Former Jamaica Prime Minister PJ Patterson has hailed late US Congressional Black Caucus leader Charles Rangel for his unwavering commitment to Jamaica and the Caribbean, saying that his “advocacy went beyond trade policy to encompass the full spectrum of bilateral relations”.

Rangel, who was the first African American to chair the House Ways and Means Committee, died on Monday, May 26, 2025.

He was 94.

Patterson argued that Rangel’s passing “marks the end of an era when kindred minds could bridge the chasm between Caribbean developing states and the world’s most powerful democracy” as “he was a colleague in the struggle for racial equality and justice”.

He said that “during the critical years of the late 1970s”, when he served as Jamaica’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and later as prime minister for 14 years, he and Rangel became political colleagues and personal friends and he saw first-hand the American legislator’s unwavering commitment to Caribbean development.

“This was no mere diplomatic pleasantry. When Jamaica faced the crosswinds of global ideological turbulence and conflict [and] our commitment to non-alignment was unequivocal, Charlie provided crucial balance in Congress,” said Patterson, who is now chair of the PJ Patterson Institute for Africa-Caribbean Advocacy.

“Congressman Rangel understood that small nations needed room to breathe, space to develop their own foreign policies without being forced into rigid hegemonic boxes,” Patterson said. “His support helped Jamaica maintain its independence while building constructive relationships with the United States.”

He said Rangel often reiterated the long and continuing friendship between himself and Jamaica, emphasising: “I have warm feelings for Jamaica and will continue to be a friend to Jamaica.”

Pointing out that Rangel’s advocacy went beyond trade policy to encompass the full spectrum of bilateral relations, Patterson recalled that during his tenure as prime minister, Rangel was rewarded with membership in the Order of Jamaica for his outstanding contribution in promoting the interests of Jamaica and the Caribbean.

“This honour, rarely bestowed upon non-nationals, reflected genuine appreciation for four decades of consistent support through both Republican and Democratic administrations,” Patterson said.

“In a world increasingly dominated by algorithms and artificial intelligence, Charlie Rangel represented something irreplaceably human: The capacity to see beyond boundaries, to build bridges across difference, and to use power in service of those who have none of it, except the democratic exercise of the right to vote.

“That may be the most fitting epitaph for a man who travelled from the streets of Harlem to the pinnacles of American political power, never forgetting where he came from or who sent him there,” Patterson said.

“Rest in peace, Charles Rangel. Your work is done, but your legacy endures in every Caribbean success story, in every trade agreement that opened markets rather than closed them, and in every reminder that we share a single planet on which all mankind should dwell in harmony,” added Patterson.