Gabriel J. Christian — Spirit of Professionalism, Entrepreneur, Community Service and  Leadership

The Ward Post’s  Series profiling Caribbean Diaspora Leadership, Professionalism, Entrepreneurship, and Community Engagement

(First in Series)

Written by Ambassador Curtis A. Ward with the cooperation of Gabriel J. Christian, Esq.

(27 September 2025) — Many in the Maryland community know Gabriel J. Christian as a busy and successful legal advocate at the Maryland Bar and throughout the broader legal fraternity. One often wonders how Gabe finds time beyond his entrepreneurial and professional pursuits to be a prominent leader in the Caribbean and Dominican diaspora communities. Added to his busy schedule, Gabe is a prolific writer and the author of several books. Gabe’s record has not gone unnoticed — he has received numerous awards recognizing his civic activities and innovative entrepreneurship over several years of community service.

Here is Gabriel Christian’s story.

 Gabriel J. Christian — Spirit of Professionalism, Entrepreneur, Community Service and  Leadership

In the 1970s, under the oppressive weight of colonial rule, Dominica found itself at a crossroads. The youth, inspired by a vision of self-determination and empowerment, sought to redefine the island’s future. Key among these young leaders was Gabriel J. Christian (Gabe), who distinguished himself early as President of the Sixth Form College Student Council (1977–1979), President of the Dominica Federation of Students, and winner of the 1977 Independence Elocution Contest.

Gabe’s leadership trajectory grew stronger as he took on new challenges in a new environment — the United States of America. After migrating to the United States in 1982,  Gabe attended the University of the District of Columbia, where he served as President of the Caribbean Students Association (1984–1986) and Chair of the DC Student Coalition Against Racism and Apartheid (1983–1985). Gabe aligned his penchant for Caribbean activism with global liberation struggles.

At Georgetown University Law Center, he served as Chair of the Divestment in South Africa Committee, connecting the struggles for freedom of Caribbean, African-American, and African communities.

Later, as President of the Dominica Association of Washington, D.C., Gabriel Christian energized the Dominica diaspora.

 

Journey into the legal profession

Gabriel Christian, a graduate of one of America’s preeminent Law Schools, Georgetown University, entered the legal profession. He was admitted to the Maryland Bar (1991), the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. District Courts (MD, DC), and the U.S. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit). The young attorney honed his legal skills first as a law clerk and associate with the firm of Farrington & Smallwood, working alongside Thomas Alvin Farrington, a skilled litigation and insurance defense attorney, and partner John Smallwood, Esq. In 1992, along with Farmington, Gabe co-founded the law firm Farrington & Christian.

Following Farrington’s sudden death in 1997, Gabe Christian went on to establish the Law Offices of Gabriel J. Christian & Associates, LLC, (GJC Law) in Bowie, Maryland, which has since become a highly respected and well-sought-after practice.

Innovator and Builder

Gabriel Christian’s contributions extend well beyond law. In 2008, he pioneered Dominica’s entry into the global chocolate market with Chocolat de la Dominique, later partnering with Eric and Crisoire Reid of SPAGnVOLA Chocolates to produce Dominica’s first premium dark chocolate bar.

At the request of Prime Minister Roosevelt “Rosie” Douglas, in 2000, and with the support of Major Francis Richards, he helped spearhead the revival of the Dominica Cadet Corps (founded in 1910, dormant 1978–2000). In 2004, he was commissioned a Captain in the Cadet Corps by President Dr. Nicholas Liverpool.

Through his law firm, Gabriel Christian sponsored Dominica’s first wind turbine, purchased from Bergey Systems in Oklahoma and erected at Pointe Mulâtre, Delices, in partnership with the Dominica Sustainable Energy Corporation. He also co-founded the Dominica Academy of Arts & Sciences (DAAS) with former Royal Air Force officer Raglan Riviere of Dominica and the late Dr. Clayton Shillingford, a botanical science specialist at DuPont Labs.

Between 2000 and 2016, DAAS donated over 14 million Eastern Caribbean Dollars (ECD) in goods and services to Dominica — including the construction of homes, provision of equipment to schools and the Princess Margaret Hospital, and the replenishment of medical stores consumed by the devastating fire of 2005. When Tropical Storm Erika ravaged Dominica in 2015, Christian, together with his wife Joan, his mother Alberta, Major Francis Richards (former Commandant of the Dominica Cadet Corps), Pastor St. Claire Mitchell of Evangel Assembly Church, accountant Dave Winston, and Dr. Clayton Shillingford, co-founded Rebuild Dominica, Inc. (www.rebuilddominica.org), a nonprofit dedicated to providing relief to Dominica and the wider Caribbean after natural disasters.

Following Hurricane Maria in 2017, Rebuild Dominica delivered more than 1.2 million Eastern Caribbean Dollars in medical supplies to the Government and people of the Commonwealth of Dominica, along with other vital aid. This effort was supported by Ethiopian financial services executive Mel Tewahade, CEO of Infinity Wealth Management of Denver, Colorado, who provided essential logistical and financial support.

With Dr. Julius Garvey, son of the Rt. Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Christian also co-founded the Marcus Garvey Institute for Human Development, serving as General Counsel and completing a breadfruit propagation project for Jamaica and Dominica in 2015.

A Philosophy of Service

Reflecting on the decline of civic standards in public life, Christian observed:

“We are seeing a decline in civic-mindedness and volunteerism. In my youth, civil servants were mostly honest, nonpartisan, and worked hard. They did not use public funds to grow wealthy at the expense of the state. Let it be that such a noble tradition of service and democratic orientation continues and that we struggle against dictatorial tendencies and state capture by kleptocratic elites. Furthermore, we must encourage volunteerism and Community Development Corporations, through which people are taught the tools of entrepreneurship and can earn an income, rather than relying on the state for handouts. And we must rebuild the commons in which the parish fair, the farmer, the fisher folk, and small shopkeepers can thrive — not be throttled by hegemonic corporate interest that is divorced from local needs and realities, serving a tiny distant elite inattentive to the health, education, and general welfare of the working man and woman.”

Gabriel Christian’s philosophy ties together his lifelong commitments: to student leadership, Pan-African solidarity, disaster relief, publishing, entrepreneurship, and community development. It underscores the necessity of honesty in governance, civic renewal, and economic empowerment rooted in self-reliance and fairness.

Gabriel Christian has served a number of diaspora organizations in various capacities. In addition, his statewide civic engagement includes service as a Judicial Commissioner, Maryland Court of Appeals (2007–2014); as Member, Maryland Governor’s Commission on Caribbean Affairs (2012–2016; 2022–present); and as member of the Board of Visitors at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). In 2014, Christian donated a solar car to the engineering department of  UMES; the first such donation to a HBCU in US history.

Diaspora, Aviation, and Pan-African Outreach

Gabriel Christian’s reach is not restricted to any geographic space —  it is global. He became General Counsel to AvDyne AeroServices LLC (2015–2020) and in 2023, Chief Operating Officer, where he built ties with Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Academy graduates to expand technical capacity. His outreach to Ethiopia stems from a 30+ year relationship with Ethiopia, shared by his wife, Joan, and himself, both members of the Ethiopian Imperial Orders Society and supporters of the Ethiopian Crown Council, led by HIH Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie Haile Selassie.

Gabe is also a past President of the East Coast Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.(ECCTA) (2018–2020), where he promoted STEM education and youth aviation programs tied to the proud heritage of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Author & Publisher

Gabriel Christian co-founded Pont Casse Press with Dr. Irving W. André (now Judge, Superior Court of Brampton, Ontario) and has been publishing for over 33 years. His publishing firm has filled a void in publishing works on Dominican and Caribbean history. Gabe, either independently or in collaboration, has authored 8 books in this genre. And his engagement in scholarly works and essay writing has no end in sight. Indeed, the GJC Law Newsletter is regularly published by his law firm and is well-received for its comprehensive coverage of important topics in science, society, history, education, and more. (https://www.marylandattorneyatlaw.com/publications and https://www.marylandattorneyatlaw.com/subscribe-to-our-newsletter)

The Necessity for Civic & Community Leadership

Gabriel Christian strongly believes in civic leadership and commitment to community. He believes professionals not only have a role but a duty. He insists that professionals must be civic leaders. For him, commerce without conscience is a crime. His life demonstrates that law, business, and publishing can be wielded not for personal gain alone, but for the uplift of people and place.

Gabe envisions Community Development Corporations (CDCs) — rooted in koudmen, powered by modern networks — as vehicles for grassroots empowerment, enabling cooperatives, artisans, farmers, and professionals to build economies of solidarity. He not only encourages others to participate in civic and community activities, but he also sets a good example.

For Gabriel Christian, the role of leaders, past and present, is to never surrender to apathy, betrayal, or sloth. Instead, they must guide the youth, resist corruption, and restore the ethic of service and solidarity. For Gabe, this is imperative.

Dedication to Family and Early Life

Gabriel Christian, despite his very busy professional, business, and civic life, is fully dedicated to his family. Married to Joan Alberta Robinson-Christian for more than 29 years, they have two children — Samora and Makonnen. Gabe also pays special attention to the well-being of his siblings and extended family. Gabe credits his father, Wendell McKenzie Christian (British Army veteran of World War II and senior fire officer), and his mother, Alberta Christian (4H Club leader in World War II, Red Cross volunteer, and Director of Dominica’s Workshop for the Blind) who lit the path for his stellar journey.

Born on January 1, 1961, on the island of Dominica (then a British West Indian Colony in the Eastern Caribbean), Gabriel Christian attended Dominica Grammar School, where he also taught History at the Sixth Form level. His civic activism molded in those early years followed Gabe into adulthood and helped shape his journey in the United States.  Out of this early beginning, Gabriel Christian has emerged as a significant leader in the Caribbean diaspora, dedicated to justice, equity and sustainable development.

[The Civic Leadership Handbook, published in 2024 by the Law Offices of Gabriel Christian & Associates LLC is available at: https://www.marylandattorneyatlaw.com/civic-corner .

©The Ward Post / Curtis A. Ward/Gabriel J. Christian

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