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CARIBBEAN TODAY

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'Tallawah' Clarke taking the Caribbean to Capitol Hill


 GORDON WILLIAMS
The tingling of excitement
 still lingers long after her
 historic election win, but
Yvette D. Clarke is already
getting used to being a United
States Congresswoman...and
she doesn't even have the job
yet.
 "I think it's still sinking in
more and more every day,"
Clarke told Caribbean Today
more than a week after she
won the Democratic primary
for New York's 11th
Congressional District last


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month, which virtually assured
the Brooklyn-born daughter of
Jamaican parents will be her
party's representative on
Capitol Hill.
 Clarke, a New York City
councilwoman who will likely
take on Republican challenger
Steve Finger in next month's
general election for Congress,
declared she will "be that
voice" in Washington which
highlights issues of concern for
Caribbean immigrants at the
federal government level. That
is an opportunity her mother
Una, who preserved a strong


Caribbean influence on
Yvette's life and became "an
inspiration" for her daughter's
political career, missed after
unsuccessful bids for the same
Congressional seat. That the
family matriarch, a descendant
of the Accompong Maroons in
Jamaica known for their fiery
will against overwhelming odds
when opposed by their colonial
rulers, did not make it to
Congress did not dampen the
enthusiasm of the Clarke clan.
 "(My victory) makes it
gratifying," said Yvette. "
(My mother) is extremely


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 Recently, Trinidad and
Tobago's Prime Minister
Patrick Manning criticized the
U.S. for slacking off on socio-
economic assistance to the
Caribbean. Dominica's Prime
Minister Roosevelt Skerrit also
called on the U.S to do more
for the region.
 "We continue to raise the
issue of the diminishing pres-
ence of the U.S. in the
(CUrihlb inl" Skerrit said.
 "The American govern-
ment has the capacity to assist
us even more but they have
not been doing that over the
last 20 to 25 years especially in
regards to regional security."
 Caribbean leaders met U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice late last month.
 However, the focus of
Clarke, who recalled visiting
Jamaica many times while
growing up, will also be on her
own constituents in New York.
She said she was not pleased
with Owens' representation of
immigrants from the Caribbean
and elsewhere and plans to
become a stronger force on
those issues. She also noted
that other immigrant groups
have long enjoyed much
stronger representation.

SIGNIFICANCE
 Her role as Congresswoman
takes on additional historic sig-
nificance. Last month's result
meant Clarke followed the foot-
steps of Shirley Chisholm, whose
parents were also from the
C(',rihbbk who won the same
seat in 1968 and became the first
black woman elected to
Congress. Una CLirl<,, the 41-
year-old's mother and a former
New York City councilwoman
herself, had failed to beat Owens
before. But Yvette avenged that
by beating Owens's son Chris,
who finished last in the four-can-
didate race.
 Clarke won 14,946 votes,
Yassky 12,570, Andrews 10,983
and Owens 9,403.
 After she was declared the
winner, Clarke shouted "We
did it, everyone!" in her victory
speech as supporters chanted
"Yvette, Yvette, Yvette".
 "I will not stop fighting
until all immigrants of the city,
state and country are afforded
the same rights as anyone else,"
she said.
 She appears to have
already secured the ideal job
to embark on that mission.

CMC and other reports
contributed to this story.

Gordon Williams is Caribbean
Today's managing editor.
Beginning Nov. 1, 2006, you
may e-mail him at
editor@caribbeantoday.com.
0


October 2006


proud... (It's) a sense of pride
(for her)."

RISE
 That the daughter also
rose to political prominence
has made a highly supportive
Caribbean population in her
district proud as well. And
they showed it at last month's
primary. Clarke, one of three
black candidates in the ethni-
cally-charged primary race,
which included the son of
retired Congressman Major
Owens, secured just over 31
percent of the votes, beating
her nearest challenger
Councilman David Yassky,
the only white candidate, who
had 26.2 percent.
 With the overwhelming
voting presence of Democrats
in the district, Clarke is virtual-
ly assured to win next month
against Finger who, she said,
she Jd Lsn't know well" and
"can't remember" meeting.
Therefore, Clarke has already
turned her focus on the job
ahead, and while she said her
duty is to represent all her con-
stituents equally, she also
understands that immigrant
issues, especially those affect-
ing Caribbean nationals, must
be at the forefront of her
efforts in Washington.
 According to Clarke,
Caribbean immigrants have
made great strides in the U.S.,
especially on the social level.
The emphasis now will be on
further economic and political
empowerment. Yet she is bank-
ing on the strong Caribbean
influence in her background to
pull it off. When asked if there
is one word or theme which
sums up her personal and polit-
ical character, Clarke quickly
replied "tallawah", a Jamaican
term which means resilient and
determined to succeed.

WANING INTEREST
 She will need to be. U.S.
interests in the Cj.rihlajiin
welfare have waned in recent
years and several leaders last
month insisted that although
America's foreign policy is
focused on anti-terrorism cam-
paigns elsewhere in the world,
the region still needs attention
from the superpower, especial-
ly assistance with development
and security.


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