Does This Caribbean Resort Expansion Signal A Shift From Tourism Destination To Global Wealth Hub?

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By NAN Business Editor

News Americas, NASSAU, Bahamas, Tues. Feb. 17, 2026: When Baha Mar broke ground on its more than $700 million beachfront expansion on Nassau’s Cable Beach recently, the announcement was framed as a tourism milestone. The project will add 345 guest rooms, 77 branded luxury residences, and thousands of jobs. But beneath the ceremonial shovels and economic optimism lies a deeper question: Is the Caribbean quietly evolving from a tourism destination into a global wealth hub?

Baha Mar has officially broken ground on a new beachfront resort and branded residences on Cable Beach, marking a more than $700 million expansion that will add 345 guest rooms and 77 luxury residences to the country’s premier integrated resort destination.

For decades, the Caribbean’s economic identity has been anchored in hospitality. Resorts brought visitors, jobs, and foreign exchange. Yet today’s mega-developments increasingly reflect something more complex. The inclusion of branded luxury residences alongside hotel rooms signals a structural shift. These are not merely places to visit. They are places to own, invest, and store wealth.

This distinction matters.

Branded residences have become one of the fastest-growing segments of global real estate. Buyers are typically ultra-high-net-worth individuals seeking lifestyle, security, and jurisdictional diversification. By integrating residences into resort ecosystems, developers are transforming Caribbean properties into hybrid assets – part hotel, part private enclave, part global wealth infrastructure.

The Baha Mar expansion fits squarely within this model. Designed by internationally renowned architectural firm Foster + Partners, the project is positioned not just as a hotel, but as a premium residential and investment destination. Owners gain access to an established ecosystem that includes the Caribbean’s largest casino, luxury retail, championship golf, and more than 45 restaurants and lounges.

This model aligns with a broader global trend: the migration of capital into lifestyle jurisdictions.

In an era defined by geopolitical uncertainty, rising taxes in traditional wealth centers, and increasing interest in residency and citizenship mobility, wealthy individuals are diversifying geographically. The Caribbean, with its political stability, proximity to North America, and established financial frameworks, has emerged as a preferred destination.

The Bahamas, in particular, has strengthened its position through infrastructure investment, financial services sophistication, and its appeal as both a tourism and financial jurisdiction.

Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis underscored the significance of the expansion, describing the investment as a signal of confidence in the country’s economic future. “It is a signal to the world that our economy is steady, our tourism sector is growing, and our country is moving in the right direction,” he said.

Yet, the implications extend beyond tourism metrics.

Luxury developments increasingly function as anchors for broader economic ecosystems. They generate construction employment, permanent hospitality jobs, and demand for local suppliers—from farmers and fishermen to logistics providers and professional services. Baha Mar alone already employs more than 5,300 Bahamians, with an additional 1,400 positions expected once the new expansion is complete.

But perhaps more importantly, such developments reshape how the Caribbean is perceived globally.

Historically marketed primarily as a leisure destination, the region is now also being positioned as a place of long-term presence. Ownership, not just visitation, is becoming central. This transition enhances economic resilience by diversifying revenue streams beyond seasonal tourism cycles.

It also reflects the Caribbean’s integration into global capital flows.

Wealth today is increasingly mobile. Investors seek jurisdictions that offer quality of life, asset protection, and global accessibility. High-end resort developments provide precisely that intersection. They offer physical assets tied to globally recognized brands, located in politically stable environments, and embedded within service ecosystems designed for international clientele.

The Caribbean’s appeal is reinforced by geography itself. Located between North and South America, and accessible from major global financial centers, the region occupies a strategic position that combines lifestyle with connectivity.

Critically, this evolution does not eliminate tourism. Rather, it elevates it.

Tourism remains the foundation. But layered atop it is a new economic dimension—one centered on ownership, capital preservation, and global residency patterns. The resort becomes not just a destination, but a node within the architecture of global wealth.

For countries like The Bahamas, this shift offers opportunity – but also responsibility. Managing growth sustainably, ensuring local participation, and balancing foreign investment with national interests will determine how fully the region benefits.

What is clear is that the Caribbean’s economic narrative is expanding.

As cranes rise above Cable Beach and branded residences take shape alongside hotel towers, the message extends beyond Nassau. The Caribbean is no longer simply a place the world visits.

It is increasingly a place the world invests in, lives in, and anchors wealth within.

RELATED: The Caribbean’s Middle Class Is Being Built —And Broken — At The Same Time

King Kong And The Island: America’s Moral Collapse And Cuba

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By Ron Cheong

News Americas, TORONTO, Canada, Tues. Feb. 17, 2026: For more than sixty years, Cuba has endured relentless external pressure from the United States. The embargo, designed to strangle trade, cripple the economy, and punish a population for the choices of its government, has long made daily life a struggle. Today, the situation is more difficult than ever: fuel shortages have grounded planes and paralyzed public transport; tourism, a crucial source of income, has all but collapsed; and the economy teeters under layers of scarcity and deprivation. Decades of hardship have forged resilience in the Cuban people, but the severity of these pressures makes one wonder: can Cuba survive this new trial, or are these dark hours edging it closer to the brink?

Despite these extraordinary challenges, Cuba has preserved a surprising measure of moral and social integrity. Health care remains universal, education is free and widely accessible, and violent crime is low. The government, while politically centralized and media tightly controlled, has consistently prioritized the welfare of its citizens over elite enrichment. In practical, people-centered terms, Cuba remains morally and functionally resilient, even under extreme external duress.

The U.S.: A Democracy Under Siege From Within

Contrast this with the United States, once hailed as the world’s premier democracy. Formally, Americans enjoy freedoms enshrined in law: free speech, press protections, competitive elections, and an independent judiciary.

But these formal liberties are increasingly being hollowed out in practice: There have been unprecedented calls to “nationalise” US elections and talk about cancelling the midterms – even as the blockade of Cuba is being justified as “pressuring the Cuban government to hold free elections.”  At the same time, American civic trust is being battered – protests are met with militarized force as in Minnesota, while the blockade of Cuba is also unashamedly being justified in the name of “Promoting human rights and political freedoms.”

Wealth is concentrated in the hands of the top 1%, which dominates political donations, lobbying, and policy outcomes. Media ownership is similarly consolidated in the hands of a few, producing shallow, sensationalist coverage that leaves large swaths of the population misinformed. Judicial appointments are increasingly partisan.

In other words, the United States is showing the signs of a democracy under stress, much like historical empires before it: Rome, Tsarist Russia, and the Soviet Union all exhibited elite capture, norm erosion, and civic disengagement before systemic collapse. Formal freedoms exist, but meaningful self-correction has become compromised. Citizens may vote, speak, and organize, yet their ability to influence outcomes is heavily filtered through wealth, media bias, and institutional manipulation.

The Moral Challenge

The contrast is striking. Here is a small island, subjected to decades of external aggression and severe deprivation, yet maintaining a society that, in practice, prioritizes the collective welfare of its people. Meanwhile, a wealthy, globally dominant democracy – free in principle – struggles to ensure that its citizens’ basic needs are met and its political system functions equitably.

Cuba’s one-party system and state-aligned media are often cited as moral deficits. Yet what moral weight do political freedoms carry if the society that claims them fails to meet the basic needs of its people? The Cuban system, despite restrictions on political plurality, has consistently delivered healthcare, education, and security – the material foundations of dignity and life.

Historical Lessons: Decline, Inequality, And Moral Authority

History teaches that empires and states rarely fall suddenly; decline is usually the cumulative effect of inequality, elite capture, and norm erosion. Rome’s senatorial elites insulated themselves while ordinary citizens struggled; Tsarist Russia refused reform until the system collapsed; the Soviet Union stagnated under rigid institutions and external overreach. In each case, the formal structures of governance persisted even as the underlying moral and functional legitimacy deteriorated.

The United States now exhibits eerily similar patterns: economic inequality has hollowed out political influence; media concentration distorts public understanding; civic trust is fractured; and institutional norms are under strain. Ironically, it is the US rather than Cuba, which has survived decades of external punishment, that faces internal moral and systemic fragility – a democracy that risks eroding from within.

Kant wrote, “The worth of a person consists in being a subject capable of reason and moral choice, not merely a means to an end.” By this measure, America’s moral authority is increasingly compromised: citizens are treated less as moral subjects with agency than as data points filtered through the lens of wealth and influence.

King Kong Vs. The Island

Even if we take it that Cuba’s government system is seriously flawed, the metaphor is unavoidable: the United States, a global behemoth wielding overwhelming power, functions as a predator – King Kong – crushing a small, vulnerable island beneath its weight. The embargo and aggressive sanctions on Cuba reveal a democracy that has abandoned moral principle in favor of domination. Meanwhile, Cuba, the small animal beneath the shadow of that predator, has demonstrated resilience, cohesion, and a people-centered ethic that the predator itself increasingly lacks.

Cuba has survived decades of punishment and deprivation. But the current crisis – fuel shortages, economic paralysis, and a collapse of tourism – may be the severest it has ever faced. Will the island endure these dark hours? History shows that resilience is possible, but the strain is immense, and the outcome is uncertain.

A Moral Reckoning

The contrast could not be starker: a wealthy, formally free democracy showing cracks in its moral and functional foundations, juxtaposed with a small, embattled island maintaining social cohesion and prioritizing human welfare under extreme external pressure. The United States has long claimed moral and political superiority; today, its claim rings hollow. It’s democracy, once celebrated, risks being remembered as a system where freedom existed in theory but was undermined by the concentration of wealth, the distortion of information, and the erosion of institutional norms.

Meanwhile, Cuba, despite political limitations, demonstrates that people-centered governance, moral integrity, and social cohesion have so far survived even under extraordinary external duress. The moral lesson is stark: power alone does not confer legitimacy; justice and care for citizens do. If the U.S. continues to prioritize domination, wealth, and spectacle over the well-being of its people, it risks becoming a giant whose size conceals rot, while a small island showed what resilience and moral governance truly look like.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ron Cheong, born in Guyana, is a community activist and dedicated volunteer with an extensive international background in banking. Now residing in Toronto, Canada, he is a fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto. His comments are his own and do not reflect those of News Americas or its parent company, ICN.

RELATED: Clarion Across The Atlantic: Barbados Mia Mottley’s Third Mandate And The Rise Of Caribbean Moral Leadership

Is The Caribbean Emerging As A Global Wealth And Investment Platform?

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By NAN Business Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Feb. 17, 2026: For decades, the Caribbean has been defined in global imagination by tourism – sun, sea, and sand. But new economic data and shifting investment patterns suggest a deeper transformation may be underway. Increasingly, the region is positioning itself not merely as a destination for visitors, but as a platform for global capital, strategic investment, and wealth creation.

Recent analysis from FDI Intelligence confirms what regional leaders and investors have begun to recognize: the Caribbean is diversifying beyond tourism into sectors such as energy, logistics, agribusiness, financial services, and infrastructure.

This shift is being driven by several converging forces. Oil discoveries in Guyana and Suriname have drawn billions in foreign investment. Nearshoring trends are positioning Caribbean countries as strategic gateways for companies seeking alternatives to Asia-based supply chains. Financial services, corporate structuring, and cross-border trade infrastructure are expanding. And regional integration efforts are lowering barriers to capital movement.

As FDI Intelligence noted, “FDI remains vital to the Caribbean’s competitiveness and economic diversification,” reflecting the region’s growing appeal to global investors.

The numbers tell a compelling story. Capital commitments reached $17.6 billion in 2022 and remained elevated at $15.7 billion in 2023, driven largely by energy investment and strategic infrastructure development. Meanwhile, Guyana’s economy alone has experienced historic expansion, with GDP increasing nearly fivefold between 2020 and 2025.

But beyond energy, the Caribbean’s appeal lies in its unique structural advantages: political stability, geographic proximity to North and South America, an educated workforce, and tax-efficient financial frameworks that attract multi-national corporations and investors.

Felicia J. Persaud, CEO of Invest Caribbean and founder of AI Capital Exchange, believes the region is entering a defining moment.

“The Caribbean is no longer simply a tourism economy – it is emerging as one of the most overlooked wealth and investment platforms globally, something I have been saying since 2011,” Persaud said. “From energy and logistics to financial structuring and capital markets, the region offers strategic entry points for investors seeking growth, diversification, and long-term value.”

She cautioned that global investors risk missing a generational opportunity if they continue to view the Caribbean through outdated lenses.

“What we are witnessing is structural transformation,” Persaud added. “The Caribbean is becoming a bridge between capital and opportunity- connecting global investors with projects in energy, infrastructure, real estate, and private enterprise. Those who recognize this shift early will benefit most.”

This transformation is also reinforced by regional integration policies aimed at creating a more unified economic space. Agreements allowing free movement of people, expanding trade partnerships, and improving logistics infrastructure are reducing historic fragmentation that once limited scale. Diversification of export markets and investment sources has become a top priority for businesses and governments amid global trade tensions and uncertainty that is affecting FDI decisions. Merchandise exports from 12 Caribbean small states, tracked by the World Bank , reached a record high of $31bn in 2024. 

At the same time, global geopolitical shifts are accelerating interest in the Caribbean. Companies seeking to diversify supply chains away from geopolitical risk zones are increasingly turning to the region as a stable, strategically located alternative.

The Caribbean’s evolution reflects a broader global trend: capital is no longer flowing exclusively to traditional financial centers. Instead, investors are seeking emerging platforms where regulatory frameworks, geographic advantages, and growth potential intersect.

This shift does not mean tourism will disappear. Rather, tourism is becoming one component of a more diversified economic foundation that includes energy production, logistics hubs, financial structuring, and investment facilitation.

For Caribbean nations, this moment presents both opportunity and responsibility. Building durable institutions, improving capital markets access, and strengthening regional coordination will be essential to sustaining momentum.

For global investors, however, the message is increasingly clear. The Caribbean is no longer simply a vacation destination. It is becoming an investment destination.

Major Lazer’s Boost To The Jamaican Bobsled Team

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Feb. 13, 2026: When American electronic dance music and DJ group Major Lazer stepped forward with a $10,000 donation to support the Jamaican bobsled team at the Winter Olympics in Milan, the gesture represented more than financial help. It underscored the enduring bond between Caribbean culture, diaspora success and national pride on the global stage.

FLASHBACK – Diplo performs onstage during the Major Lazer Mixtape Release Party at Coyo Taco on December 04, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)

The internationally acclaimed music collective – whose roots are deeply intertwined with Jamaican sound system culture – did not just support athletes. They reaffirmed a cultural lineage that continues to propel Jamaica beyond geographic and economic limits.

For a tropical island nation with no natural winter sports infrastructure, Jamaica’s continued presence in Olympic bobsledding has always been a symbol of resilience, ingenuity, and belief. Since the team’s historic debut at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics – later immortalized in the film Cool Runnings – Jamaica’s bobsledders have come to represent the audacity of small nations to compete in spaces never designed for them.

Major Lazer’s donation arrives at a critical moment, as the team prepares to compete once again against countries with far greater funding, facilities, and institutional support.

Walshy Fire, a Chinese-Jamaican member of the group, has long emphasized that Major Lazer’s creative DNA is rooted in Jamaican culture. That connection reflects a broader truth: the Caribbean diaspora has become one of the region’s most powerful global assets.

From music stages to Olympic tracks, diaspora success is increasingly feeding back into national advancement. This act of support highlights an evolving reality – Caribbean athletes and cultural ambassadors are no longer operating in isolation. They are part of a growing ecosystem where diaspora influence, cultural capital, and global visibility converge to create opportunity.

The Jamaican bobsled team’s continued journey at this 2026 Olympics is not simply about medals. It is about visibility, identity, and defying expectations as they get ready for their heats on Feb. 16th in Milan.

And Major Lazer’s contribution sends a clear message: Caribbean excellence does not stand alone. It is powered by a global community that understands its value – and is willing to invest in its future.

ABOUT THE GROUP

Major Lazer maintains a deep, foundational connection to Jamaica, blending dancehall, reggae, and soca with electronic beats. Founded in 2008, the group often collaborates with Jamaican artists, headlines local shows, and has recently added British-Jamaican artist America Foster to its lineup. Their 2025 project, Gyalgebra, continues this Caribbean focus. 

Caribbean Unity Tested As Election Interference Allegations Threaten Regional Trust

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By Keith Bernard

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Feb. 12, 2026: The recent report regarding Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s denial of UNC interference in the upcoming Barbados elections is more than a simple political rebuttal; it is a signal of a deepening fracture in our regional diplomatic fabric. The narrative unfolding here suggests a shift from mutual respect to a more interventionist style of Caribbean politics. When allegations arise that a governing party in Trinidad and Tobago is actively backing a specific side in a neighbor’s election – particularly just forty-eight hours before the polls opened on February 11th – it casts a long shadow over the sanctity of sovereignty.

FLASHBACK – Kamla Persad-Bissessar, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, US, on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. The United Nations General Assembly, which opened Tuesday, brings more than 150 world leaders and their entourages into Midtown – a convergence that has been compared to hosting the Super Bowl every day for a week, across an entire neighborhood. Photographer: David Dee Delgado/Bloomberg via Getty Images

This pattern of alleged cross-border political interference echoes troubling precedents from other regions that should serve as cautionary tales. Consider Russia’s documented interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election through disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks- operations that fundamentally undermined public trust in American democratic institutions and poisoned relations between Washington and Moscow for years to come. Or examine China’s increasingly assertive influence operations across the Pacific Islands, where Beijing has allegedly used economic leverage and political donations to sway electoral outcomes in nations like the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, effectively reshaping regional alliances and threatening the traditional influence of Australia and the United States.

Even within democratic blocs, such interference creates lasting damage. The European Union has grappled with accusations that Hungary and Poland have attempted to influence each other’s domestic politics through coordinated media campaigns and financial support for allied parties, weakening the union’s cohesion at precisely the moment it needs solidarity to address migration crises and security threats from Russia. In Latin America, Venezuela’s alleged support for sympathetic political movements in Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador during the height of the “Pink Tide” era created a polarized hemisphere where accusations of foreign meddling became routine, making genuine regional cooperation nearly impossible.

The creation of a dangerous precedent is perhaps the most worrying aspect of this unfolding story, as the lines between national interests and regional “bloc-building” are becoming dangerously blurred. If we allow the perception to take root that political machinery can be exported across waters to sway local outcomes, we risk turning our neighbors into proxies. This doesn’t just threaten the immediate peace between Port of Spain and Bridgetown; it sets a template for a future where the wealthiest or most organized regional parties can dictate the leadership of smaller nations.

The consequences of such precedents extend beyond bilateral tensions to fundamentally destabilize regional security architectures. When Saudi Arabia and Iran engaged in proxy political warfare across the Middle East – supporting opposing factions in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Bahrain – the result was not merely diplomatic friction but actual armed conflicts that have cost hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions. The Sahel region of Africa offers another stark example: external powers including France, Russia, Turkey, and Gulf states have all sought to influence the political trajectories of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger through combinations of military support, political backing, and economic inducements, contributing to a cycle of coups and instability that has made the region a breeding ground for extremism.

Furthermore, we must consider the heavy cost of distrust and the resulting erosion of the CARICOM spirit. Integration depends on the firm belief that each nation’s democratic process is its own, yet by the time a Prime Minister has to issue a “categorical denial” of meddling, the seeds of suspicion have already been sown. History demonstrates how quickly such suspicions can unravel decades of cooperation. The African Union’s effectiveness has been repeatedly undermined by accusations that larger powers like Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt use their economic weight to influence the domestic politics of smaller member states, making collective action on issues like the Libya crisis or conflicts in the Horn of Africa nearly impossible to coordinate. ASEAN’s principle of non-interference has been tested to breaking point by allegations that Thailand and Cambodia, or Vietnam and the Philippines, have supported opposition movements in each other’s territories, paralyzing the organization’s ability to present a united front on critical issues like the South China Sea disputes or the Rohingya crisis.

The economic consequences alone should give us pause. When members of the Gulf Cooperation Council – supposedly one of the world’s most integrated regional blocs – accused Qatar of political interference in their internal affairs in 2017, the resulting diplomatic crisis and blockade cost the regional economy billions of dollars, disrupted trade networks built over decades, and weakened the GCC’s collective bargaining power vis-à-vis Iran and global energy markets at a critical moment.

Our region cannot afford a narrative of interference; we face collective threats – economic volatility and climate change—that require absolute unity. The stakes for the Caribbean are existential in ways that dwarf even these examples. Small island developing states facing rising sea levels, hurricane intensification, and economic marginalization in global trade systems simply cannot afford the luxury of political division that larger regions might weather. When the Pacific Islands Forum nearly collapsed in 2021 over accusations that Australia and New Zealand were manipulating the selection of the Secretary-General to serve their interests rather than those of smaller island states, it paralyzed the organization’s climate advocacy at precisely the moment when COP26 required maximum Pacific unity. The Caribbean cannot repeat such mistakes when our very existence as viable nations may depend on presenting a coordinated front on climate finance, debt relief, and preferential trade access.

To see our leaders embroiled in accusations of electoral tampering suggests we are looking inward and backward, rather than moving forward as a unified community. The lesson from every region that has traveled this path is clear: once the poison of interference takes hold, it requires years or even decades to restore trust – time we simply do not have.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Keith Bernard is a Guyanese-born, NYC-based analyst and a frequent contributor to News Americas.

RELATED: CARICOM’s Animal Farm? – Why The Caribbean Is United in Rhetoric, Divided In Reality

Is Barbados PM Mia Mottley’s Clean Sweep Victory Bitter Sweet Or Honey Sweet?

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By Dr. Isaac Newton

News Americas, NY, NY, Thurs. Feb. 12, 2026: Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has done it again. Another election. Another complete sweep of Parliament. No opposition benches filled. No rival voices seated across the aisle. It is a political achievement of rare magnitude.

Many will call it honey sweet. And in many ways, it is.

FLASHBACK – Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley looks on upon arrival at the Earthshot Prize 2025 awards ceremony at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 5, 2025. (Photo by Daniel RAMALHO / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL RAMALHO/AFP via Getty Images)

A clean sweep signals trust. It reflects a population that, for now, prefers continuity over experiment. It affirms the Prime Minister’s command of message, machinery, and momentum. On the regional and global stage, she has become one of the Caribbean’s most commanding figures. Her speeches on climate justice and global finance carry moral clarity. Her interviews are sharp and informed. Barbados, through her, is not whispering in world affairs. It is speaking boldly.

Yet democracy is not measured only by the size of victory. It is measured by the strength of its institutions and the confidence of its people in the process.

Concerns that some voters’ names were left off the electoral list cannot be brushed aside. Even if small in number, such reports matter. Democracy depends on trust. Every eligible citizen must feel counted. Every election must feel clean. Transparency is not optional. It is oxygen.

Then there is the deeper issue. A Parliament without opposition may reflect the weakness of alternatives. The opposition was divided. It failed to inspire. It did not present a unified, compelling vision that made people rejoice. The electorate made its judgment.

Still, even a weak opposition plays a vital role. Debate sharpens ideas. Scrutiny improves policy. Dissent, when constructive, protects the nation from blind spots. A few credible voices across the aisle are not a threat to stability. They are a safeguard for it. Power, no matter how well intentioned, benefits from accountability.

In her acceptance speech, Prime Minister Mottley pledged to eradicate poverty and protect democracy. These are not mere words. They are tests.

Eradicating poverty must mean more than improved statistics. It must mean change that families can feel. It means jobs that pay living wages. It means training young people for a digital and green economy. It means supporting small businesses with access to capital and markets. It means housing that restores dignity and healthcare that is accessible and preventative. Poverty is not only about income. It is about opportunity, ownership, and hope.

Protecting democracy must also move beyond words. It means strengthening electoral systems so that errors are rare and trust is high. It means empowering independent institutions to function without fear or favor. It means welcoming criticism, not resisting it. Democracy is not weakened by questions. It is strengthened by honest answers.

The global context raises the stakes. The world is unsettled. Economic pressures persist. Climate threats loom. Debt burdens weigh heavily on small states. The Prime Minister’s international profile gives Barbados influence. But global applause must translate into local advancement. Roads must improve. Schools must modernize. Communities must feel progress, not just hear about it.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Isaac Newton is a globally experienced thought leader, Harvard, Princeton and Columbia -trained strategist, and advocate for social justice and leadership excellence. With over 30 years of expertise in bridging cultural, economic, and ideological divides, he brings a nuanced perspective to complex issues shaping global and regional landscapes.

RELATED: When Skills Matter More Than Passports: A Caribbean Reckoning

Caribbean American Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s Legacy Lives On In Brooklyn’s Little Haiti

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NEWS Americas, NY, NY, Tues. Feb. 10, 2026: The legacy of the late Caribbean American trailblazer Shirley Chisholm is taking physical form once again in Brooklyn, as city leaders this week announced the opening of the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY, a historic investment in community wellness, youth development, and public space in the heart of Little Haiti.

FLASHBACK – Then Caribbean American Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, after losing her bid for Democratic presidential nomination, endorses Senator George McGovern as she speaks from podium at Democratic National Convention.

Unveiled by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the new center is the first Parks recreation center built in more than a decade, the first ever in Central Brooklyn, and now the largest recreation center in the borough. City officials estimate it will serve more than 41,000 New Yorkers living within a 15-minute walk or transit ride of the facility.

Named in honor of Chisholm – the first Black and Caribbean American woman elected to the U.S. Congress and the first Black and Caribbean American woman to seek a major party’s presidential nomination – the center stands as a modern tribute to her lifelong commitment to equity, access, and community empowerment. Chisholm, whose parents immigrated from Barbados and Guyana, represented Brooklyn in Congress from 1969 to 1983 and famously ran “Unbought and Unbossed.”

“This center will soon be alive with possibility,” Mayor Mamdani said at the opening. “Shirley Chisholm believed politics should be accountable to everyday people. This space is a living tribute to her legacy — proving that when we invest in affordable, accessible public spaces, we build a city that works for all.”

Spanning approximately 74,000 square feet, the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center offers far more than traditional gym facilities. It includes a competition-size six-lane swimming pool with full accessibility features, a walking track, a regulation gymnasium for basketball, volleyball and pickleball, cardio and weight rooms, and dedicated spin and exercise studios.

Beyond fitness, the center emphasizes education, creativity, and youth engagement – pillars that echo Chisholm’s own priorities. Amenities include a teaching kitchen, an afterschool program space with an outdoor play area, a supervised teens-only zone, and the Dr. Roy A. Hastick Sr. Media Lab, named after the late Grenadian-born founder of the Caribbean American Chamber of Industry and Commerce, (CAACI), complete with a mixing room for audio-visual production, podcasting, and digital storytelling.

NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura called the center a long-overdue investment in Central Brooklyn. “Over 41,000 New Yorkers now have an affordable space to exercise, learn, and connect,” she said. “This is exactly the kind of community infrastructure Shirley Chisholm fought for.”

Membership is free for New Yorkers 24 and under, with discounted rates for all ages. The center officially opens to the public today, Tuesday, February 10, and for its first week, all New Yorkers are invited to enjoy one free day of access to explore the facility before registering for membership. Guided tours, demonstrations, and sign-up events will also be held throughout the opening week.

Local elected officials praised the project as both a practical resource and a symbolic victory. Council Member Farah Louis noted that the center represents years of advocacy and a $141 million investment in a community long underserved by recreational infrastructure. State Senator Kevin Parker called it “a statement about what our communities deserve.”

As Brooklyn marks Black History Month and reflects on a century of Black political progress, the opening of the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center offers more than brick and mortar. It delivers a tangible reminder that Chisholm’s legacy – rooted in Caribbean migration, courage, and public service — continues to shape the future of the communities she fought to uplift.

In East Flatbush, her name now anchors a space designed not just to serve, but to empower – a living embodiment of “Unbought and Unbossed.”

ABOUT CHISHOLM

Shirley Anita Chisholm (1924–2005) was a groundbreaking U.S. politician who made history in 1968 as the first Black woman elected to Congress, representing Brooklyn for seven terms (1969–1983). Born in New York to Caribbean immigrant parents from Barbados and Guyana, Chisholm spent part of her childhood in Barbados and carried the West Indian heritage throughout her life and public service.

In 1972, she shattered another barrier as the first Black candidate to seek a major-party presidential nomination and the first woman to run for the Democratic nomination, campaigning under her iconic motto, “Unbought and Unbossed.” Known for fearless advocacy, she took resolute stands against economic, social, and political injustice, championing civil rights, women’s rights, education, and anti-poverty programs. In 2015, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, cementing her legacy as a Caribbean-rooted American pioneer.

RELATED: Black Caribbean Immigrants In US Black History

DEI Rollbacks Cast A Long Shadow As Super Bowl 2026 Ads Showcase Diversity — With Limits

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By Felicia J. Persaud

By News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 2026: More than a year after the Trump administration moved aggressively to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies and publicly criticized corporate and cultural efforts tied to racial equity, the Super Bowl 2026 ads unfolded as a revealing moment in America’s ongoing debate over representation, culture, and belonging.

An advertisement for the Super Bowl LX Halftime show featuring Bad Bunny is seen in the Super Bowl LX Media Center at the Moscone Center on February 04, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

On the surface, Super Bowl 2026 reflected progress. According to new data from market research firm Zappi, 68% of national Super Bowl advertisements visibly featured multiple racial or ethnic groups, a notable increase from 57% the previous year. In more than a quarter of the ads, characters from historically underrepresented communities were not just present, but central to the narrative – speaking, driving the action, or occupying the visual center of the story.

Yet, beneath those gains, familiar limitations remained.

Celebrity casting in Super Bowl commercials continued to skew overwhelmingly white. Of the 103 celebrities appearing in ads this year, at least 60 were white, according to counts by industry publication ADWEEK. Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ representation declined for the second consecutive year, with just five ads explicitly featuring LGBTQ talent — all of whom were already publicly out celebrities — and no transgender representation for the third straight year.

The contrast illustrated a broader tension playing out across American institutions: representation is expanding, but cautiously, even as political pressure mounts against DEI frameworks.

That pressure has been particularly pronounced since Donald Trump returned to office as President, pledging to eliminate what he has called “woke ideology” from government and public life. Over the past year, his administration has rolled back DEI programs, challenged diversity-based hiring initiatives, and supported efforts to limit the teaching of Black history and race-related topics in public institutions.

Against that backdrop, the Super Bowl – long viewed as both a commercial showcase and cultural barometer — became an unintended mirror of the moment.

Several of the most effective ads this year leaned into multicultural storytelling. Campaigns from Dove, Rocket Mortgage, the NFL, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Novo Nordisk ranked 8% above average in sales impact, according to Zappi, reinforcing research that inclusive representation resonates with broad audiences. Rocket Mortgage’s “America Needs Neighbors,” for example, depicted a Latino family and a white family building community, while Levi’s featured a diverse cast that included K-pop star Rosé and rapper Doechii.

Still, the reliance on white celebrity faces for marquee roles suggested that brands remain cautious, balancing inclusion with perceived commercial safety.

Beyond advertising, the Super Bowl’s cultural reach extended onto the field and the halftime stage.

Players with immigrant and Caribbean roots featured prominently in the game, reflecting demographic realities often absent from political discourse. The half-time show, headlined by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, placed Spanish-language music and Latin and Caribbean culture at the center of one of the most-watched broadcasts in the world – a moment that sparked both celebration and backlash.

For supporters, the performance reflected an America that is multilingual, multicultural, and shaped by immigration. For critics, it became another flashpoint in debates over national identity and cultural change.

Industry observers note that this dual reaction is not new, but it is increasingly visible. “Brands are responding to a society that is more diverse than ever, while navigating a political climate that is openly skeptical of diversity efforts,” said one advertising analyst familiar with the Zappi research. “The Super Bowl shows both impulses at once.”

The decline in LGBTQ+ visibility further underscored that progress is uneven. GLAAD reported that while some brands continue to feature queer talent, many appear to be pulling back amid heightened political scrutiny and social backlash.

Taken together, Super Bowl 2026 did not signal a reversal of diversity, but neither did it mark a decisive break from old patterns. Instead, it offered a snapshot of a country negotiating who is seen, who is centered, and how far representation is allowed to go during moments of mass cultural attention.

In a year defined by DEI retrenchment at the policy level, the Super Bowl showed that diversity has not disappeared from American storytelling – but it is advancing carefully, selectively, and under pressure.

For millions watching, the message was mixed but unmistakable: America’s cultural reality continues to push forward, even as the political debate over that reality intensifies.

Felicia J. Persaud is the founder and publisher of  NewsAmericasNow.com, the only daily syndicated newswire and digital platform dedicated exclusively to Caribbean Diaspora and Black immigrant news

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Voices Of The Super Bowl: When Language Makes Us Uncomfortable

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By Nyan Reynolds

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Feb. 9, 2026: On Super Bowl night, something happened that had very little to do with football and everything to do with who we think belongs to this nation.

Bad Bunny performs during halftime. The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks played in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026. (Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

When Bad Bunny took the halftime stage and performed in Spanish, a familiar reaction rippled across the country. Some viewers were angry. Others were dismissive. Many questioned whether a Spanish-speaking artist from the Caribbean could “represent America.” The frustration was not subtle. It centered on language. On discomfort. On a belief that English, in one narrow form, is the only acceptable voice on America’s biggest stage.

That reaction made me think about home.

My daughter is Dominican. Her maternal family is Dominican, and her great-grandmother has never spoken a word of English to me. I do not speak Spanish; I was born in Jamaica. Yet for over a decade, every time I have seen her great-grandmother, she has greeted me warmly in Spanish. I never understood the words, and I never cared, because it never mattered. Not once did it make me feel unwelcome. Not once did it make me feel excluded. We smiled. We embraced. We understood one another without translation.

Language did not divide us. It connected us.

And yet, in this country, language often becomes a line of separation.

Across America, especially for those of us from the Caribbean, language carries history, rhythm, and identity. We arrive with accents, speech patterns, and expressions shaped by our islands and our ancestors. We bring Jamaican patois, Trinidadian cadence, Bajan lilt, Dominican Spanish, Haitian Creole. We bring voices that sound different from what many Americans are used to hearing.

Too often, the response is blunt and dismissive: Speak English. This is America.

What’s rarely acknowledged is that many are speaking English. Jamaican patois, for example, is rooted in English. It is English shaped by survival, resistance, and culture. It is not broken language. It is living language. When it is mocked or rejected, it is not because it lacks structure. It is because it makes some people uncomfortable.

That discomfort says more about the listener than the speaker.

I moved from Jamaica straight into an American high school. I learned early how the way I spoke shaped how people perceived me. Over time, my accent softened. Some people now say they don’t hear one at all. Others say it’s faint but still there. That lingering uncertainty, where are you from? How do you belong? It never really disappears.

Language does that. It becomes shorthand for assumptions.

That’s why the reaction to Bad Bunny matters. Puerto Rico is part of America. Spanish has been spoken on this land long before the NFL existed. Yet here we were, watching people debate whether they would mute their televisions, change channels, or boycott an event altogether because the performance did not sound like the America they were used to hearing.

What many missed is that asking Bad Bunny to perform in English would have stripped the performance of its authenticity. Spanish is his language. It is how his music breathes. Asking him to change that is not inclusion, it is erasure.

I do not listen to Bad Bunny’s music. But my daughter does. Her family does. And that matters too. Representation is not about pleasing everyone. It is about acknowledging who is already here.

The irony is hard to ignore. Many of the same people upset about a Spanish-language performance would gladly pull out a translation app if they traveled overseas. Closed captions exist. Translation tools exist. Curiosity exists when we choose to use it. Yet within our own borders, we sometimes refuse the same openness we expect from others abroad.

This is how progress stalls. Not through hostility alone, but through selective empathy.

Language is how people are seen. How they are heard. How they are understood. When we dismiss someone’s language, we are not just rejecting words, we are rejecting identity.

Sixteen years ago, had I closed my heart because I didn’t understand Spanish. I would have missed a welcome that required no translation at all. That moment taught me something simple but enduring: understanding begins with listening, not control.

If the Super Bowl taught us anything beyond football, it is that America is still negotiating its many voices. We can cling to one sound and call it unity, or we can listen fully, openly, and recognize that the chorus has always been bigger than we imagined.

The question is not whether language belongs on America’s biggest stage.

The question is whether we are willing to grow enough to hear it.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Nyan Reynolds is a U.S. Army veteran and published author whose novels and cultural works draw from his Jamaican heritage, military service, and life experiences. His writing blends storytelling, resilience, and heritage to inspire readers.  

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Sinners, Vampires, Nicki Minaj & Trump

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By Felicia J. Persaud

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Sat. Feb. 7, 2026: In ‘Sinners,’ director Ryan Coogler uses vampirism as more than a horror spectacle. The film’s vampire mythology operates as a layered metaphor – one that probes white supremacy, cultural extraction and the seductive dangers of assimilation, particularly for those navigating proximity to power, while remaining marked as “other.”

Musician Nicki Minaj (L) joins U.S. President Donald Trump on stage as he delivers remarks during the Treasury Department’s Trump Accounts Summit at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. “Trump Accounts” are a portion of recently passed tax and spending legislation where the federal government will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for every child born between 2025 and 2028 once parents sign their children up while filing their income taxes.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

At the center of this metaphor is Mary, a white-passing woman in the Jim Crow South who becomes a vampire. Her transformation reflects a grim bargain: escape the immediate violence inflicted on Black women by aligning with the very system that feeds on the Black community. Passing offers protection, but only at the cost of becoming complicit – no longer prey, but predator.

That metaphor came rushing back to me last week while watching Trinidad and Tobago-born immigrant and rapper, Nicki Minaj, publicly embrace MAGA politics, declaring herself the president’s “number one fan.” The image was jarring to me as a Caribbean immigrant – not simply because of partisan alignment, but because it came days after Alex Pretti was killed in a snowy Minneapolis street and weeks after Renee Good was shot dead by federal immigration agents protesting immigrant raids.

Minaj was once a self-described undocumented immigrant. In a widely shared 2018 post, she condemned family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border, writing that she herself entered the United States without legal status as a child.

“I can’t imagine the horror of being in a strange place & having my parents stripped away from me at the age of 5,” she wrote at the time, pleading for compassion toward detained children during the first Trump administration.

That voice now feels distant.

What happened between 2018 and 2026? How does someone move from public empathy for immigrant children to smiling alongside a political movement that is actively dismantling constitutional protections, terrorizing immigrant communities, and normalizing state violence?

The answer may lie in power – and who it ultimately serves.

Under the Trump administration, wealth has become a fast track to immunity. The so-called “Trump Gold Card” offers U.S. residency to foreign nationals willing to pay a $15,000 DHS processing fee and contribute $1 million. A forthcoming Platinum version reportedly raises that price to $5 million, granting extended U.S. stays without taxation on foreign income. The message is blunt: borders harden for the vulnerable, but dissolve for the wealthy.

Minaj, now a green card holder, does not appear to need such a program but who knows?. Her enthusiastic claim that she was given a Trump gold card and is now applying for US citizenship aligns with a movement built on exclusion. It raises a deeper question: when proximity to power offers safety, does solidarity become optional?

Reports that Minaj has pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to support Trump-backed tax-advantaged investment accounts for newborns – framed as generosity toward her fans – only complicate the picture. Charity does not cancel complicity. Philanthropy does not absolve political harm.

In ‘Sinners,’ vampirism represents the loss of cultural memory and moral grounding. Survival is promised, but at the price of self-erasure. The vampire no longer remembers who they were – or who they once stood with.

Minaj’s political transformation mirrors that arc. An immigrant woman, born in the Caribbean region, who once spoke as a child of migration, now appears willing to overlook policies designed to erase Black history, criminalize black, brown, and white bodies, and redefine belonging through wealth.

That is the danger Coogler warns us about. Not monsters in the shadows, but assimilation so complete, it forgets its origins – and feeds on those left behind.

In ‘Sinners,’ the vampire’s greatest weapon is not violence, but amnesia. It forgets where it came from, who it once stood beside, and who is still being hunted. That kind of forgetting may offer comfort and protection, but history shows it is never consequence-free.

The warning for Nicki Minaj – and for those in Black and Brown communities trading solidarity for status – is simple: wealth may buy access, and loyalty may buy time, but neither buys exemption. Systems built on exclusion eventually consume everyone they decide does not belong.

Felicia J. Persaud is the founder and publisher of  NewsAmericasNow.com, the only daily syndicated newswire and digital platform dedicated exclusively to Caribbean Diaspora and Black immigrant news across the Americas.

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