Abby Phillip, the White House correspondent who has featured in CNN’s coverage of the suspenseful ballot count for the US presidential election over the past few days, has been gaining a large fan following for her calm, clear analysis of that developing story.
She has also become a social media sensation locally after her T&T connections were revealed. The popular anchor is the daughter of Trinidadians June and Carlos Phillip. Her father is a psychology programme manager for the District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington and her mother is a realtor and real estate investor with Fairfax Realty.
Her links to this country have been the focus of a widely shared Facebook post which states: “We are proud of our Caribbean girl, Trinidad and Tobago to be specific. She is holding her own on CNN on those political panel shows. A brilliant political analyst! Harvard trained. T&T is proud of you. Way to go, Abby Phillip.”
Phillip, 31, who grew up in Bowie, Maryland, has a degree in government but had initially intended on becoming a heart surgeon until her realisation that she loved talking to people led her into journalism.
In an interview with a US media outlet, she revealed: “My first journalism experience was going to Mississippi for a service trip where I had to write a blog throughout the entire thing, and I just really loved that experience. And I came back, and I knew that was what I had to do.”
She began her career as a White House reporter and blogger for Politico covering campaign finance issues and lobbying. She also appeared occasionally on Washington Week with Robert Costa on PBS.
Phillip worked at The Washington Post doing national political reporting and general assignments. She was also an ABC News Fellow and digital reporter in New York City. Following the fellowship, she joined the network’s Washington, DC bureau to work as a digital reporter covering politics. While there she produced stories for This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Nightline, and ABCNews.com.
On a recent CNN political panel she made the following observation: “Not only would Black women put Joe Biden in the White House, but they would also put a Black woman in the White House as well and that is the sort of historical poetry that I think we will live with for a long time.”
Phillip, who has been covering the Trump White House has featured prominently in much of the coverage of the US election campaign. She co-moderated the seventh Democratic debate of the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries at Drake University in January alongside CNN colleague Wolf Blitzer and Des Moines Register political correspondent Brianne Pfannenstiel.
Before joining CNN in 2017, Phillip was a national political reporter covering the 2016 election, focusing on the Democrats and Hillary Clinton’s presidential run.
She currently lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, Marcus Richardson, a managing consultant at nVisium, a cybersecurity company.
Source: Stabroek News, Nov 7, 2020

In April, we featured Dr Raulnel Neptune, one of the few male paediatricians in Trinidad and Tobago. In his seven years as a doctor and his time as a paediatrician, he has treated children suffering from a myriad of conditions.
So, why Paediatrics?
According to Tobago-born Dr Neptune, "after completing the mandatory internship, I realized at that time that job satisfaction was more important to me than money. Paediatrics provided me with that satisfaction. The ability to continuously see positive results by managing children, gave me great job satisfaction and that’s what sealed the deal for me."
He told us, "I love my job and I love making a difference. The public has a notion that a Paediatrician is simply a doctor who plays with children, feeds them and changes them. This is very far from what we actually do. As a Paediatrician, we rarely see children who are well and healthy: most are very sick. In fact, nurturing a child back to health is not only about giving medication to make the child feel better but it is about understanding the family structure and incorporating the emotional aspect into the caring of the child."
Dr Neptune recently opened his practice, Paeds World in Tobago, where he is now based. Congratulations Doc and best wishes! The children of Tobago are in good hands.
Source:  MENtions-Stories About Us, Sept 10m 2020

To add to his long list of accolades, Slinger “Mighty Sparrow” Francisco will now be immortalised at the Caribbean Wax Museum in Norman Centre, Bridgetown, Barbados.
The life-like depiction of the ‘Jean and Dinah’ singer will be unveiled tomorrow on the premises of The Commercial Credit Division of Consolidated Finance Co. Ltd, Barbados.
The unveiling is a merged effort of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Barbados, Corporate & Commercial Credit Division of Consolidated Finance Co. Ltd and the Caribbean Wax Museum. ​The Grenadian-born Francisco gained the title “Calypso King” of the world through his music. Since 1956, he has remained the only calypsonian to have won the T&T Calypso Monarch title more than anyone else—eight times. He also took the Road March title on several occasions. Fransisco also took his music to the US, Europe and even Africa.
For his contribution to the cultural and musical landscape of T&T and taking the art form to the world, the 85-year-old was bestowed several honours, including an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies in 1987, the honourary title of Chief of the Yorubas, Chaconia Gold Medal, Order of the Republic of T&T and the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Of this latest honour, Francisco yesterday told Guardian Media it was a very nice thing for the Caribbean Wax Museum to honour him in such a way. He said he was made aware of this five months ago and had no objection to it.
“I have been doing my thing for a very long time. It is good to see this…I wish I could be there to see it,” he said through laughter via a telephone conversation from his US-based home.
Asked whether more needed to be done in T&T honour its creatives, Francisco answered, “I think we should continue doing these things.”
Meanwhile, Trinbago Unified Calypsonian Organisation (TUCO) president Lutalo “Brother” Resistance” Masimba labelled the unveiling as “timely.”
Masimba said given that the honour has come during the celebration of Calypso History Month adds a certain “quality” to the celebration and fitted in nicely with its theme—Calypso Beyond Boundaries and Borders. He said TUCO was very pleased with the recognition of one of the Caribbean’s greatest calypsonians of all times.
In an email interview, directors at the Caribbean Wax Museum said, “As with everywhere else in the world where Caribbean people have settled, the Mighty Sparrow set the standard against which all calypsonians are judged. Barbados’s Mighty Gabby is in many ways a protegee.”
The wax figure of Fransico will join other regional artistes in the soca arena like Barbados’ Alison Hinds and Lil Rick, Barbadian-born US-based R&B singer Rihanna, as well as historical revolutionaries like Che Guevera and Fidel Castro.
Source:  T&T Guardian, Oct 30, 2020