Jamaica
Observer column published January 7, 2019
By
Jean Lowrie-Chin
I am sharing this message from my friend Claudia
Gordon: “Happy New Year!! I'm stepping into 2019 armed with passion, purpose,
and laser-like focus. My promise to myself is to starve distractions and feed
focus... to continually ask myself if what I am doing today is getting me
closer to where I want to be tomorrow. Friend, it's going to be a great year.
Let's go.”
 |
| Claudia Gordon Esq |
To understand better why her
greeting resonates, meet Claudia Johnson Esq: Jamaican-born and the first deaf
black woman attorney-at-law in the USA. She served in the Barack Obama White
House as head of their division for disabled persons and now she is a legal
counsel at Sprint.
Claudia has never allowed being
deaf to stand in her way. I first heard Claudia speak about her experience of
going deaf as a primary school student in Cascade, St Mary. She recalls a
deaf-mute in her district who was bullied and she said her late mother was
resolute that she would not suffer the same fate. Thus, they migrated to the US
where she could have teaching assistance in school and ascended the academic
ladder to law school.
Claudia's company is energising;
her passion for life and for the special needs community is contagious. As Maya
Angelou noted: “Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to
make sure that my experiences are positive.” This new year seek the company of
the positive people.
 |
| The Cover of Dr Floyd Morris' inspiring Autobiography |
As I read Dr Floyd Morris's
autobiography, By Faith,
Not by Sight, I see the parallels in their lives. Morris is also St
Mary born and was a bright student at St Mary High School when he suddenly
started to go blind. His marks and mental state plummeted and he left school
without one subject. When he dropped out of school blind he went into poultry
farming to earn a living, configuring the coop so he would not step on the
chickens.
Do we understand the power of radio
for the blind? Young Floyd was a dedicated listener and one day heard an
interview on Dorraine Samuels' programme about the Jamaica School for the
Blind. He called her and she encouraged him to relocate to Kingston so he could
attend the school. “By faith, not by sight,” he sat the General Certificate of
Education (GCE) exams with the assistance of his friends Gary Allen (CEO of the
Gleaner-RJR Communications Group) and journalist Patrick Harley. In 2017 he
earned his PhD from The University of the West Indies.
The first blind Jamaican senator
and state minister, Floyd Morris is no tribalist. He speaks fondly of his
schoolmates who were followers of “Uncle Eddie” while he admired “Joshua”. This
thread of positivity and unity continues through his book, which is infused
with the rich history of post-Independence Jamaica.
 |
Hon Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender,
Entertainment & Sports lauds the Reggae Gilz |
Girl Power
As we recall the kudos heaped on
our Reggae Girlz by the Government we can use their example to strengthen our
resolve for the new year. I had seen the excitement building for our national
women's football team in posts by Cedella Marley tagged #strikehard. She gave
unstinting support to the team and we are forever grateful to her, the team's
management and coaching staff, as well as all players.
Of note, striker Khadija Shaw was
named Footballer of the Year (above global male counterparts) by the UK's Guardian newspaper. She
lost three brothers to gang-related violence, but soldiered on to score nine
goals in 11 appearances. Now the Girlz have made history and are heading to the
World Cup in France this June.
Unsung heroes
 |
Presentation to GK Male Household Worker of the Year Michael
Brown by MP Most Hon Juliet Holness and GK CEO Don
Wehby. Emcee Fae Ellington lauds the winner. |
We tend to forget that we have
champions literally in our own backyards, and so when GraceKennedy named
Michael Brown as 2018 Male Household Worker of the Year, Jamaica was abuzz with
the bravery of the 53-year-old who kept going at his job even after he lost a
hand.
Rosemarie Forrester, Female
Household Worker of the Year, advised her fellow workers, “You have to be just
honest, work hard, and never give in.”
Guest speaker at the awards
function, Member of Parliament Juliet Holness lauded Jamaica's household
workers and called for them to be given the compensation and respect they
deserve. She said they were veritable “magicians” in our homes.
GraceKennedy CEO Don Wehby noted
that the company's household workers awards, named in honour of the late Dr
Heather Little-White, celebrate Jamaica's unsung heroes.
Faith and national priorities
 |
| Dr Lucien Jones |
Dr Lucien Jones' Internet ministry
is a great boost for our faith in these trying times. In his post 'A Mother and
a Nation Cries: A Good God answers in Jesus Christ', he mourns with the parents
of a brilliant young doctor who lost her life in a crash in the US and the
thousands of grieving families in Jamaica bereaved by violence and indiscipline
on our roads.
He comments on the call of
Political Ombudsman Donna Parchment-Brown for less political vitriol on social
media, noting that some of us have elevated our political favourites to almost
messianic proportions. This, he believes, has contributed to disunity and
violence, “the sad story writ large of a people who once feared 'Massa God' and
'Puppa Jesus', but now have 'grown up' and fear neither God nor man”.
I was relieved that Opposition
Leader Peter Phillips accepted the invitation of Prime Minister Andrew Holness
for a meeting to address issues of national security last week. I believe it is
possible to uphold the human rights of suspects, even as we protect the right
of ordinary citizens to go about our business in safety — so I had hoped that
the states of emergency would have been extended. We pray for the members of
our security forces who face great danger as they work to protect us.
Plastic ban and dengue
The plastic ban and dengue outbreak
are issues generating a great deal of political heat. Politicians thrive on
headlines, but instead of the constant harping, why not use the opportunity to
engage your constituents? MPs and councillors who reach out to citizens to
educate them on the danger of plastics to our environment and the importance of
addressing mosquito breeding sites will make themselves positively memorable.
