Top designer to defend title

Kathy Hernandez. A name synonymous with Brooklyn Carnival. She is a winner, having copped seven Junior Band of the Year titles and awarded the challenge trophy that she must defend. She is incomparable with unrivaled passion. But sometimes, all that glitters...you know the rest of the adage.
Last year, on Carnival Tuesday, Hernandez began experiencing profuse nasal bleeding caused by a ruptured membrane. Several tests revealed congestive heart failure. The diagnosis forced her to leave her Wall Street job of 19 years. Her life changed. “I am heavily medicated now. I no longer use the subway and my pace has slowed tremendously,” she said. The occasional social drink she once enjoyed is a memory and she has given up smoking.

Despite being served one of life’s “curveballs,” Hernandez has remained resilient. “I will not be on foot, no jumping as I did in the past.” She now calls herself, “The researcher.” It is a fitting title for one who believes in the overriding educational component of Carnival. Interestingly, her rendition this year, Glitz and Glamour, is miles apart from her past historical presentations. It is burlesque-like. It is where Broadway and Las Vegas collide with the spontaneity of mas. “This entailed a different kind of research. It was more intense. It was about understanding colour, stones, and gems. I studied the fusion of colour as it relates to culture.” In dizzying detail, she spoke about mandarin illusion, vibrant pink, black diamond, and white and silver combinations. Although slowed by a potentially deadly illness, Hernandez’ vision has soared. For the first time she will be entering the Big Band category.

“Many people question this move, competing in both categories. I am not well, but am still inspired. This was necessary,” she noted, explaining that “16-year-old kids can no longer play in the Junior category,” and how this left a void that she had to fill. She conceded, though, that it would take some time to compete with the likes of Sesame Flyers. Of the state of Carnival in the US, she advised all aficionados of the art to “do more.” In a subdued tone and seated in her sprawling compound in Albany, off Church Avenue, Hernandez added, “It’s like the gospel. If you want to get the word out...if you want others to understand the true significance of mas and why we jump and prance, you have to inform and enlighten. If we decide not to produce our art annually, the culture dies. This is the job of everyone, at all levels.”
And when asked about the likely outcome of this year’s Junior competition, she smiled, wryly. It was more like a warning to her competitors. And with that unmistakable air of utter confidence, she intoned, “Call me on September 6.”

• Dr Glenville Ashby
Foreign correspondent
The Guardian Media Group
glenvilleashby@gmail.com