity, your innovativeness, your talent is needed in the sector, and it is valued just as much and we have to show the world that women are strong and women are capable,” she elaborates.

“When I just started doing agriculture, a lot of persons were skeptical and said ‘you really want to leave school to become a farmer?’… Agriculture was a male-dominated sector, and we tend to think that because agriculture requires this great strength, females are not competent,” she notes further.

Ms. Ellington says that persons have commonly questioned why a ‘Farm King’ competition is not held, considering the yearly farm queen contest.

“The farm queen competition is solely for the purpose of getting females to have the recognition. It seeks to adorn female farmers, to make them the highlight in that evening segment of the Denbigh show, to show that our women are just as important and that they are powerful,” Ms. Ellington highlights.

She says she is confident that Jamaica has a knowledgeable, competent and passionate cadre of female farmers.

“As we say, we know how to rock the heels and the boots, so we are versatile. I most definitely believe that there should be equity in the sector because our input needs to be valued as well,” she continues.

For Ms. Ellington, the time has come for persons to disassociate agriculture with the image of tattered and torn clothes and strenuous labour, as the sector is now more dynamic and has incorporated technology and other modern elements.

Equally, the time has come to champion for women in the sector who are steadily blazing their own trail.

“Agriculture is for everybody, and females should be treated with the same respect as males… .  We do have some bright and brilliant ideas to contribute to the sector,” Ms. Ellington adds.

 

By: Mickella Anderson

Release: JIS

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Guyanese Scholar and Olympian Arrested in Iowa ICE Crackdown

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Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

 

September 27, 2025 – In a shocking breach of public trust and institutional oversight, Ian Andre Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, who is a citizen of Guyana, was arrested on September 26 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a string of serious offenses that raise troubling questions about hiring practices, accountability, and public safety.

Roberts, born in Georgetown, Guyana, is a former Olympian and accomplished scholar.  According to online reports, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Coppin State University after transferring from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where he played soccer.  He holds two master’s degrees—from St. John’s University and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business—attended an Executive MBA program at MIT Sloan School of Management and earned a doctorate in education with a focus on urban educational leadership from Trident University.

Despite these accomplishments, Roberts was living and working without legal authorization.  ICE reported that he fled a traffic stop and abandoned his school-issued vehicle.  At the time of his arrest, he was reportedly in possession of a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash.  He also has a prior weapons-related charge.

ICE officials questioned how Roberts could hold such a prominent role while subject to a final deportation order issued in May 2024.  The school district said they were unaware of his immigration status, noting that he had undergone background checks and completed an I-9 form confirming work authorization.  Roberts was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.

This case highlights vulnerabilities in systems meant to safeguard public institutions and underscores the challenges ICE faces in identifying individuals operating outside U.S. immigration laws while in positions of authority.

For many, Roberts has become a near-literal poster child for these enforcement gaps.

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Bermuda Shaken by Targeted Murder as Crime Returns After a Decade of Calm

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Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

 

Bermuda is reeling after the brazen murder of 37-year-old Janae Minors, a mother of two, who was gunned down in her own beauty supply store on Court Street, Pembroke. The attack, which police describe as “targeted,” has rattled the island, not only for its brutality but for what it says about the state of law and order in a country that less than a decade ago was celebrating a dramatic fall in violent crime.

The Attack on Court Street

According to police, at approximately 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, September 16, a lone gunman pulled up on a stolen black motorcycle, walked into the Beauty Monster shop Minors owned, and shot her multiple times. Despite the rapid response of emergency services, she succumbed to her injuries shortly after being transported to hospital.

Detectives say the killer was thin, tall, dressed in dark clothing with a full-face helmet, and wearing bright gloves. CCTV shows him fleeing north on Court Street, down Tills Hill toward TCD, before turning onto Marsh Folly Road. Investigators are pursuing all leads, with a focus on recovering evidence from nearby cameras and eyewitness accounts.

Police Commissioner Darrin Simons confirmed the attack bore the hallmarks of gang-related violence, a chilling indicator that Bermuda’s gang rivalries — long simmering beneath the surface — may once again be spilling into broad daylight.

A Vibrant Life Cut Short

Minors, remembered as a hardworking entrepreneur with “a vibrant, beautiful personality,” leaves behind two children, ages 16 and 18. Her murder has ignited outrage across Bermuda, not just for its senselessness but for its timing: the island had once prided itself on virtually stamping out gun violence.

Then: Near-Zero Murders

Back in 2014, Bermuda made international headlines for reporting zero firearm murders — a remarkable achievement given the small island had endured a spate of gang-related shootings in the early 2010s. Police credited intelligence-led operations, tighter firearms interdictions, and aggressive prosecutions of gang leaders. Community programs and mentoring initiatives also played a role, giving at-risk youth alternatives to gang life.

By 2015 and 2016, gun crime was at historic lows. That period was hailed as proof Bermuda could beat back the tide of violence with coordinated policing, social investment, and political will.

Now: Alarming Resurgence

Fast forward nine years, and the picture looks starkly different. In 2024 and 2025, Bermuda has recorded a rise in gun-related deaths. Rival gangs such as Parkside and 42 have resurged, fueled by a new generation of recruits. Economic pressures, high youth unemployment, and the easy flow of smuggled firearms through maritime routes have undermined earlier gains.

Community trust in the police has also eroded, making investigations harder and retaliations more likely. Opposition MPs and neighborhood leaders warn that without sustained focus, Bermuda risks sliding back into the violent cycles of the early 2010s.

Public Alarm and Political Pressure

Premier David Burt condemned Minors’ killing as “an escalation of community violence that cannot be tolerated,” promising stronger enforcement and deeper engagement with residents. The Bermuda Police Service has appealed for CCTV, dashcam, and doorbell footage from the area, urging residents that even the smallest detail could break the case.

Yet among the public, frustration is growing. People remember the calm of 2014 — when zero murders were recorded — and cannot understand how the island has returned to headlines dominated by gun violence. The contrast is stark: from celebrating the elimination of gun murders to confronting the targeted execution of a businesswoman in broad daylight.

A Test for Bermuda’s Future

The murder of Janae Minors has become more than a single case; it is now a symbol of Bermuda’s struggle to hold on to the progress it once made. The question facing the island is whether the successes of a decade ago can be replicated and sustained in today’s harsher climate of economic pressure and gang rivalries.

For Minors’ family, nothing can erase the tragedy of losing a mother and daughter so violently. But for Bermuda at large, her death is a wake-up call — that the island cannot afford complacency when it comes to crime.

As one community leader put it: “Nine years ago, we had beaten this. Now, we’re back to fearing what happens when the sun goes down. That is not the Bermuda we want to live in.”

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CARICOM-Africa Summit Yields Draft Pact on Trade, Travel and Reparations

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Imagine an Atlantic Bridge connecting the Caribbean Region to the African Continent

 

Deandrea Hamilton  | Editor

 

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — When CARICOM leaders convened with African counterparts and Afreximbank officials in Ethiopia, the outcomes were savory and exactly what many Caribbean people want to see materialise as the islands become uniquely reconnected to the African continent.

At the Second CARICOM-Africa Summit, held at the African Union headquarters, leaders moved beyond symbolic language to agree on a draft communiqué that, if finalized, would anchor this partnership in practical action. While not yet officially published by the AU or CARICOM, the document points to an agenda that blends history with urgent twenty-first century priorities.

The draft outlines commitments to improve air and sea transport links, including the pursuit of a multilateral air services agreement to break down the barriers that still keep the Caribbean and Africa physically apart. It also calls for visa facilitation and simplified entry regimes, making it easier for citizens of both regions to travel, study, and work across the Atlantic.

Equally significant are pledges to advance double taxation treaties that could remove one of the most stubborn obstacles to investment. With Afreximbank’s Caribbean headquarters already established in Barbados and the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) gaining momentum, leaders now want to lock in the financial and legal frameworks that will drive new business.

Reparatory justice also featured prominently, with the draft communiqué sharpening a joint call for coordinated advocacy. CARICOM’s long-standing Reparations Commission is expected to work more closely with African institutions to demand global recognition and redress for the shared traumas of slavery and colonial exploitation.

CARICOM’s incoming chair, Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew of St. Kitts and Nevis, captured the spirit of the gathering when he urged that the Atlantic Slave Trade be reimagined as an “Atlantic Bridge — a bridge of hope, a bridge of advancement, a bridge that will ensure our people take their rightful place in this world.”

For Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, the meeting was a “homecoming,” but also a reminder that concrete steps like the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC) and improved transportation links are needed to transform rhetoric into results.

For citizens back home, wrestling with inflation and economic uncertainty, the Addis outcomes — transport, visas, investment, health, and reparations — are precisely the kinds of measures that can validate leaders’ journeys and rekindle faith in South-South cooperation. What was once only rhetoric now hints at the beams of an Atlantic Bridge, connecting the Caribbean and Africa in ways that could finally turn history’s tragedy into tomorrow’s advantage.

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