Guyanese icons, community leaders recognised at historic New York Gala

Jul 06, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – The curtains came down as several outstanding Guyanese nationals were bestowed with prestigious U.S. Congressional Awards on Saturday night at the Diamond Jubilee Independence Gala and Award Ceremony. The glitzy, sold-out event, hosted by the Guyana Independence Celebration Committee New York (GICC), took place at the Weldon B. Smith Theater inside the Edward Davis Center in St. Albans, Queens.

Originally scheduled for late June, organisers strategically moved the gala to the 4th of July to accommodate an international roster of honourees and dignitaries. The evening, according to a statement published by Guyana Independence Celebration Committee New York Committee Chairman, Rickford Burke, served as the grand finale to a jubilee season that kicked off on June 7 with a massive unity concert and parade drawing over 20,000 people to the streets of New York.

The evening’s top accolades were presented to a pair of trailblazing Guyanese women who have made indelible marks on the global stage: Baroness Valerie Amos, former leader of the British House of Lords and current Master of University College Oxford, and of Guyana and the newly designated Chief Justice of the Turks Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, former acting Chancellor of the Judiciary of Guyana.

The diverse roster of congressional accolade recipients spanned diplomacy, academia, medicine, and community activism. Among those recognised were Dr. Shamir Ally for his former diplomatic service as Guyana’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Dr. Rose October for her leadership with the Guyana Cultural Association, and Professor Keith Cummings of the Brooklyn Hospital Center for his international health advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The diaspora also celebrated youth and academic excellence, honouring Jayden Adrian, who was recognised as Guyana’s top Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) student for 2025.

Other notable awardees included Maureen Walker, Dr. Riaz Rupnarain, Ira Pile Lewis (Lady Ira), Indra Jainarinesingh of Brooklyn’s Tota’s Bakery, Omotolo Golding, Onoja Atta Onoja, Remmy Kulsum, Dr. Sandra Harte, and entrepreneur and Member of Parliament Dr. Terrence Campbell.

The evening was punctuated by speeches from the podium.  Dr. Terrence Campbell accepted his second consecutive congressional proclamation with a mix of gratitude and sharp political commentary.

“In the absence of any representation from the executive in Guyana, I bring you warm greetings from the Cooperative Republic,” Campbell noted. He proudly observed the scale of the diaspora’s efforts, stating, “I can say hands down, with much less resources, the best celebration of our Diamond Jubilee has taken place here in New York.” He praised GICC Chairman Rickford Burke for being “relentless in striving for advocacy… for the underprivileged and for justice in Guyana.” Turning his attention to the country’s economic future, Campbell issued a stirring call to action regarding Guyana’s sudden oil boom. “Today, as our newfound oil wealth and wealth from other natural resources drive growth, true progress will require us to be more inclusive,” Campbell urged, adding, “Let us reject division. Let us pursue unity. Let us insist upon good governance, transparency, and accountability in our beloved country.”

In a deeply emotional acceptance speech, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards dedicated her award to her family, her hometown of Linden, and the teachers who shaped her. Reflecting on her journey from a law student at the University of Guyana in 1982 alongside Campbell, she noted how far they had come, quoting Maya Angelou’s famous verse: “Though they tried to write her down in history with their bitter, twisted eyes, and grind her into the dirt, still she rose.” Justice Cummings-Edwards used her platform to honour the collective effort behind her success and the sacrifices of her fellow honourees, invoking Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poetry: “The heights great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, for they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward through the night.” Citing the proverb that it takes a village to raise a child, she beautifully told the audience, “You are the village and I am that child that you’ve all raised… and therefore I dedicate these awards to all of you here this evening. I share it with you.” She concluded by thanking Rickford Burke and the GICC team, using the words of President John F. Kennedy to commend their dedication to their homeland, stating they epitomise the call to “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

The star-studded event featured high-profile attendees and special invitees, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, and New York political figure Zohran Mamdani. Following the formal proceedings, the atmosphere shifted to pure celebration, with entertainment provided by the Foundation Band alongside top Caribbean DJs and artists, cementing a historic Diamond Jubilee that successfully bridged the diaspora and the homeland.

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• community leaders, Guyanese icons, New York Gala

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