Whitney Stevenson-Hamlet—the 32-year-old councillor-elect for the Enterprise-South seat in the Chaguanas Borough Corporation—says she won’t subscribe to a narrative that suggests the country has returned to racial voting.
The newly elected councillor, who is of African heritage, went up for the local government seat on a UNC ticket, and ousted the long serving Ronald Heerah, who is of East Indian heritage, and served the seat for 20 years as a PNM representative.
Whitney Stevenson-Hamlet told us her mother was activist for the United National Congress for many years. She says she joined her mom on many campaigns when she was a teenager, and she has always felt at home in the party.
She also is grateful to UNC political leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, for giving her an opportunity to shine and to serve, and for believing that she could bring home the seat for the party.
She says contrary to what some may believe, the UNC really subscribes to the words in the National Anthem.
“One thing with them they unite for every creed and race,” she asserts. “So I would not say that as a person of African-descent it was challenging. I was actually more proud to stand up under the United National Congress banner, and to actually be a victorious person and bringing home a seat that has been strongly PNM for over that amount of years.”
On Monday, Whitney Stevenson-Hamlet was left homeless when her house was destroyed by fire.
Since then, her political party has rallied around her with various kinds of support, to help her get back on her feet.
She has stated that she intends to serve her constituents, regardless of her circumstances.