Dear UJAA Family,
November represents many things to many people. For us in UJAA, it’s the first month of our fiscal year. It’s therefore the time when we look back at how we did last year, and plan ahead for the new financial year. At our next General Meeting, we will share with you our Budget for 2024-25, highlighting our major goals and objectives for the year ahead. We hope that you will, once again, work with us, as a Board, to make this year be our best ever, especially as we celebrate our 35th year of existence. November is the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving here in America. It is a time when we gather with family to enjoy a meal together, and to give thanks for the many blessings that God has bestowed upon us.
Here in UJAA, November is also the month in which we host our own Annual Church Service, as we give thanks for all that we have achieved and also to ask God’s guidance in the year to come. This year, our Church Service will be held on Sunday, November 10, at the Hollis Presbyterian Church, here in Queens. We are excited to share that own Board member and UJAA Treasurer, Ms. Clair Menzies-Forbes, will be delivering the message. We hope that you will join us there, as we come together again, as a UJAA family.
November is also the month in which we celebrate the cultural heritage of the first Americans – the Native Americans. It should remind us that America is indeed a land of many peoples, and that it is a place where we all belong. As Jamaicans, we too have made this place our home, and as we go about our daily lives, let’s remember to pay homage to those who were here before us and respect their place in this land we call America.
Finally, November is also the month of the year when we have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process of electing those who will lead our government, both at the state and national levels. This year is especially important, as on Tuesday, November 5, we will be choosing a new President of the United States. While, by law, as UJAA, we cannot endorse or advocate for any political party or candidate, we do have a legal, moral and ethical obligation to remind you of your constitutional right to vote. As members of the Jamaican Diaspora, with the privilege of our residency here in the US comes the obligation and duty to be active and engaged citizens, exercising our equal rights to vote for those who we feel will best represent our interests.
So, as we enter the month of November, let’s remember to not only give thanks for what we have, but show respect for the less fortunate among us. Most importantly, as citizens of the United States of America, let’s take the time to exercise our constitutional right to vote.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving season!
Michael
Vice-PresidentUnion of Jamaican Alumni Associations (USA) Inc
“Education is Empowerment; Only the Educated are Free”