US Congress honours Rex Nettleford

Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, Sir George Alleyne (right), accepts a proclamation in honor of the late Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies, Professor Rex Nettleford from the United States Congress.

WASHINGTON DC, United States, March 11, 2010 –  America’s Congress has posthumously honoured the late Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Rex Nettleford for his outstanding contribution to Jamaica, the Caribbean and the United States (US).

A congressional proclamation issued by Congresswoman Yvette Clarke was presented to UWI Chancellor, Sir George Alleyne, at a memorial service held at Dunbarton Chapel on the Howard University campus in Washington DC.

The proclamation states: "On behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I salute Rex Nettleford for his service and dedication to our community and highlight that his positive and legendary contributions are what make our nation great, and I bestow upon you the highest honour as a Member of the 111th Session of Congress."

In paying tribute to Professor Nettleford, the UWI Chancellor described him as a man with a "passion for people, a passion for perfection in whatever he did and a passion to perfect the perception of our people about their proper and rightful pride in themselves and their intrinsic worth."

“Never-failing servant of his nation and his region"
-- Prime Minister Bruce Golding

He said that the UWI and the Caribbean are indebted to the late Professor for his insistence that cultural studies should have a proper place in academia, noting that it was Professor Nettleford, who created the university's cultural studies programme. 

"Rex was impatient with the view that culture was a characteristic of the privileged and that cultural expression did not involve and permeate almost all if not all of our activities," Sir George said.

Prime Minister  Bruce Golding, in his tribute read by Jamaica's Ambassador to the US, Anthony Johnson, said Nettleford was a “never-failing servant of his nation and his region, who was called upon so many times to take up responsibilities where his respected knowledge and authority and his intellectual integrity were important”.

Ambassador Johnson in his own tribute said that many Jamaicans, irrespective of where they live, had fond memories of this outstanding son of Jamaica, who was loved and respected by nationals all over the world. 

Tributes to Professor Nettleford were also paid by member of the Maryland House of Delegates, Shirley Nathan-Pulliam and Professor Eleanor Traylor of Howard University.

The two-hour long memorial service, organised by the Embassy of Jamaica in association with the UWI Alumni Association of Washington DC, was attended by members of the Caribbean diplomatic corps, members of local government in Washington DC and Maryland, representatives of academia and the various Caribbean and Jamaican organisations, and a wide cross-section of the Jamaican community from the Washington metropolitan area.