Michelle Brathwaite Norman Harper

Friend of the Consulate Award

Michelle Brathwaite

Her detailed-oriented job and love for event planning make Michelle an asset in executing productions.

The former Bush Hall, St. Michael resident, who attended Lawrence T Gay Primary and St. Leonard’s Secondary, immigrated to the USA in March 1985, completing High School and attending Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Michelle has been working for the City of New York for the past 31 years, and with the NYC Department of Transportation for more than 25 of those years. She has worked in several departments, including the Alternative Fuels Program and Transportation and Planning, and is now an Office Manager in the Roadway Repair and Maintenance Department.

She attends The Church of St. Mark, Brooklyn, NY, where she is a member of the Ushers Board and Mothers’ Union and was the PTA Co-President for the Church Parochial School for four years.

The mother of two, who brings dedication and energy with her organizational skills, has been a force in the recently formed Barbados Support Group, (BSG). Up to her, all Barbadian events would be signature occasions.

Norman Harper

Amember of the Barbadian Ex-Police Association and A Better Life for our People, Norman Harper pushes unity among the diaspora in New York, and Barbadian and Caribbean culture through food.

He joined the Royal Barbados Police Band after attending St. Leonard’s Secondary, before migrating to Canada. Homesickness did not allow him to settle and while on a trip back home, he enrolled at the Barbados Hotel School, setting the stage for a life-long career.

He honed his culinary skills at some of the major hotels on the island including the Hilton, Sandy Lane, Divi Southwinds, Grand Barbados and Sandy Beach Hotel, where he was the Executive Chef.

In a bid to further improve himself and his circumstances Norman immigrated to New York and joined the Grand Hyatt Hotel. As a Sous Chef, he has been supervising food preparation, food quality and presentation there for the past 32 years.

Outside of the hotel, Norman often cooks for or supervises food for Barbadian associations’ events, where his experience in serving large crowds shines while delivering consistently tasteful food. His work during the pandemic with the Ex-Police and others has kept alive some sense of community.

Passionate about family, Norman, the father of three, who has been married to Laverne for 33 years, would love nothing more than see associations, in particular, act as one big, Barbadian unit, and, as always, he continues to put action and, money too, where his mouth is.