US Senator, Robert Jackson is in Belize but his short visit has little to do with political or diplomatic business. He was invited by the Belize Credit Union League through Cynthia Ellis Topsy, who is his friend. Jackson, who is a former Chief Executive Officer of a credit union back home in Mississippi, was invited to speak to his fellow colleagues in the credit union movement. Love News was there for his presentation today and this is what he had to say.
US SENATOR ROBERT JACKSON
“Some of the things that we are doing in Mississippi right now is trying to teach our people how to grow their own foods; we are trying to get people into their own homes where they can live better lives; have them get their own vehicle so they can get to and from work and it’s all so they can get an opportunity to go higher in terms of government. I am one of 52 state senators in the state of Mississippi and I have an opportunity to talk more about community based development, gardening, cooperatives and all those things that help our people in need at the lowest level; that’s provided me an opportunity to grow and to learn.”
Executive Director of the Belize Credit Union League, Coreen Robinson Fuller, told Love News that the Senator’s visit became a reality because of one local activist.
COREEN ROBINSON
“We had an annual convention and Cynthia was our guest speaker and she did a wonderful job and at that time she told us she has a friend who was involved in credit unions in the states and he is a Senator and it would be good for him to visit us when we have another convention for him to speak but before a year passes for our other convention, he is here and so we thought that it would be a good opportunity for the representatives from the credit unions to get together and since she is heavily involved in the rural development, she also brought along some of the leaders from the rural communities and initiatives and that is why we are here today. He also mentioned that he wants to represent people of colour and people who are not high on the economic ladder and I think that is common with what we do at the credit unions, we help people to help themselves.”
After having lunch with credit union league members from across the country at their headquarters on Victoria Street, Senator Jackson toured the Liberty Hall, which is the office for the United Negro International Association in Belize. There he viewed the works that young black men are engaged in to uplift their lives.