News Americas, UNITED NATIONS, NY, Thurs. June 9, 2011: Jamaican reggae group Morgan Heritage have been handed a new title – that of Goodwill Ambassadors.
The group was named to the title this week at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
They were honored along with rhythm and blues artist Melba Moore for the construction of a permanent memorial at UN Headquarters in New York to honor the victims of the transatlantic slave trade.
Ambassador Raymond Wolfe of Jamaica, chairman of the committee established to implement UN General Assembly resolutions to erect the memorial, said that so far just under $1 million has been collected for the project, which he estimated would cost some $4.5 by its projected completion target of late 2012.
Moore, in a news conference after the ceremony, said she would concentrate on business communities, celebrities, and the media “to get the word out and get it funded.”
Tete Antonio, Permanent Observer of the African Union, said: “We are pleased with the commitment expressed by both Melba Moore and Morgan Heritage to help us to achieve our objective of establishing a lasting legacy at the United Nations in memory of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. This is a significant initiative for all of humanity, but more so for Africans and for persons of African descent.”
