BROOKLYN: Several outstanding Guyanese will receive US Congressional Awards when the curtains come down on the New York celebration of Guyana’s Diamond Jubilee Independence commemoration, at the Diamond Jubilee Independence Gala and Award Ceremony, on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 8 p.m., at The Weldon B. Smith Theater, Edward Davis Center, 118-35 Farmers Blvd, St. Albans, Queens, NY 11412.
The gala is being hosted by the Guyana Independence Celebration Committee New York, which hosted the historic Guyana Jubilee Independence parade and unity concert on June 7, which attracted over twenty thousand people. Committee Chairman, Rickford Burke, in a media statement Thursday, said “the organization postponed the Gala from June 27, 2026, to July 4, 2026, to afford as many stakeholders and honorees as possible the opportunity to attend.
Top honorees include Baroness Valarie Amos, former leader of the British House of Lords, former Minister of Overseas Development in the British Government, and current Master of the University College of Oxford; and Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, former Chancellor of the Judiciary of Guyana and Chief Justice-designate of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Other honorees include Dr. Shamir Ally, recognized for outstanding diplomatic service as former Guyana Ambassador to Kuwait; Dr. Rose October, honored for her leadership as director of the Guyana Cultural Association; Maureen Walker, acknowledged for her role as former Comptroller of the City of Mount Vernon; Dr. Riaz Rupnarain, valued for his combined work as a Guyanese Parliamentarian, University of Guyana lecturer, and former Queens College teacher; Jayden Adrian, celebrated for being Guyana’s top Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) student for 2025; Ira Pile Lewis (Lady Ira), appreciated for community activism and humanitarian efforts; Indra Jainarinesingh, recognized as owner of Tota’s Bakery on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn; and Omotolo Golding, distinguished as youth coach and mentor.
Other honorees to be bestowed with Congressional accolades include Onoja Atta Onoja, businessman and president of the African Caribbean Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry; Dr. Terrence Campbell, Member of Parliament of Guyana and entrepreneur; Rhonda Binda, Attorney, Democratic District Leader, Former Deputy Queens Borough President and Guyanese community leader; Remmy Kulsum, assistant principal at Waterside School for Leadership MS 318, Far rockaway, Queens; and Dr. Sandra Harte, educator and former member of the Irvington Town Council, New Jersey.
Special Invitees include Baroness Valerie Amos, Chief Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and others.
Entertainment will be provided by Foundation Band, plus top artistes and DJs. Ticket cost $180, and are available at Pam’s Bakery 4620 Church Ave, Brooklyn; Eventbrite or call 424-446‑1441 to purchase tickets. For more information visit celebrateguyananyc.com.
