August 29, 2007 (New York) – Actor Idris Elba, Golden Krust Bakery Founder/CEO Lowell Hawthorne, New York Assemblyman Nick Perry, soca queen Alison Hinds, VP Records, Atlanta Falcons’ Ovie Mughelli, Joseph Addai of the Indianapolis Colts, Marlon Hill of the Jamaican Diaspora Southern U.S., Atlanta City Councilman C.T. Martin, Commissioner Dale V.C. Holness of Lauderhill, FL, and Senegalese rap group Gokh-Bi System have joined the National Education Association (NEA) in a groundbreaking URL campaign designed to strengthen relationships with the nation’s Caribbean and African communities. This campaign is entitled WWW.ILOVEMYCARIBBEANCHILD.COM and WWW.ILOVEMYAFRICANCHILD.COM.

The NEA effort, entitled “I Love My Child,” is part of an overall grassroots outreach program targeting ’s ethnic minority groups, including Asian Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, and Caribbean and African communities.

“In our desire to achieve great public schools for every child, we must make building strong relationships and strategic partnerships with the ethnic minority community a top priority,” says NEA President Reg Weaver. “We recognize the Caribbean and African communities as a significant voice in the national dialogue on education.”

As part of the outreach, the NEA has partnered with respected individuals from the Caribbean and African communities who will act as campaign “ambassadors.”

“I think it is very important for us as parents to understand the public school system and know the people that are responsible for teaching our children,” says Elba . “A better relationship with the administration will give the student a better future.”

“VP Records is truly proud to support the efforts of the NEA, and we are very excited to participate in the I Love My Child Campaign,” states Randy Chin, CEO of VP Records. “As a company with firm Jamaican roots, we recognize the importance of working with our community and its leaders, teachers and parents to ensure that all of our children receive the best education possible.”

The NEA will run a series of radio and television public service announcements as well as host several Town Hall Meetings in New York, Atlanta, and Miami . A website with the urls WWW.ILOVEMYJAMAICANCHILD.COM, WWW.ILOVEMYHAITIANCHILD.COM, WWW.ILOVEMYTRINICHILD.COM, and WWW.ILOVEMYAFRICANCHILD.COM has been created to inform Caribbean and African parents about various public school issues, including English as a Second Language (ESL), parental involvement, and teacher quality.

“Public school education needs to be preserved because it still provides an essential foundation on which to build future leaders, provided that the resources are in place,” explains Hawthorne, a native of who started his Golden Krust empire in 1989. “All my children are the product of the public education system and they are well rounded individuals of whom I am very proud.”
Media Contacts:
Shante Bacon – 212-348-4444, [email protected]
Saptosa Foster -404-758-4044 [email protected]

ABOUT THE AMBASSADORS

Idris Elba
As the child of a father from and a mother from , the British-born film and television actor Idris Elba built his reputation as a performer in sitcoms and cable dramas during the 1990s and early 2000s before segueing into Hollywood movies in 2005. Best known for his award-winning role as “Stringer Bell” on the HBO hit series The Wire, Elba has appeared in films such as The Gospel (2005), Sometimes in April (2005), Daddy’s Little Girls (2007), The Reaping (2007) and 28 Weeks Later (2007).

Lowell Hawthorne
A native of , Lowell Hawthorne and his family started Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery in the Bronx , NY in 1989. A quick-service chain that specializes in jerk chicken dishes and Jamaican-style patties, Golden Krust is the nation’s largest Caribbean franchise with more than 100 outlets in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Atlanta, Philadelphia and California .

Nick Perry
Born in the parish of St. Andrew in the Caribbean island of Jamaica , Noah Nickolas Perry represents the 58th District in the New York State Assembly, which is comprised of East Flatbush, as well as portions of Canarsie and Brownsville in Brooklyn . First elected to the Assembly in 1992, Assemblyman Perry won re-election to his eighth consecutive term in 2006 with the highest percentage of vote for any candidate in New York State . He currently serves as the Majority Whip of the New York State Assembly, and is First Vice Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus.

Dale V.C. Holness
Born in Hanover, , Dale V.C. Holness was elected to the position of Commissioner of Lauderhill, Florida in 2004. In his three years as Commissioner, Holness has implemented several key programs including the Operation A+ Plan for Higher Education, the Lauderhill Beautification Project 2004, Broward Community College Courses and Programs for Lauderhill Residents, the High-School Hiring Showcase and the Stop the Violence Project.

Alison Hinds

Born in England but raised in Barbados, Alison Hinds is one of the most popular soca artists in the world. Known as the “Queen of Soca,” Hinds has recorded numerous popular songs that top charts even in countries which do not widely listen to soca.
VP Records
VP Records, based in , Queens NY, has been a pioneering force in the reggae music industry for over 25 years. From roots & culture to soca and dancehall, VP Records is the only record label that represents the full spectrum of Caribbean music. VP’s roster includes chart-topping artists such as Shaggy, Morgan Heritage, Sean Paul , Wayne Wonder, Elephant Man, and Tanto Metro & Devonte and many more.

Clarence “C.T.” Martin
Clarence Terrell “C.T.” Martin is a native Atlantan elected to the Atlanta City Council in a 1990 special election. Since his election, Councilman Martin has labored tirelessly for youth and education. In 1996, he organized the “Stand-up For Children” March in Atlanta . He established the first “Mobile Youth Resource Center System -Youthmobile” in the city’s history which served as a mobile source of information on job placement, drug awareness, educational opportunities and pregnancy prevention for local needy youth. He also established the city’s first “Youth Commission” and took a class of elementary school students on an exchange trip to Trinidad in 1997.

Jamaican Diaspora Southern U.S.
The Jamaican Diaspora includes all Jamaican nationals and persons of Jamaican heritage (their family and friends) who reside overseas around the world. The Jamaican Diaspora Movement is a historic opportunity to unite and galvanize all Jamaicans, their talents, resources, and potential throughout the , , and around the world for the benefit of their local communities and the future development and support of .

Ovie Mughelli
Born in Boston, Massachusetts to Nigerian parents, Ovie Mughelli is a four-year veteran fullback of the National Football League. In March 2007, Mughelli signed a free agent deal with the Atlanta Falcons, making him the highest paid fullback in NFL history. Selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft out of Wake Forest , Mughelli supports education on many levels. In February 2006, Ovie took part in the Harvard Graduate Business School ‘s Business education program for NFL players. The program is part of an ongoing NFL-NFLPA initiative to assist players in preparing for their post-playing careers. He also runs a charity organization “The Ovie Mughelli Project” which serves to educate and inspire underprivileged youth.

Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai was born in Houston, Texas to Ghanaian parents. He attended Louisiana State University where he earned a degree in general studies before being drafted in the first round of the NFL by the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. As the Colts’ star rookie running back, Addai led the league in rookie rushing yards and was named the NFL Offensive Rookie-of-the-Month for November 2006. His record-setting performance in the playoff season helped the Colts win the 2006 Super Bowl XLI Championship. Addai is establishing a foundation, Not Your Average Joe, that was inspired by a high-school friend who suffered a spinal cord injury during a football game that left him paralyzed. Not Your Average Joe will assist people living with spinal cord injuries.

Gokh-Bi System
Considered leaders of the emerging African hip-hop movement, Gokh-Bi System (GBS) was born and raised in the slums of Dakar, the capital of in West Africa . The group was formed in 1995 by three childhood friends Mamadou Ndiaye, Diasse Pouye, and Pape “Bathie” Pouye. Since its inception 12 years ago, GBS has appeared in a CNN documentary on music around the world and has shared the stage with such artists as Kanye West, Damian Marley, Tribe Called Quest, Angelique Kidjo, Femi Kuti, Culture, Toots and The Maytals, Michael Franti (Spearhead), Erykah Badu, and with Grammy Award winning artist, Patti LaBelle. Through their music, tours and fundraising, GBS has dedicated their career to educating youth in their native land and abroad.

About The National Education Association
The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.