Caribbean-American lawyers group honors outstanding five during inaugural gala

The Brooklyn-based Caribbean-American Lawyers Association (CALA) Wednesday evening honored five outstanding members of the community during its inaugural Gala at El Caribe Country Club on Strickland Avenue in Brooklyn.

CALA, which was formed over four years ago, bestowed its Founders Award on former New York City Corporation Counsel Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix, CALA’s Barbadian-born founder and inaugural president; Outstanding Public Servant Award on Charles Small, Esq., the Barbadian-born Chief Clerk for Civil Matters, New York State Supreme Court; and Outstanding Jurist of the Year Award on Justice Michele S. Rodney, the Jamaican-American Judge of New York State Court of Claims.

Dennis Francis, president of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, displays award, flanked by (from left): Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix, Justice Cheryl Gonzales and Rudyard Whyte, Esq. Photo by Nelson A. King

Other honorees were: Dennis Francis, the Trinidadian-born president of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (Lifetime Achievement Award); and Jamaican Michelle Stoddart, senior vice president of Community Development and Public Service, Resorts World New York (Outstanding Community Service Award).

“I accept this award for a whole group of people,” Justice Hinds-Radix told the ceremony after receiving the award from Dominican-born Justice Ruth Shillingford. “Tonight, I say ‘wow’. Charles (Small) and I have something with Rihanna (renowned Barbadian-born super star) in common: We were both born in the 166-square-mile island.

Charles Small, Esq., right, holds award, flanked by Jovia Radix-Seaborough, Esq., Justice Hinds-Radix’s eldest daughter, holding bouquet of flowers; Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix, next to her daughter; and Rudyard Whyte, Esq.
Photo by Nelson A. KingPhoto by Nelson A. King

“I want to thank everyone of you,” she added. “I want to thank everyone at the table who say I’m their mother (her three daughters were present at her table). I also want to thank those people whose shoulders I stand on – those who helped me to go the Appellate Division (in New York Supreme Court).

“We don’t get here on our own, and we have to ensure that, for everybody else, the way is paved for them,” continued Justice Hinds at the Gala patronized by more than 250 guests. “The fearsome duo – me and Betty Matondo-John (her indefatigable secretary), the incredible support she gives to this organization. I thank you for this honor.”

Small said he was “honored to share this stage with the Hon. Sylvia Hinds-Radix,” lauding her for his current position.

“Fifteen years ago, because of Justice Hinds-Radix, I’m standing here as the Chief Clerk (for Civil Matters, New York State Supreme Court),” he said. “I want to thank my parents for instilling service and values in me. I thank my son. I want thank the judges for their support. Over the years, I made great friends.

“I want to thank all the people from the court,” Small added. “I want to help all the people who helped me.”

Justice Michele S. Rodney receives award, and Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix, left, holds bouquet of flowers for her. Photo by Nelson A. King

In introducing Justice Rodney, Justice Hinds-Radix said the daughter of Carl and Faye Rodney, the Jamaican-born owners/publishers of the New York-based Carib News newspaper, was “committed to justice” and that she “makes sure the community is protected.”

“She mentored many young people,” Justice Hinds-Radix said. “She’s an incredible jurist. She speaks truth to power. I expect continued success from Michele (Rodney).”

Justice Rodney thanked her parents, her sisters and those who came from near and far to support her.

She also congratulated the other honorees and acknowledged “the work others have done.”

After Justice Cheryl Gonzales introduced Francis, he said, while he was “given a prepared text, the occasion tonight, while it is ground-breaking, speaks more of emotion and achievements.

“Four years is a very short time in the life of an organization; it’s a blip on the screen,” he said. “But I sat there and listened all that have been achieved in the last four years – a simple Caribbean refusal to accept ‘no’. We’re not a ‘no’ people. We never did that.

“I’m very humbled and greatly appreciative of the gesture extended to me tonight,” Francis added. “I want to congratulated the Caribbean-American Lawyers Association for building jurisprudence in the United States of America.”

Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix holds award, flanked by Justice Ruth Shillingford, holding bouquet of flowers, and Rudyard Whyte. Photo by Nelson A. King

CALA’s Jamaican-born Chairman of the Board Rudyard F. Whyte, Esq., a partner in The Cochran Firm on Broadway in lower Manhattan, disclosed that his compatriot, Stoddart, migrated to New York in “her 20’s” and that “she’s a driving force.”

Stoddart noted that the Gala is aimed at supporting “the next generation,” and that she was “profoundly grateful for this honor.”

Crystal Cranmore – a race and culture reporter for WABC TV Eyewitness News in New York, who was born in Manhattan to a Guyanese mother and Nigerian father – served as Mistress of Ceremonies.

In her introductory remarks, Justice Hinds-Radix said: “We wanted to make sure the Caribbean community had the kind of representation that we can provide. And one of things I instilled in my attorneys: We’re the guardians of the things we rely on.

“I’m very happy to see how much it (CALA) has grown,” she said. “Our goal has to be that we lift up everyone. There’s so much to learn.

“So, I thank you for coming,” Justice Hinds-Radix added. “It’s the first; and, the next time you come, you have to put tables over here.“I love him (her husband, Grenadian-born dentist Dr. Joseph Radix, sitting with family members and other patrons at a table),” she continued. “He’s the wind beneath my wings.”

Whyte said CALA is “not your usual bar association,” stating: “We like to think of ourselves more so as a scholarship organization, which seeks to reach back, inspire and encourage those in high school, college and law school to reach for the sky because, to a person, if you are from the Caribbean, you have been told and you have bought into the promise that education is your path to success.”

He said that, in the short 4.5 years of CALA’s existence, it has awarded over $10,000 in scholarships under the leadership of Justice Shillingford and the Scholarship Committee.

Whyte recognized the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, Westchester Black Bar Association and the Metropolitan Black Bar Association for supporting the Gala.

He also thanked several members of the judiciary who attended the event, including administrative judges Wavenie Toussaint, Carolyn Walker Diallo and Ingrid Joseph.

“I applaud the entire CALA committee who, against all odds, pulled this together in a short period of time, and we are very proud of you the over 260 people here tonight,” Whyte told the ceremony.

“The Caribbean lawyers are many but, over the years, they have been fractured,” he added. “Starting tonight, we want to pull that group together, to assure that we use our numbers and our power to be heard from the halls of the courthouse to the halls in Albany and even in the halls of Congress.”