A leading Guyanese medical mission group in the United States has conferred on Caribbean Life’s senior writer Nelson A. King its prestigious “Leader in Excellence in Journalism” award.
King was honored on Feb. 17 by the Brooklyn-headquartered APC (Action, Performance, Commitment) Community Services, Inc. during its annual Black History Month/ Valentine Award Ceremony at the banquet hall at Grace Church of God, on Dewitt Avenue, in Brooklyn.
The group, which conducts annual medical missions to Guyana, singled out King for his “dedicated service and outstanding contributions as a journalist.”
APC Community Services, Inc. also said King was honored for his “commitment to promoting the contributions of Caribbean people in the United States and around the world.”
In addition, the distinguished group, which comprises medical doctors, nurses and other health care professionals, said King was “unselfish” in improving “the lives of families and for being a role model to the seniors and youths in our community.
“We honor you as a ‘Leader of Excellence on Black History Month,’” said the group in the inscription on the extraordinarily large plague.
In a citation, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, “saluted and commended the esteemed Nelson A. King” as “a true son of Brooklyn, by way of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as a respected Caribbean journalist with over three decades of experience, among so many distinctions.”
Markowitz said he congratulated the versatile and humble King “as he is justifiably recognized by his peers and loved ones, and I thank him and all those present for helping him to make the world a better place to live, work and raise one’s family.”
Dr. Janice Emanuel-Bunn, the Guyanese-born president of APC Community Services, Inc. said her group was pleased to honor King because of his humility, penchant for excellence and sheer dedication to the Caribbean community.
“We specially chose to honor Mr. King because of his selfless service and his commitment to APC Community Services, Inc. and the Caribbean community at large,” she told Caribbean Life.
“He has demonstrated a unique quality of capturing the contributions of Caribbean people and the impact they have made on these United States,” she added. “We applaud him for being fair and balanced in his writing.”
King said he was “very humbled for the honor, especially coming from a group outside” his native Vincentian community.
“I certainly could not have achieved this without everyone’s unconditional love and support, especially my late parents and my wife, but, most important, Almighty God,” King told the honor ceremony. “Through Him, everything is possible.
“I thank APC Community Services, Inc. for recognizing my work and for bestowing this special honor on me,” he added.
“Journalism is my greatest passion. I do what I do not for great rewards or awards but because of my deep commitment and devotion to the community; and so, I humbly accept this award,” King continued. “I certainly could not have done it on my own. Thank you so much, and may God continue to richly bless us all.”
King, who possesses a very impressive résumé, is renowned for his journalistic exploits, in which he reports on myriad community activities – from politics, to cultural activities, to health and other fairs, to human interest stories, to sports.
In his early journalism career – which was launched in the mid-1970’s, when he was a teen-age school teacher in his native land, King worked, sometimes pro bono, for several radio stations, newspapers and other media houses locally, regionally and internationally.
These included the BBC (Black) London; the Caribbean News Agency, later becoming the Caribbean Media Corporation; the defunct Radio Antilles in Montserrat; CBC Radio Barbados; Radio St. Lucia; Radio Free Grenada (during the revolution); Caribbean Contact newspaper; WLIB Radio in New York; Vibes Caribbean on WNJR in New Jersey; Roots, a defunct North Leeward community newspaper in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (sports); the former 705 NBC Radio (sports); and the local Searchlight, The Star and The VINCENTIAN newspapers.
King has become a household fixture in Brooklyn for his objective and prolific reporting for Caribbean Life, the leading Caribbean newspaper in the United States.
He has been one of Caribbean Life’s more senior writers for about 20 years – almost as long as the paper’s existence.
APC Community Services, Inc. also honored Dominican Republic-born Dr. Monikah Ogando Halsey, a business consultant and author, who was also the keynote speaker; and Guyanese-born Reginald Daniels, founder and president of Daniels Financial Services, a New York-based full service brokerage firm, serving businesses and individuals.
