Category: Justice

Jamaica on Saturday, July 21, 2018: Energy Worries, Dreadlocks Annoyance and Drought Biting

July 21, 2018

I haven’t written a news update since Easter! With so much happening, I should never have left it so long. I can only say that I have been overwhelmed with all kinds of commitments and things that have dragged me away from my regular news focus. Here’s an update for the last week (or perhaps … More Jamaica on Saturday, July 21, 2018: Energy Worries, Dreadlocks Annoyance and Drought Biting

No Written Rules Banning Sleeveless Dresses: An Access to Information Story

July 17, 2018

Originally posted on Right Steps & Poui Trees:
I look at the Gleaner this morning and see that the issue of the banning of women wearing sleeveless dresses is again in the news here in Jamaica. The Gleaner’s editorial entitled “Dressing Sleeveless in Jamaica” was sparked by social media commentary pointing out “that women in Jamaica…

Taking Responsibility for Our Lives: Road Safety is About Our Behaviour

July 13, 2018

“The wound is still fresh,” said the woman. She had offered a prayer at the start of a mid-year briefing by the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) today. She was the mother of a young man – her only son, a “wonderful son” – who was killed in a motor vehicle crash on the North-South … More Taking Responsibility for Our Lives: Road Safety is About Our Behaviour

The Windrush Stories: A Visit to the National Library of Jamaica

July 4, 2018

The story of the Windrush continues, in different ways. Or rather, should I say “stories”? Because I see the Windrush as a mosaic of many human stories – of endurance and success, determination and disappointment. There has been some more local coverage; the Sunday Gleaner’s Arts & Education section included an article by Amitabh Sharma last … More The Windrush Stories: A Visit to the National Library of Jamaica

On Windrush Concerns, Texan Cages and a Racist Census: A Terrible World

June 19, 2018

State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (MFAFT) Senator Pearnel Charles Jr. is in the UK on a “diaspora trip.” As I am sure you know, the “diaspora” is that large, but often scattered community of people of Jamaican descent living overseas, whatever their citizenship status. There are several Jamaican Diaspora … More On Windrush Concerns, Texan Cages and a Racist Census: A Terrible World

On Fathers and Family, and Keeping Families Together

June 18, 2018

Fatherhood is complicated. For Father’s Day, I wrote about the many challenges, including those that face the family in general, on my Jamaica Gleaner blog post here. We know that often families struggle to stay together and to maintain some sense of cohesion. Poverty, crime, violence, separation, and ill health (including mental illness) can tear families apart … More On Fathers and Family, and Keeping Families Together

My Sincere Tribute to Professor Bernard Headley – May He Rest Peacefully

June 11, 2018

Just eleven days ago, I posted the second part of Professor Bernard Headley’s article about family and migration – written against the background of the “Windrush scandal” in the UK. He was very happy to see both pieces published; we had been communicating via email over the last few weeks about it. Then, on Friday … More My Sincere Tribute to Professor Bernard Headley – May He Rest Peacefully