NEW YORK, USA — The Jamaican community in the United States is mourning the death here Friday of Jamaica’s Consul General to New York Alsion Wilson who succumbed after a four-year battle with breast cancer, the consulate confirmed.

A former Wall Street executive and mother of three children, Wilson, 64, was head of the consulate which oversees 33 states and the island of Puerto Rico since 2019.

Wilson, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, ethics and public policy from Lechman College in New York, was just last month conferred with the Jamaican national honour, the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD) at King’s House. It was not clear if she was able to travel to Jamaica for the investiture on National Heroes’ Day.

As news of Wilson’s passing emerged, tributes from within the diaspora have been pouring in.

“We have lost a fighter, a true woman of the soil and of our people. She knew how to network and use her leverage and contacts for the good of those she served,” leading diaspora advocate and head of Caribbean Immigration Services Irwine Clare Sr said of Wilson.

Former Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) representative for the Northeast United States and educator Dr Karren Dunkley recalled Wilson’s unwavering passion for her work as consul general.

“Her visionary leadership reflected her deep belief that the Jamaican diaspora is not peripheral but rather essential to the nation’s growth and its transformation. I had the distinct honour of collaborating with Consul General Wilson on numerous initiatives to advance Jamaica’s development.

“She was instrumental in mobilising support for education, health care and investment,” Dr Dunkley said in her tribute.

Also paying tribute to the late diplomat, current GJDC representative for the Southern United States Peter Gracey said that he was “broken” to learn of her passing, noting that they had shared a close working relationship.

“In our latest discussion last week, Wilson told me that all she needed was prayer. I promised her my prayer. Even in her situation, she told me she had so much more work to do for Jamaica and the diaspora. This was a reflection of the strength and vision which she exhibited in her duties,” said Gracey.

Patrick Maitland, publisher of the Street Hype Newspaper in New York and a former community relations officer at the New York consulate, remembered Wilson as a hard worker “who was always dedicated to get the best for the less fortunate within the Jamaican community”.

Current GJDC representative for the Northeast US Michelle Tulloch-Neil expressed deep sadness over the passing of Consul General Wilson, describing her as “a truly remarkable woman whose life and legacy have touched countless hearts”.

“She was a beacon of strength, compassion and one who dedicated herself to uplifting others and making a lasting impact in every space she entered,” Tulloch-Neil said.