The Caribbean community in Brooklyn, New York, has expressed profound sadness at the passing of Rodrick F. Daley, the prominent Jamaican-born chair of Community Board 17 (CB17).<\/p>\n
Daley died on April 13. He was 54.<\/p>\n
Community boards are local representative bodies in the city of New York. Community Board 17 is one of 59 community boards created by a city charter amendment in 1975. The boards play an advisory role in dealing with land use and zoning matters, the city budget, municipal service delivery, and many other matters relating to the communities\u2019 welfare.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am heartbroken by the passing of Chairman Rodrick Daley, a devoted District 45 resident, dedicated educator, gifted athlete, celebrated domino champion, and unwavering community leader, whose impact on Central Brooklyn will be felt for generations,\u201d Council Member Farah N Louis, representative for the 45th\u00a0Council District in Brooklyn, told the\u00a0Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC)\u00a0on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough his leadership at Community Board 17, Chairman Daley championed equitable development, uplifted community voices, and never wavered in his commitment to serve with both strength and compassion,\u201d added Louis, the daughter of Haitian and Bahamian immigrants. \u201cEven in the face of illness, he continued to show up for his community with extraordinary grace and resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo his beloved wife, his children, and the entire CB17 family, you are in my thoughts and prayers,\u201d she continued. \u201cHis legacy lives on in every life he touched. Rest in power, Chairman Daley. Your work, your voice, and your legacy will never be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, the Haitian-born representative for the 46th\u00a0Council District in Brooklyn, also told\u00a0CMC\u00a0that she was \u201cdeeply saddened by the passing of Rodrick \u2018Ruddie\u2019 Daley\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cRuddie was a fixture in our community for decades, and his loss is felt across every neighborhood he touched,\u201d she said. \u201cRuddie spent more than 25 years in our public schools, not just teaching but building programs that gave young people a reason to believe in themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe created mentorship programs, study abroad opportunities for middle schoolers, and student government initiatives because he understood that education doesn\u2019t stop at the classroom door,\u201d added Narcisse, stating that, \u201cjust recently, Ruddie was in my office discussing how we could collaborate on a youth baseball tournament in the district\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was who he was,\u201d she continued. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t slowing down. He was still planning, still building, still showing up for the young people of this community. My heart goes out to his wife Garcia, their five sons and everyone who loved him. Brooklyn has lost a giant.\u201d<\/p>\n
State Assemblywoman Jaime Williams, the Trinidadian-born representative for the 59th\u00a0Assembly District in Brooklyn, said: \u201cIn life, we are sometimes fortunate enough to meet extraordinary individuals who leave a lasting mark on our hearts, and Rodrick Daley was one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs chairman of Community Board 17, he demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving his community with compassion and purpose,\u201d she said. \u201cI am proud to have worked closely with him on a relief effort in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa, where I witnessed firsthand his dedication to humanity and helping others.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was the kind of person we all hope to be, and may he rest in peace,\u201d Williams added.<\/p>\n
Anne-Rhea Smith, a Trinidadian-born media, cultural diversity, and community engagement professional, said Daley was \u201ca pillar of service and advocacy within our community\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis contributions spanned decades, touching countless lives through his leadership, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to cultural preservation and civic engagement,\u201d she said. \u201cAs chairman of Community Board 17, he worked tirelessly to support cultural institutions across Brooklyn, including mas bands, steel orchestras, and Caribbean-based organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was especially instrumental in ensuring that our cultural groups had access to critical resources, such as rehearsal and practice spaces,\u201d added Smith, who is also a board member of the Brooklyn-based West Indian-American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), organizer of the annual massive West Indian-American Day Carnival Parade on Brooklyn\u2019s Eastern Parkway.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Smith said Daley \u201cplayed a key role in helping organizations navigate city and state systems\u2014providing guidance, facilitating trainings, and helping them build the operational strength needed to sustain their work and impact\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cA proud son of Jamaica, Mr. Daley brought his heritage into every space he occupied, using it as a bridge to empower and unify communities,\u201d she added. \u201cProfessionally, he served within the New York City Department of Education for many years, where he influenced generations of youth, families, and educators.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis legacy in education and community development will continue to resonate for years to come,\u201d Smith continued.<\/p>\n
In a statement, WIADCA extended its \u201cdeepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Roderick Daley\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis unwavering support of cultural organizations and his commitment to ensuring access, equity and sustainability for our community\u2019s traditions helped strengthen the foundation of New York Carnival,\u201d it said. \u201cHis legacy of service, advocacy, and cultural pride will not be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daley was a retired assistant principal from the New York City Department of Education. He began his public-school teaching career in the mid-1990s at South Shore High School in Brooklyn. In 2001, he joined the faculty of Meyer Levin Intermediate School 285 in Brooklyn, where he was once a student. He later went on to Prospect Heights High School, also in Brooklyn, where he was a Spanish teacher and dean.<\/p>\n
Daley, who migrated to Brooklyn in 1982, obtained a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Spanish from Haverford College in Pennsylvania and a Master of Science in Education from the College of Mount Saint Vincent.<\/p>\n
Daley is survived by his wife, his childhood sweetheart Garcia, and their five children, Stephon, Carter, Christian, Grayson, and Cooper.<\/p>\n
A funeral service will be held on Friday, May 1, at Miracle Temple Ministries, 965 Thomas Boyland Street. Another service will be held the next day at Liberty Hall Cathedral of Praise, 1387 East 96th\u00a0Street, Brooklyn. Daley\u2019s body will then be interred at Canarsie Cemetery in Brooklyn.\u00a0CMC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Caribbean community in Brooklyn, New York, has expressed profound sadness at the passing of Rodrick F. Daley,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":212328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-212327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}