(Top L-R) Arthia Nixon, Andre` Scott, (center) Melanie Ramcharran, (bottom L-R) Delaney Morris, Chairperson Shoni Hymes and Jonas Black.
(Atlanta, Georgia) Never straying far from her Caribbean roots, Bahamian media personality Arthia Nixon was invited to be a part of the sensation six making up the 2013 Atlanta Carnival Social Media Committee. The team is already gearing up to promote the first event leading up to Carnival which takes place this weekend.
“It’s really an awesome opportunity to connect with others who share the passion for the islands while repping the 242,” Nixon says. “Carnival shuts down Atlanta on Memorial Day weekend and there are already Bahamians who reside in and around the city who have joined with some Carnival bands. I encourage Bahamians who plan to be in the area to connect with us on Facebook to find out how they can participate if they so desire. It’s not quite Junkanoo but it is a way to celebrate Caribbean culture and pride and have the chance to rush outside The Bahamas.”
Nixon added that there are opportunities for Caribbean artists to gain exposure through some of the many events leading up to the big day.
“Reggae, soca, and dancehall artists have a great opportunity to join in the festivities and present their music to a large audience,” she said. “This is the 25th year of Carnival and so it is going to certainly a monumental one.”
They are led by Shoni Hymes, an Atlanta transplant from Chicago. She has worked on the committees of several Caribbean organizations and has Jamaican heritage. Hymes is a Carnival chairperson and creator of the social media team.
She is joined by Andre` Scott lends his social media expertise he gained from DTP (Disturbing Tha Peace) records to Carnival. Delaney Morris, a senior marketing major at Georgia State University is participating in the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival for the first time. Morris expressed her excitement to learn more about the Caribbean culture and witness the festivities. Celebrity and magazine photographer Jonas Black is also a part of the group.
Also on the team is Bahamian media personality, Arthia Nixon who heads the Caribbean and Georgia news department of the Florida and Georgia Star and is seen several times a week in the islands as an Atlanta correspondent for Caribbean television and radio. Rounding out the group is Melanie Ramcharran of Middle Eastern decent who enthusiastically volunteered last Carnival season and has come back to be part of the social media team.
The group is gearing up for the first event leading up to the parade, taking place on January 26, 2013. For volunteer opportunities with the social media team, please contact atlcarnival25@.gmail.com