Category: Women’s Issues

Concern over Incident at Bustamante Hospital for Children

November 14, 2019

Health issues seem to be seizing the headlines, in one way or the other, at the moment. Our health sector is under pressure, and a violent incident involving a local politician, who had brought her sick baby to the Bustamante Hospital for Children for treatment, highlights those stresses. The politician concerned has since (partially) apologized. The … More Concern over Incident at Bustamante Hospital for Children

Minister Daryl Vaz’s Remarks at the Pre-COP 25 Meeting and Launch of Jamaica’s Green Climate Fund Country Programme

October 29, 2019

On October 23, I joined the annual meeting organized by the Climate Change Division ahead of the upcoming UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 25) in Santiago, Chile. Our meeting was titled: Climate Action: The 2020 Agenda. We met at the very cool new AC Marriott Hotel in Kingston. It was very well attended by … More Minister Daryl Vaz’s Remarks at the Pre-COP 25 Meeting and Launch of Jamaica’s Green Climate Fund Country Programme

Columbus Day, Citations and the Black Female Experience

October 22, 2019

Jamaican-American historian and academic Dr. Anne C. Bailey has written a response to the online controversy over the omission of a citation for her book, The Weeping Time: Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American History in an article in the Washington Post. In this work, Dr. Bailey sought out the voices of those who were enslaved, … More Columbus Day, Citations and the Black Female Experience

Another Mother: Ross Urken’s Wistful Memoir Belongs to his Jamaican Nanny

October 20, 2019

This book is about to be officially launched! Long Island, New York on October 21 will be the first celebration. I am looking forward to a 2020 launch with Ross Kenneth Urken present! Meanwhile, here is an invitation, in the author’s words: I have many events in the works — from Toronto, to London, to … More Another Mother: Ross Urken’s Wistful Memoir Belongs to his Jamaican Nanny

Review: “Machann Fig La” (Fig Lady) – a Film from Haiti

September 3, 2019

The Toronto-based Caribbean Tales International Film Festival (CTFF)l is back and will be coming to those lucky Canadians this month (September 4 – 20). In a press release, CTFF notes: Twenty-one filmmakers will take part in the Tenth Annual Caribbean Tales Market Incubator (CTI) in partnership with The Caribbean Development Bank, Ontario Creates and Telefilm Canada, and with support from the National Film & Video … More Review: “Machann Fig La” (Fig Lady) – a Film from Haiti

The Commonwealth Foundation Sees Gender and Climate Change Through a Caribbean Lens

August 24, 2019

The discussions were frank and open. As Jamaica Environment Trust’s Executive Director Suzanne Stanley put it, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Second Conversation on “Exploring the Intersection Between Gender and Climate Change in the Caribbean” was “diverse, lively, sometimes even heated!” The discussion was a partnership with the Small Grants Programme of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) at United … More The Commonwealth Foundation Sees Gender and Climate Change Through a Caribbean Lens

The National Library of Jamaica Fights Human Trafficking with Poetry and Self-Defence

July 23, 2019

What a fascinating headline that is! Quite a combination, all adding up to a week of empowerment for youngsters from stressed communities, along with teachers, caregivers, and youth workers.  This week is Trafficking in Persons Week in Jamaica. I am not sure if many Jamaicans have fully grasped the meaning, depth, and significance of this … More The National Library of Jamaica Fights Human Trafficking with Poetry and Self-Defence