JAMAICA | Ambassador Nick Perry heads to Jamaica after presented with his instrument of authority

NEW YORK, NY,  April 9, 2022 - Jamaican-born, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Jamaica Nick Perry, is expected to take up his position at the United States Embassy in Kingston within weeks, after he was on Monday installed by the State Department and given his instrument of authority as Ambassador to Jamaica.

Perry, the  former New York Assemblyman was given a rousing send-off by hundreds of supporters and well-wishers of his Brooklyn constituency on Saturday April 5 after he hosted hosted a gala celebration at the Holy Family Catholic Church Auditorium, on Flatlands Avenue in Canarsie, Brooklyn, as a “Community Thank You last Saturday night.”

Perry’s “Thank You” officiated by  his friend, retired Jamaican-born Rev. Canon Calvin C. McIntyre, attracted eminent supporters such as Senate Majority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer, who suggested Perry for the position; Congressional Representatives Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette D. Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants;

In addition, New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli; New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; and State Assembly Member Latrice Walker were also in attendance.

While the Master of Ceremonies the retired Rev. Canon McIntyre had the audience in stitches with jokes regarding the many shared memories of Perry as his schoolmate at Kingston College, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pointed out that “Nick is the most qualified person to be Ambassador to Jamaica,” having first met the legislator in 1992 when he was a congressman.

Schumer said “When Nick appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, even some Republicans said ‘you made the best choice.’

“The Caribbean dream is the American dream,” he added. “He (Perry) came to America, enlisted in the Armed Forces, served on the Community Board, and has won every election since in the (New York State) Assembly. “We’re so proud he’ll be Ambassador to Jamaica,” Schumer noted.

I was proud to celebrate Nick Perry this weekend. In March, the Senate confirmed him as the Ambassador to Jamaica.

He’s a true public servant. A Brooklynite through and through.
And now, he’s the first-ever U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica born in Jamaica! pic.twitter.com/NjCXfMXYuL

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 3, 2022

Schumer said during the recent visit of Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness to Washington, they talked about US President Joe Biden selecting Perry as the US Ambassador to Jamaica and how Perry’s ambassadorship “will only bolster the strong bonds that the US and Jamaica already share.”

Schumer said they also “talked about his being proud to represent New York, a state with the largest Jamaican American population in the country and the largest Jamaican Diaspora.

Schumer noted that “Over the course of Jamaica’s 60 years of independence, our two nations, and the State of New York, have fostered strong bonds that will only be strengthened when Ambassador Nick Perry’s service begins,” he added. 

“New York has the largest Jamaican American Diaspora. and I am so proud to represent them, and to have recommended Nick Perry, the first Jamaican-born American, to serve as our ambassador.”

Hakeem Jeffries, who represents the 8th Congressional District, encompassing parts of Brooklyn and Queens, described Perry as “a good man; a hard-working man; an educated man; and, as of Monday, he’ll be a State Department man.

“I’m thankful for your support,” Jeffries told Perry, who was beside him on stage. “Nick Perry has made history. And so, the best is yet to come.

“The friendship with the US and Jamaica will only be enhanced. God bless Nick Perry.”

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, said she knew about “the work, the labor that Nick Perry has put in the community.

“We (congressional representatives) sent a letter and said that we’re not entertaining anybody else (for ambassador to Jamaica),” she said, disclosing that 16 years ago, when she was first running for Congress, Perry withdrew from the race and backed her.

“Now, he’s ascending to Jamaica, I’m the senior (legislator) from Brooklyn,” Clarke added. “We get so many visa applications, you have nothing to worry about (laughter). We have a direct line.

“Let me just say, congrats Assemblyman Perry,” she continued. “That was a dream we all shared.”

It was an honor to celebrate @NNickPerry, a longtime friend and partner in public service.

Ambassador Perry has always been an incredible voice for Brooklyn, and he will bring the same dedication to his new role as the first Jamaican-born U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica! pic.twitter.com/qT7TBrHVvS

— Office of the Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams (@nycpa) April 5, 2022