News — Jamaica

Jamaica was once the world's leading exporter of bauxite, which is the ore from which aluminum is made, but decades of mining have taken a toll on the land and the people. With reserves depleted, the government is now pushing to move mining operations into the most ecologically sensitive part of the island known as Cockpit Country. The people of Cockpit Country fought off the British in the 1700s, and now they're conjuring the warrior spirit of their ancestors to take that fight to the mining companies. The Jamaican government seems to be in support of this. What do you think?

Bob Marley‘s career after he broke out as a young Jamaican musical sensation spanned just ten years yet his global fame was apparent before he turned 30. Marley, via Bob Marley & The Wailers, was already known to many in the Caribbean, the United States and the United Kingdom before an attempt was made on his life in Jamaica in 1976.

By the late 1970s, he was playing in Africa, a continent he espoused so much love for. He was in Kenya and in Ethiopia in 1978. Of course, Ethiopia, the home of the Rastafarian saint Haile Selassie, was always going to be on Marley’s list of destinations. He was also in Zimbabwe where he was the special musical guest to mark that country’s independence in 1980.

However, it was in Gabon that year that Marley found love in the embodiment of Pascaline Mferri Bongo Ondimba, the daughter of El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, born Albert-Bernard Bongo. The Bongo name has been synonymous with Gabon for so long because Omar ruled that country from 1967 to 2009, only to be succeeded by his son, Ali.

Marley became intimately close to Pascaline but according to the latter’s own version of events, their actual first meeting was in 1979 in the US, making the meeting in 1980 a reunion of a sort.

“The first time I met him was in America in 1979 and when we went backstage when he saw me, he said “Gosh you’re ugly”,” Stephanie said in the Ken MacDonald-directed documentary Marley (2012). Stephanie was in the States with her father and went to see Marley perform in Los Angeles. She managed to secure a backstage pass to meet the musician who was unfortunately not impressed by her looks.

However, according to Bob Marley and the Dictator’s Daughter written by Anne-Sophie Jahn, it was Pascaline who invited Marley to perform in Gabon. It would seem even after Marley’s rude remark, the 23-year-old’s spirit had not been broken on that night. Her invitation was welcomed by some members of The Wailers who had never seen the motherland they sang of.

Marley and his crew were not received by Omar, the head of state who also went by the unofficial title of “king”. Omar sent future president Ali to meet Marley and his company. This snub was not lost on The Wailers since they were essentially on a state visit to play at Omar’s birthday party. It later also dawned on them that Omar was a dictator who developed the parts of Gabon that mattered to him while the rest of the country laid in abject poverty.

However, according to Pascaline, Marley was not personally offended by Omar because “he [Marley] told me that my father had been the only one to suggest that Haile Selassie move to Gabon after he was dethroned. And that the Rastafarians felt that this was a strong act that deserved their respect and admiration”.

Perhaps, Marley’s ability to transcend the immediacy of the disappointment that confronted him in Gabon, to give Omar the benefit of doubt, endeared the musician to the “king’s daughter”. In MacDonald’s film, Pascaline did present Marley as a deeply thoughtful and philosophical man. They were in love, she revealed. It was known among The Wailers and many others yet it was not everyone’s to know.

Marley had many lovers, including 1976 Miss World Cindy Breakspeare, mother of singer Damian Marley. He married Rita in 1966 but by his own account, it was possible some of his children were unknown to him. He knew he had fathered eleven by seven women.

Pascaline reveals that knowing who Marley was, she was on the pill. She liked him and wanted to be around him but “[h]e was a Rasta and his philosophy was to share everything. And it wasn’t his fault that the girls jumped on him. They all knew he was married… but he was a superstar.”

The president’s daughter was in Marley’s life even until the latter days when Marley’s skin cancer gave doctors a hint that the reggae legend did not have much time to live.

Professor Shirley Thompson in 2002 became the first woman to compose a symphony in 40 years in Europe. Her ensemble, “New Nation Rising, A 21st Century Symphony” was recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and written in celebration of the thousand-year history of London. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was accompanied by solo singers, a rapper, two choirs, and dhol drummers making a total of about 200 performers

An English composer of Jamaican descent, Thompson first fell in love with composition when she began playing the violin in youth symphony orchestras in London while signing with local choirs as well.

Her “New Nation Rising” composition, which made its debut at the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, had its concept taken as the framework for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

Thompson is a seasoned composer, educator, artistic director, and conductor whose works have been played and heard the world over. Her pieces have been used for many films, television, theatre, dance, and opera productions.

She pursued her bachelor’s in Musicology at the University of Liverpool and specialized in Composition at Goldsmiths’ College with Professor Stanley Glasser. She is a Reader in Composition and Performance at the University of Westminster and has served on many art councils.

“Visions,” from the Greenwich International Festival, was her first major composition, and then a few more followed. Thompson added writing music for films and television to her resume and that was a success too.

Her composition for the popular series, “South of the Border”, made it to the top 20 theme song list on BBC at the time. She received a prize at the Mannheim Film Festival for her composition for the film “Dreaming Rivers.”

Thompson’s repertoire transcends film and television and seeps into dance. Aside from being commissioned for several royal engagements, she got busy making classic pieces for contemporary choreographers including the Royal Ballet School’s workshops.

“Shift” is her most popular dance score and it featured a solo cello and string orchestra for the award-winning ballet performance “PUSH” which was headlined by seasoned ballet dancers Sylvie Guillem and Russel Maliphnat, not only in England but in over 20 countries that the ballet number toured.

In 1995, she founded and directed The Shirley Thompson Ensemble at the South Bank Center in London. Her diverse group consisted of instrumental soloists, singers, visual artists, and dancers. This group was the foundation of her unique compositions.

Music is her life, and she would not stop until many more are groomed into the industry. With that, she spearheaded many arts education programs including that of the Newham Symphony Schools Spectacular for children from 7 to 17 years of age in 2002. The whole Newham borough ended up adopting the program as part of the national education plan in 2010 under the banner, “Every Child a Musician.”

Thompson’s works span decades and her versatility is admired by many. Be it in theatre, opera, dance, film, or television, Thompson delivers excellent pieces. Heroines of Opera, her work to unearth submerged narratives that feature iconic women in history, has been lauded by many.

She was the first woman to serve as executive of the Association of Professional Composers and is an active member of the Classical Music Executive for the British Academy of Song Writers, Composers, and Authors.

At his first gaming competition, 11-year-old Jamaican Dominic Darby became one of 17 winners out of the more than 3,000 people who participated in the XPRIZE Connect Code Games competition last year. This was his first attempt at creating his own video game. In addition to his win in the junior division, he was named “Best in Class”.

The St. Catherine native also took home $1,000 after entering the California-based competition with 70 participants also from Jamaica. The more than 3,000 competitors were aged between 10 and 18 and the winners were announced at a virtual event held last month.

The competition was put together in partnership with video game developer E-Line Media and supported by Endless Network, which aims to enhance lives through technology.

Darby is not new to coding. The 11-year-old first encountered MIT’s Scratch coding software at the age of six after attending a summer program held at the University of West Indies, his mother Shellian Darby said. Also, his coding knowledge is largely self-taught from watching YouTube tutorials and reading books about coding which is practically one of his hobbies, Darby’s mother added.

For his winning game entitled “How To Fall”, Darby used the MIT Scratch coding software to create a game character that moves through multiple levels while getting away from obstacles, according to jamaicans.com. After months of trials and errors, Darby finished his first-ever game and entered the XPRIZE Connect Code Games: A Global Game-Making Challenge, facing off with pros and rookies alike.

The Wolmer’s Preparatory School student said he never expected to win. “When I realized I won, I felt good and I wanted to tell everyone, but I couldn’t at the time. This is my first time entering an international competition and to win it feels amazing,” he was quoted by The Gleaner.

When he is not studying or coding, Darby, like every kid his age, enjoys playing video games particularly Roblox and Minecraft. He hopes to be a computer science engineer soon.

Nigerian-Jamaican photographer Nadine Ijewere, who became the first Black woman to ever shoot a Vogue cover in the magazine’s 125-year history, is raking in more firsts with the iconic fashion spread.

In 2018, the then 26-year-old shot for Dua Lipa for the cover of British Vogue, and three years down the line, she has become the first Black woman to shoot a cover image for American Vogue.

The London-based photographer, who has shot spreads for the magazine in the past, photographed the sensational Selena Gomez for American Vogue’s April cover. She has become a beacon of hope for many Black girls who will not be forced to follow supposed norms. “As a young Black woman, I didn’t imagine that I would one day have the opportunity to shoot a cover for American Vogue,” Ijewere wrote in a post on her Instagram.

Ijewere shared the spotlight with the fashion editor for the April 2021 issue, Gabriella Kafera-Johnson, who became the first Black woman to ever style a Vogue cover on the January 2021 issue. The two gushed about their collaboration and encouraged Black women to own their space in the fashion industry.

“I’m so honored to have been able to work with my fellow sister Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. I hope this encourages Black women that there is space for us to take in this industry,” Ijewere said.

The Nigerian-Jamaican woman has been interested in fashion imagery since she was a girl. After studying photography at the London College of Fashion, she began to focus her work primarily on the subjects of identity and diversity, informed by her Nigerian-Jamaican background.

“My work is all about the celebration of diversity without creating a representation – particularly for women, as we are the ones who are more exposed to beauty ideals and to not being comfortable in who we are,” she was quoted by the British Journal of Photography recently.

According to The Cut, the fashion industry revolves around women, and yet most decision-makers, designers, and executives in most fashion houses right down to stylists, photographers, and those who work behind the scenes are men.

Injewere hinted at the lack of diversity during a 2018 interview with British Vogue when she became the first Black woman to shoot for the magazine.

“I feel like in doing this I’m proving to younger girls from a similar background that it’s achievable,” she said. “It also feels like part of a broader shift within our culture to include far more diversity, both behind the camera and in front of it.”

Claudia Gordon was eight years old in rural Jamaica when she suddenly developed severe pain in her middle ears. Her aunt, Mildred Taylor, took her to a small clinic but with no doctor on duty, the nurse couldn’t determine what was wrong. Gordon became deaf.

Her mother at the time had immigrated to the South Bronx, in New York, to make a better living for herself and her family. A domestic servant with only an eighth-grade education, she left Gordon and her two other children in the care of her eldest sister, Mildred, a schoolteacher. Her plan was to reunite with them as soon as possible. Then Gordon’s unfortunate event occurred.

When she suddenly lost her ability to hear, she was taken out of school and made to stay home to perform chores. Healers tried to perform rituals to restore her hearing but to no avail. She also lost her friends gradually and experienced discrimination in a country where deaf and disabled persons are usually stigmatized.

“I thought I was the only deaf person in the world. I did not realize until years later that a woman who everyone in my town knew as ‘dummy,’ and who children my age would incessantly harass with stone throwing, was deaf,” Gordon said in an interview. “Looking back, I wish I knew her real name. What I do know is that the life of this woman – ostracized as ‘dummy’ – almost became my own but for my mother’s triumph in successfully bringing me to America by the time I was eleven years old.”

In the United States, Gordon first attended a public school before moving to the Lexington School and Center for the Deaf in New York. At Lexington, Gordon learned sign language, was engaged in sports and became a top student. In her junior year in high school, she resolved to become a lawyer. People tried to talk her out of it. “Some cited my deafness as an obstacle rendering it impractical if not impossible to pursue a law degree. Thanks to the values that were instilled in me during my formative years, I understood then that those voices of doubt neither dictated my worth nor my capacity,” she recalled.

Defying the odds or simply refusing to see them, Gordon went on to study political science at Howard University and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in 1995. She subsequently became the first deaf student to graduate in 2000, from the American University (AU) Washington College of Law, in Washington, DC, where she specialized in disability rights law and policy. She then won a Skadden Fellowship (for law graduates working with disabled people)for 2000-2002, and worked as a staff attorney at the National Association of the Deaf Law and Advocacy Center, giving her the opportunity to provide “direct representation and advocacy for poor deaf persons with a particular emphasis on outreach to those who are members of minority groups.”

But while working at the Center, the Jamaican immigrant became interested in working for the Federal government. “I confronted the truth that passing legislation is one thing but actual implementation with enforcement is another. I felt that a job with the Federal government would more effectively allow me to affect the actual enforcement of laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, thereby alleviating the blatant discrimination that people with disabilities continue to face.”

In time, she started working as Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in the Department of Labor, ensuring that people who do business with the federal government do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. At Homeland Security in 2005, Gordon, who was also one of former President Barack Obama’s key advisors for disability issues, worked towards enforcing executive orders for people with disabilities in emergency preparedness situations such as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, a report noted.

Gordon has also been active in the deaf community, becoming the vice president of the National Black Deaf Advocates in 2004 and receiving the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD leadership award from the American Association of people with disabilities. The Black female attorney is today among many people with disabilities who, instead of resigning to their fate, have chosen to work on their limitations to make something of themselves. Currently, in the U.S., more than 5.6 million African Americans live with a disability. Out of this figure, only 28.7 percent of working-age are employed.

Gordon, who has been mentoring young adults with disabilities, hopes to change the status quo. “I have an innate desire to give back. It is uplifting when you are able to empower another and help someone discover a sense of self-worth and confidence in his or her abilities.”

Internationally acclaimed French luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton appears to have completely goofed with its latest menswear sweater after initially claiming it was inspired by the Jamaican national flag when it actually got the colors wrong.

Describing the $1,340 “Jamaican Stripe Sweater” on its website, the fashion brand had initially said the pullover – which is colored in green, yellow and red – channeled “the collection’s Jamaican Parade theme, with a striped design inspired by the Caribbean island’s national flag.” The Jamaican national flag, however, does not feature a red color. The Caribbean nation’s flag colors include green, yellow and black.

Per the Jamaica Information Service: “Black depicts the strength and creativity of the people; Gold, the natural beauty of the sunlight and the wealth of the country; and Green signifies hope and agricultural resources.”

The apparent mistake was highlighted by a Twitter user by the name @pam_boy who shared screenshots of the product and its description as well as the Jamaican national flag, Pop Sugar reported. “I cannot stress enough how important it is to implement diversity as a value and not a symbol within fashion companies,” the user posted.

The apparent mistake was highlighted by a Twitter user by the name @pam_boy who shared screenshots of the product and its description as well as the Jamaican national flag, Pop Sugar reported. “I cannot stress enough how important it is to implement diversity as a value and not a symbol within fashion companies,” the user posted.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has elected its first Black President in its 101-year history. Deborah Archer, a clinal law professor at New York University School of Law, was elected virtually over the weekend by the union’s 69-member board of directors and she brings to this position her expertise in civil rights and racial justice.

Now as ACLU president Archer succeeds Susan Herman, a Brooklyn Law School professor who has been president since 2008. She will act as the chair of the board of directors overseeing organizational matters and the setting of civil liberties policies.

The fight against racial injustice is expected to be a top priority. However, the organization’s day-to-day operations are managed by its executive director, Anthony D. Romero.

Per their press release, Archer has a long history with ACLU joining at the beginning of her prolific career as a legal fellow in its Racial Justice Program and has been a board member since 2009 and only began work as their general counsel in 2017.

“After beginning my career as an ACLU fellow, it is an honor to come full circle and now lead the organization as board president,” said Archer.

“The ACLU has proven itself as an invaluable voice in the fight for civil rights in the last four years of the Trump era, and we are better positioned than ever to face the work ahead.

This organization has been part of every important battle for civil liberties during our first century, and we are committed to continuing that legacy as we enter our second. I could not be more excited to get to work,” she added.

Aside from her professorship Archer is the director of the Civil Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law and a co-faculty director of the Center on Race Inequality and the Law at NYU Law.

She as also served in the capacity of inaugural dean of diversity and inclusion and as associate dean for academic affairs and student engagement at New York Law School.

According to Romero, there is no person better suited to launch the ACLU into its next phase than Archer.

“There is no one better equipped, who best personifies or is more capable to helm the future battles for civil rights, civil liberties, and systemic equality than Deborah Archer.”

Archer, born to Jamaican parents, has also worked as assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and is a former associate at Simpson Thacher and Bartlett. She served as chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, and on numerous non-profit boards, including the Legal Aid Society and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. 

Last year was a tumultuous one for everyone especially since America dealt with the novel coronavirus amid calls for racial equality. The fight against white supremacy and racism last year, which according to the ACLU can only be rivaled by the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s, ultimately culminated in the highest voter turnout in American history.

According to a statement, ACLU “filed its 413th legal action against the Trump administration, took over 100 legal actions in response to the pandemic, continued its work to protect protestors, and filed more than 37 lawsuits to ensure access to the polls” as it celebrated its centennial year.

“The ACLU has proven itself as an invaluable voice in the fight for civil rights in the last four years of the Trump era, and we are better positioned than ever to face the work ahead,” Archer said.

Jamaican Olympian Michael Frater has opened a medical marijuana dispensary – 4/20 Sports Therapeutic Bliss – in Kingston, Jamaica, to treat career-threatening inquires, the Jamaican Observer reports.

The building of the therapeutic facility was influenced by the athlete’s persistent problems with his knees which forced him to retire five years ago. According to the 38-year-old, doctors could not find a solution to his bad knee after visits to The University Hospital of the West Indies and a hospital in France.

He, therefore, resorted to cannabis treatment which helped him to recover from his knee injury. “I tried it and within a month I was feeling brand new. I started studying about it and I realized that this drug which has been a taboo for most of my life is a miracle drug,” said Frater.

“It’s really a drug that once taken properly with the proper prescription, the medicinal purposes are exponential,” he added.

Frater’s effort has earned applause from Jamaica’s minister of sports, Olivia Grange, who attended the opening of his marijuana dispensary. She used the occasion to urge Jamaican athletes to get involved in business on the island.

“What is important about what you are doing is that you are not just an athlete who at the end of your active career, sit down, fold your arms and wait for something to happen, you have set an excellent example for others to follow,” said Grange.

“I always knew that you were special. There was a group of you during your era of active running that I considered special athletes,” she added, highlighting Usain Bolt’s business ventures.

For more than a decade, Frater represented Jamaica in the field of athletes. The sprinter was a member of the world record-setting 4×100 metres relay team from the 2012 London Olympics.

Marijuana is still a controversial drug even though many claim that it has helped them cope with various diseases and situations. For many years now, such people have been pushing for its legalization. And as more and more states, particularly in America, pass laws allowing the sale of marijuana in some form, entrepreneurs, including celebrities, are flocking into the industry to make some cash.

Oneita and Clive Thompson fled Jamaica in 2004 after gang members burned their farm and threatened to kill them. In the U.S., the government denied them asylum but allowed them to stay. The Thompsons, for 14 years, worked, paid taxes, and raised their seven children in Cedarville, a small town in New Jersey’s Cumberland County. Clive, 61, worked as a heavy-equipment operator at Bridgeton-based Cumberland Dairy while Oneita, 48, was a certified nursing assistant.

They lived a normal and quiet life until the start of the Trump administration. In August 2018, the ICE told the undocumented Jamaican couple that it would not extend their stay for removal and were to report to it within days to be removed from the country.

The Thompsons then visited the office of the advocacy group, the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, which subsequently helped them find shelter while supporting their legal proceedings. A few days before they were to be deported, Clive, Oneita, and their two youngest children, who are both American citizens, took sanctuary in the First United Methodist Church of Germantown. They spent two years there before moving to Tabernacle church in September 2020.

While living behind the walls of the two churches, their two children were free to move in and out of the church grounds. Clive and Oneita however couldn’t even leave to get groceries else they will be arrested and deported.
Generally, churches are seen as safe places since ICE “sensitive location” guidelines hinder agents from “taking action” in houses of worship, hospitals, and schools, a report by The Philadelphia Inquirer stated.

Immigrants who take sanctuary are also able to buy time for their legal cases to progress while advocates also step in to pile pressure on authorities to rescind their decisions, the report added. That was the move the Thompsons took, and after 843 days of living in the two churches, the couple walked free on Monday, ready to go back to their South Jersey home.

They said the federal government dropped its deportation case against them, meaning they can now seek permanent residency in the U.S., a move that is already in progress. “When we got the letter from ICE, I was just looking at it in shock. It’s a big breakthrough – after working so long, this is a miracle. I feel like all the stress is drifting away, and everything is lighting up with joy,” Clive said in a statement.

It’s been tough seeking refuge in churches, where they slept, ate and bathed. “At first I would not even go on the porch, I was so fearful,” Oneita told.

“Some days I just wanted to hide in the walls of the church, and other days I felt badass and just wanted to kick the walls down … Not the physical walls down. Not the physical walls of the church, but the walls of injustice, the walls of racism, the walls of lies, the walls of black woman don’t have a voice,” Oneita said.

Getting deported would have separated them from their children and would have ruined their chances of living the American dream. Living in the churches was a way to continue their fight to stay in the U.S., the couple said. While in the churches, they made several requests to stay ICE’s order for removal as they applied for permanent residency but their requests were denied.

Then in May, their daughter, Angel, became an American citizen. She filed an I-130, a “Petition for an Alien Relative,” which reports say is the first step in allowing alien relatives establish permanent residency in the U.S. During Thanksgiving, the Thompsons went ahead to file a motion to reopen their asylum case with the Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).

The ICE subsequently joined the family’s motion before the BIA to reopen the deportation case after pressure from church, community members, and officials, including Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Dwight Evans, who visited the couple in sanctuary.

“Upon the BIA’s issuance of a decision, the Thompsons were no longer subject to a final order of removal, thereby removing any imminent concerns of possible removal,” an ICE official told. Though the Thompsons are yet to gain permanent residency, they are satisfied with the experience of being free again. It’s estimated that 40 people in 16 states are currently in sanctuary at churches in the U.S.