Brooklyn, NY – In efforts to quell the T-shirt controversy surrounding this year’s Labor Day Parade, the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) convened a meeting of various segments of the community. The end result was a common understanding and a commitment from all parties present to work together to make Carnival 2005 an event of splendor and pageantry as it has been for the past 37 years.

Present were local elected officials, Council members Kendall Stewart, Yvette Clarke and LaTisha James and a number of bands leaders from Jamaica, Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago who have traditionally produced non costumes bands.

Yolanda Lezama-Clarke, President of the Association explained that there was never an attempt on the part of the organization to exclude any band or segments of the community. “We have a criteria that participants in the parade are uniformed or in costumes and that all bands are registered with the Association,” she said. “In addition, those participating bands must ensure that all their members are registered with the band. It is our position that all bands – costumes and non costumes – must be held to the same registration process and by extension the same accountability.”

Councilmember Clarke stressed the need for the community to move beyond the negativity of divisiveness and exclusion. “We must get out of this mind set of us versus them,” she said. “I truly hope that as a community, we do not sink to that level of miscommunication. If we do, then we are talking about our demise.”

In asking for latitude, Councilmember James first applauded the organization on its ruling. “I think there is nothing more beautiful than the costumes and we know that this is what attracts people to the festival,” she said, adding, “No one wants to come out to see a block party with T-shirts. But we must have latitude and find a way to accommodate the people who want to organize around T-shirts.”

This year, there has been strategic planning with the NYPD to work on this “accommodation” by allowing the costumes bands to lead ahead of the non-costumes, Lezama-Clarke explained. “We will be lining up the costumed bands on several streets at the start of the parade,” she said. In this way, they have a better opportunity of reaching the reviewing stand at the Brooklyn Museum before the cut off hour of 6:00.”

Councilmember Stewart agreed that the controversy was caused by a misrepresentation of the organization’s intent. “There is no attempt to keep any group from the Parkway, “ he insisted. “We want everyone to come but there must be uniformity.”

Robert “Bobby” Clarke, Irie Jam FM has sponsored a music truck in the parade for a number of years. A native of Jamaica, he too expressed the opinion that the misunderstanding was caused by people “intent on causing division. We have to promote Caribbean unity,” he said, adding “We are all friends and we are all one. If we are not cautious, we will be divided by people who do not want to see us come together as a people.”

The non costume band leaders present have begun organizing with an effort to meet the organization’s registration standards and so exemplify this year’s carnival theme, “Better Together in 2005!”.

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Haitian Carnival Assocition is two weeks from today, on Labor Day.