The small Central American nation of Belize, located between Mexico and Guatemala, recently elected Dean Oliver Barrow as the nation’s first Black prime minister defeating incumbent prime minister Said Musa who was accused of embezzlement scandals and financial mismanagement in recent years. Prime Minister Barrow is the leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) that won 25 of the 31 seats in the House of Representatives. “This demonstrates that we have matured, and that Belize has reached a level where, in the words of Martin Luther King, a man can be judged on the content of his character rather than the color of his skin,” Barrow said. The UDP has promised to battle crime and government corruption.
Barrow, a native of Belize, is the father of rapper Jamal “Shyne” Barrow who is currently serving a 10-year sentence for his role in a 1999 New York club shooting involving hip-hop entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs and singer Jennifer Lopez. Shyne legally changed his name in 2006 to Moses Michael Leviy after converting to Judaism in jail.
Prime Minister Barrow, an attorney by trade, served as Deputy Prime Minister and as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Following his party's victory in the February 7, 2008 election, he became Prime Minister. He was sworn in as Prime Minister on February 8. He announced his Cabinet, including himself as Minister of Finance on February 11. Barrow, a senior counsel, is also considered one of Belize's more successful attorneys and has appeared in several high profile cases.
Maybe we will follow suit and elect the first Barack Obama as the Black president of the United States this November and Hillary Clinton as the first woman vice president. Hey, just throwing it out there.
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