CaribPR Wire

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Mar. 19, 2010: Carib ID, the movement founded to get Caribbean nationals accurately counted, this week ramped up a media blitz of interviews and online promotions as the countdown begins to the April 1st return date for Census forms.

CaribID founder Felicia Persaud has been on a media blitz all week, spreading the important write in message through several radio interviews including with One Caribbean Radio, Radio Soleil, the Haitian radio station in New York, the CaribZone with Ian Eliger and the BBC Caribbean as well as via numerous e-promotions.

Persaud and Carib ID partners are urging all Caribbean nationals across the U.S. and those who are born of Caribbean parents to document this fact by writing in their nationality or ancestry under the Some Other Race box of the form on Question 9 while ticking in their ethnic identity as well.

Which means if you are Guyanese and black or Jamaican and White, then simply place an X next to that ethnic category on question 9 and another X near the Some Other Race Section and write in Guyanese or Jamaican or whatever your country of origin or roots are. This applies to any one from the Caribbean or Africa including those from Belize.

`This allows for a win, win for not just the ethnic blocs but the Caribbean American community across the United States,` said Persaud. `It is not simply about filling out the forms but Caribbean nationals must count on this write in effort in order for us to begin to truly tell our economic story in the United States and harness our power.`

On Saturday, the CaribID founder will stop for a photo shoot for Patois magazine before appearing live on several radio shows including at noon with Pat Baccas on 1420AM WATB and 1430AM WGFS into Atlanta, GA; at 12:50 p.m. with Lady D and Caribbean Connections on WOKB 1600 AM in Orlando, FL.; at 8:40 p.m. with Von Martin on Caribbeana on WPFW 89.3FM in D.C. and at 11 p.m. with Tanto Irie on Hot 105 FM in Miami, Florida.

This comes as Carib ID and Riddims Marketing push Caribbean American announcers to complete their Census forms live on air especially in key U.S. cities where Caribbean nationals live.

Among the stations collaborating on the live Census form write in campaign push this weekend are Eddy Edwards and Marlon Hill on WZAB 880 AM in Miami, Tanto Irie on Hot 105 FM in Miami, FL; Rennie Bishop and Persaud on Caribbean Corner on WWRL 1600 in New York, Pat Baccas on 1420AM WATB and 1430AM WGFS in Atlanta, GA; Caribbeana with Von Martin on WPFW 89.3FM in D.C., Lady Cham on Caribbean Connection in Virginia and Lady D on WOKB 1600 AM in Orlando, FL.

Edwards, host of the Caribbean Riddims radio show will, complete his Census form along with attorney Hill of The Peoples Politics, live on air – WZAB 880 AM  – on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 4 P.M. EST.  Listeners will be encouraged to complete their own form during this live on air community action.

Persaud will complete her own form live on WWRL 1600 on Caribbean Corner between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and connect with other announcers across the country who are doing their part to spread the message.

`We are hoping that this live event will help many of our listeners to develop a level of trust and confidence in the process.  The Census is a critical part of identifying our community and ensuring their piece of the American pie,` stated Edwards, producer and host of Caribbean Riddims. 

`We are serious about recognizing and activating our personal power as a community.  We want to affirm publicly to each other that we will get this done and to inspire each other collectively,` added Hill, commentator on Caribbean Riddims in the weekly segment, The Peoples Politics.

 After completing the form, listeners will be encouraged to share with their family and friends, `I Counted Today. I Have The Power!`  

Jason Walker of WRFG 89.3 FM in Atlanta, will complete his own form live on March 26th while Lloyd Cummings of the award-winning Caribbean Rhythms on WURD 900 AM in Philadelphia will complete his form live on March 27th.

Walker, who is also part of CaribLifeCentral.com along with Sheldon Mundle, has actively been promoting the Caribbean write in message. CaribLifeCentral.com has launched its `I Am Caribbean` Census Awareness Campaign to encourage Caribbean-Americans to ensure they count in 2010.  As part of the `I Am Caribbean` awareness campaign CaribLifeCentral.com has produced a Web-based public service announcement available through YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIZMZGd91s0.

Meanwhile, new advocacy organization Caribbean One is timing its launch with the 2010 Census, as it joins the Carib ID push through a distribution of thousands of posters and information cards to Caribbean-American businesses across New York.

`Being Caribbean is not a race,` says Kendrick Ross, Caribbean One`s founder. `Caribbean Americans can be Black, White, Asian, Indian, or a combination of races, in addition to their Caribbean heritage. And that heritage means interests and concerns that are distinct from other groups.`

Carib ID, a historic initiative from Hard Beat Communications, is an endorsed effort by a number of media partners and key groups across the U.S. to secure an accurate count of Caribbean nationals. Among the partners of Carib ID are Ann Walters and Loughton Sargeant of the D.C. Caribbean Carnival Association, Chris Chaplin of the Philadelphia Caribbean Complete Count Committee, The West Indian American Day Carnival Association, the Bowling Green Association, Ecaroh Entertainment, the Jamaica Organization of New Jersey, Pastor Gil Montrose and the Brooklyn Center For Quality Life, the Caribbean Association of Mid West America, Caribbean One, The Caribbean American Center of New York, The Midwest Caribbean Network,  Students of Caribbean Ancestry, the Guyanese American Workers United, Jamaica Diaspora representative, Marlon Hill and Soca De Vote,  the D.C., Chicago, New York and Atlanta carnival associations, and a large number of media houses and media practitioners including the Caribbean American Journalists & Media Association, Inc., DJ Norrie, Power 105 FM; CBean.Tv,  the Caribbean International Network, Caribbean World News Network, Irie Jam Media, One Caribbean Radio, Carib Voice newspaper, South Florida Caribbean, Jamaicans.com, Zync TV and G-Arts Media, Whatz Up TV, Caribbean Vibes Radio, Deeraj TV, Carib Nation TV, CaribVoice Radio, Tropicalfete, Jason Walker, WFGG Atlanta, Eddy Edwards, Ken Webb, The West Indian newspaper, SMAC Productions and Caribbean Life Style TV  among others.

For more log on to www.caribid2010.com.