Community Activist Laid to Rest

Well known community activist, Amir Abdullah Mohammed Abdul Akbar, was laid to rest in a New Jersey cemetery on August 22, after a brief service at the Masjid Kalifa Mosque in Brooklyn, New York.
Born Everette Barrington Ranglin in Kingston, ‘Brother Akbar’, as he was affectionately known, committed to the Nation of Islam in 1965 and 11 years later, relocated with his family to the United States of America.
In 1994, he founded the Caribbean American Programme for Empowerment (CAPE), Inc., and through a series of initiatives, became an effective advocate for the needs of the less fortunate in Jamaica, the Caribbean region and his immediate community of New York.Consul-General of Jamaica in New York, Geneive Brown Metzger, who attended the brief traditional Islam service, said that the Diaspora has lost an icon and someone who would be truly missed.
In a joint statement from Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz and his special assistant, Yvonne Graham, Mr. Akbar was described as an international humanitarian, who put the needs and concerns of others over his own.
“His selfless work went well beyond the good he did here and in his home nation of Jamaica. We grieve with Mr. Akbar’s loved ones and hope they will be comforted by the prayers and thoughts of millions of Brooklynites, New Yorkers and members of the Jamaican and Caribbean communities,” the statement said.
Bishop Cecil G. Riley echoed the sentiments of many in the Caribbean community, calling Akbar ‘a true ambassador’, using a camera and the Internet to broaden the awareness of the constituency.
“His passing is a timely reminder that we should do the good we can, while we can. He reached out beyond Jamaica. No one can replace him and so it’s for us to continue what he started,” he said.
Mr. Akbar was among scores of Jamaicans to be recognised by the Government of Jamaica later this year, with a national honour for service to the Diaspora.