Ashleigh Fitzwilliam of Intoxicake NYC

After a boom in bakeries, some say the cupcake business might be slowing a bit. But seriously, who doesn’t like a cupcake?

No one is mixing ingredients like New York City businesswoman Ashleigh Fitzwilliam. The full time publicist, who somehow finds time to pursue a Master’s degree in public health, recently launched Intoxicake NYC, a niche brand that infuses adult beverages in childhood treats.

Intoxicake NYC is already expanding outside its original product line of liquor-infused cupcakes and milkshakes to include a larger range of sweet treats, apparel, adult-toy gift boxes, and a line of fragrances. Fitzwilliam credits her West Indian heritage and Britney Spears as the inspirations for the brand. She noticed no one in the market was taking advantage of culinary traditions like the recipes for rum cake and coconut drops her Jamaican mother and Trinidadian father had passed down to her. Cue Spears’ hit “Toxic,” playing in the background of a brainstorm session, and the rest is history.

When you take in Ashleigh’s success, it’s hard to believe Intoxicake NYC was just launched in September on Facebook. “I had an idea and my mother told me ‘You know Ash, you have a great idea, don’t release it yet, get everything in order, and then release it,’” she remembers. “That impulse to know how others would view this market overtook me.” Ashleigh put together a logo on Microsoft Paint, drafted a description, and released it to her network. “I was astonished at the response I got!” She said. “People began placing orders as soon as I put it up there.”

So let’s see. We’ve done Barbadian folks, Haitian folks, Jamaican folks, Trinidadian folks and more, so what’s missing? The Bahamas of course! Many of our favorite actors and performers rep the country very hard, and some even own property there or represent as ambassadors. We’ve looked up a few and thought you’d like to know which black folks are Bahamian and how they’re tied to the country. Shall we proceed?

Source: Zimbio

Persia White

The child of a black Bahamian father and a white American mother, the “Breaker High” and “Girlfriends” star was born in Miami of all places, however, the actress was raised in Nassau. Coincidentally, it was her mother who moved the family to the Bahamas when she was a child, and it was for work purposes. During her time there, she even garnered a scholarship to the Nassau Civic Ballet Company when she was only three years old (uh, what was I doing at the age of three…?). Of course, since she and her family moved back to the US when she was eight, White has been back to the Bahamas on many different occasions. She even went with Caribbean Living a couple years ago and they documented her trip.

By Taylor Lea Thomas

Question:

My question is about the average cost of a destination wedding in the Caribbean. How many people should be invited to a destination wedding?

Taylor’s Answer:

Dear Miss Caribbean-Bound,

I wouldn’t generalize it by saying there’s an average cost for a destination wedding in the Caribbean because there isn’t. It really depends on your budget, their schedule and your desired location.

Avoid high peak seasons.

Cost varies based on your desired location and wedding date. Before falling in love with a venue, make sure that it can accommodate all of your guests and that it fits within your budget. If the location you have in mind is well known for a particular event, such as Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago in February, realize that just about everything would be at a higher rate. Hotel rates especially would be at a premium. This is, of course, if you’re even able to book a room. So when scouting for locations, be sure to also ask about any upcoming events that may conflict with your wedding date.

Popular mass market wedding packages vs. personalized and private venues.

As you know, the Caribbean is vast with a myriad of stunningly beautiful venues to choose from. There are popular wedding destinations such as Jamaica and the Bahamas, for instance, where you’d be offered several cookie-cutter wedding packages to choose from at very affordable rates. With those packages, however, your wedding would look like the one before, and the wedding before that one, and so on. Thus, while those packages are very affordable in an effort to generate a lot of sales to the venue, realize that you’d be thrown into the tourist/foreigner wedding category. On the other hand, there are other uber-exclusive and very private locations where you can truly personalized your wedding knowing that your wedding would reflect you as a couple.

Your guest count depends on your budget and their schedule.

The number of people you invite to a destination wedding depends on your budget. Some rates are calculated on a per person system. The reception is intended to entertain your guests with food, drinks and great music for dancing. In addition to taking into consideration your budget to determine size for entertainment purposes, another factor is the schedules of the people you plan on inviting since some of them may not be able to attend. Send out save-the-dates well in advance so your guests can make the proper arrangements.

Keep costs down for both you and your guests.

Negotiate special rates to help your guests keep their costs down. Encourage your guests to stay at the same hotel where the wedding will be taking place as opposed to a different hotel. Keep in mind, if you have a certain number of rooms booked and too many people stay offsite, you’d end up paying for the room anyway.

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As a woman who has both Southern and Caribbean roots, I’m often caught in tug of loyalty as friends or relatives from differing backgrounds lament about the other — especially women. Of course I’d love for us to all get along. As women of the Black Diaspora, we have a lot more in common that we think. Most important, if we want to thrive as a race — particularly since “others” don’t differentiate between our cultural backgrounds — we must learn how work together. Here are some tips on how to ease tensions between African-American and Caribbean women:

1. Stop dealing in generalizations. We must stop assuming we know every person’s back-story. For example, all African-Americans aren’t connected to welfare and all West Indians don’t have multiple jobs. Take the time to get to know a person.

2. Understand the role oppression has played in our worldview. I find Caribbean women quick to say Black American women are lazy, or lack ambition. But they omit a major component: People of color rule most Caribbean countries. (Though, white imperialists still rule the world.) Growing up with a Black prime minister or owner of an oil company reinforces the notion that hard work can lead to success. African-American women have a different experience. Many are grappling with classism and racism, a hope-killing combo.

3. End the jealousy. I’ve heard so many African-American women call Caribbean women uppity. In addition, I’ve been party to a few tirades from West Indian women about how “lucky” Black women here are. The bottom line is simple: Our cultural backgrounds do lend themselves to different perks. For example, many countries in the Caribbean don’t offer credit cards or student loans. So Black American women do have the ability to do things that Caribbean women don’t, such as, finance education. Still, hustling does evoke a sense of pride. That said some West Indian women who have worked their tails off to make through school or to start a business might carry themselves with a sense of accomplishment.

In sum, there’s only one reason African-American and Caribbean women don’t get along: ignorance. If we took the time to embrace each other we’d find that overall we have many cultural similarities. Most important, we have one major thing in common. We are all Black women.

As a Caribbean or African American woman, what stereotypes have other black women projected onto you?

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When you plan a vacation do you debate between a week long stay in the French Riveria or a luxurious suite at the Plaza?  Unless you’re dreaming, these spots are probably not on your realistic list for a little getaway.  Lucky for you, we’ve uncovered some of the most secretive and breath-taking vacation destinations of the rich and famous that we can try to live vicariously through.  Celebrities are constantly jetting off to “relax” or “recover” from some dramatic event in their life… so where do they go?  Check out the top 9 vacation spots and start saving your pennies!

Travel is important. It’s a chance for you to see new things, navigate foreign lands and most importantly learn about yourself. As great as traveling can be, it can be a hassle to get started. Between work obligations, personal responsibilities and especially finances you might find your dream vacation getting pushed further and further away. Well if you need a little shove, here are some songs that will bring your travel plans back to the forefront of your mind. Check them out.

(Jamaican Observer) — Immigration Equality, an organisation which works to secure asylum for individuals persecuted in their home country based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV-status, said it won dozens of cases for clients from the Caribbean in 2010.  The organisation said that it won a record 101 cases last year.  ”An overwhelming number of the victories, 38, were for clients from the Caribbean, with 28 of those for individuals from Jamaica,”; it said. There were four successful cases from Grenada.  ”Other cases included 24 asylum seekers from Central and South America; 16 from Eastern Europe (including seven Russian clients); nine from the African continent and five from the Middle East.”  The organisation, which maintains the largest network of pro bono attorneys, in addition to its in-house legal staff, is dedicated solely to seeking asylum for Lesbians, Gays, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) asylum seekers.

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If the pressures of your real life are getting the best of you, it’s time for an escape. Don’t think about your vacation as running away from your responsibilities; but rather making your mental health a priority. If you think you’d like to indulge in such a treat, consider your budget, but also consider your own wishes. Whether you can leave today or you’ll have to save for a year first, check out these relaxing vacation spots that will make you think about changing your permanent address.

by R. Asmerom

Medical school is not an easy venture for any aspiring doctor. Not only is it a tasking profession but one which is extremely competitive. So competitive that many American medical students go overseas to the Caribbean to take advantage of programs like the one offered by Ross University in Dominica.

According to the New York Times, however, that education funnel is under threat. As it stands today, many of those Caribbean based programs promise their students that they’d be able to do their third and fourth year trainings at New York state hospitals, but it appears that New York State medical schools are now campaigning to end the setup by which Caribbean schools use New York state as extensions of their campus. According to the Times, “New York has been particularly affected by the influx because it trains more medical students and residents — fledgling doctors who have just graduated from medical school — than any other state. The New York medical school deans say that they want to expand their own enrollment to fill the looming shortage, but that their ability to do so is impeded by competition with the Caribbean schools for clinical training slots in New York hospitals.”

The U.S. has a shortage of doctors and more than a quarter of the residents in United States hospitals are trained outside of the country. School officials from the Caribbean schools are saying that the opportunity to help meet this demand and tackle the doctor shortage should be embraced. New York medical schools are standing by the edict of the American Medical Association which contends that “the core clinical curriculum of a foreign medical school should be provided by that school and that U.S. hospitals should not provide substitute core clinical experience.”

(New York Times) — A lot of questions come to mind at the four-story brick building on Park Place with all those pictures of Bob Marley on the walls.  What is a television network about all things Caribbean that is seen in 26 islands doing in Newark? What made a former corporate lawyer and clerk for a federal judge think he could create a reggae-inflected channel often described as the MTV of the Caribbean? What’s the deal with that catchphrase, “Badness outta style”? Is there something going on here beyond an oddly situated business enterprise?  The answers begin and end with Frederick A. Morton, who grew up in St. Croix, V.I., with parents from Nevis, speaks with a rich Caribbean lilt, and willed into existence Tempo Networks, which reaches three million people via cable providers with names like Cable Bahamas Ltd., TDS Curacao and Karib Cable Communications.

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