CARIBBEAN TODAY n e WS W w w~cri..anoda.s c * U.S.-base DAWN A. DAVIS With a push to have a Caribbean category added to the United States Census, the Caribbean American commu- nity is showing its numbers, strength and proud identity. South Florida's growing Caribbean community, partic- ularly in Broward County, is especially vocal and active. But, this immigrant group is not always represented and sometimes sidelined in main- stream media, government agencies and halls of justice. The recently published "Caribbean American Immigrant Resource Guide to South Florida" offers this bur- geoning group valuable infor- mation that promises to help bridge the gap, particularly for Florida residents. Written by U.S. thanks Bermuda over detainee issue HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sent a letter to Premier Ewart Brown thank- ing him for agreeing to resettle four Chinese Muslim Uighurs who were recently released from a United States deten- tion center in Cuba after seven years. "I hope that your coura- geous action will inspire others to step forward and join us in the ongoing effort to close Guantanamo Bay.. Indeed, Bermuda's leadership significantly advanced that effort", Clinton wrote. Brown has had to wade off criticism over his decision, particularly after it was dis- Brown covered that neither the British government nor his Cabinet had been con- sulted priorth the arrival of the Muslims. The premier'sur- vived a motion of no confi- dence filed by the internatiOpposition United Bermuda Party (UBP) and London announced that it was reviewing the general entrustment agreement it has had with the Overseas Territory since 1968, when internal self-government was introduced here. But the premier's decision has been praised by many oth- ers, the international human rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. 0 d scholars launch Caribbean American resource guide three Caribbean American for this new publication, for our children, the best city, leaders, the guide offers "This 37-page guide needs county, state and national advice on becoming politically to be digested, one page at a parks, how to spend money in savvy, what it takes to be a time," Magnus said. "This short-term versus investing in wise consumer, children's edu- guide really constitutes a call the long-term all call for our cation and mental health. for values clarification. It asks attention." "These are the topics which traditionally receive minimal emphasis in the main- stream and Caribbean print and electronic media," Dr. Marcia Magnus, the brainchild behind the guide and one of the contributors, explained to Caribbean Today. "But it turns out that how we spend our money, the qual- ity of our children's education, how we participate in the American political process, and how we transcend life's challenges are the long-term quality of life issues." DOCUMENTATION Magnus, a tenured associ- ate professor of dietetics and nutrition at Florida International University, decided to create this guide Magnus after years of searching for answers and "bucking up" on some that had no documenta- tion. This is not the first such guide produced by the Magnus. In 2000 she authored several voters' guides for Caribbean Americans offering critical information about candidates endorsed by Caribbean American Politically Active Citizens, an action group she founded. Those guides proved invalu- able to many, as is the hope us to decide on the tough questions about the difference between wants and needs. It asks us to question and dis- card useless beliefs which no longer serve us in this commu- nity, especially about mental health services. "I certainly hope this guide will be just as indispen- sable to the South Florida Caribbean American commu- nity as the voters' guides. Our numbers are increasing, most obviously in Broward County where Caribbean Americans constitute 50 percent of the black community. But if the quality of life of our children does not exceed that of their parents, then we have really lost the battle. The unmet information needs about how to get the best education I I SAVVY In these harsh economic times, the section on being a "Consumer Savvy" citizen is timely. Magnus warns about living on credit and counsels consumers to be aware of the daily barrage of advertise- ments that bombard us through telemarketing, televi- sion, newspapers, magazines, etc. Be a comparison shopper, she urges, and learn the differ- ence between "needs" and "wants". "Caribbean people have a long history of sacrifice but the daily barrage of 3,000 American advertisements makes it difficult to separate needs from wants," she said. "Caribbean American (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6) S. j'VE COT YOUR NUMBER 40L Owning now is asEASY as1,2, 3 0 $8,000 federal Tax Credit 0 low Down Payments fAinancing Available 0 IHistorically Low Interest Rates MOPrIMMM ."LIDOI HiSS PMUWSONU~~~~CfI ~a 's rKm~tX2R ahi~~ra~emt3tIa~ August 2009 'e-6 'o # -0 1