The Intersection of Gender, Culture and Education: Jamaica: The Next 50 Years!

The international community led by the United Nations observes the International Day for the Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade on Monday, March 25.   Undoubtedly, the transatlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration in history and is undeniably one of if not the most inhumane acts against any set of people.   The widespread exodus of more than 15 million African men, women and children from the motherland was conducted over 400 hundred years.   For over four centuries the development of Europe was intricately tied to the sweat, tears and blood of our African ancestors. We must never forget that the greatest forced movement of Africans was to the Americas to work as chattel slaves on sugar plantations, rice and coffee plantations.   Chattel slavery is a form of slavery in which human beings are considered to be property and are bought and sold as such.   The African Holocaust or Maafa involved numerous Europea...

“Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights , Don’t give up the fight.”- Bob Marley Another reggae month is behind us and I am almost sure that plans are in high gear for reggae month 2020.   Music has always been and continues to be a powerful medium for social change and advocacy. Jamaica is fortunate in that we have benefitted from our African ancestry in the formulation of a wide genre of music offerings from Ska to Reggae to Dancehall. The international community has also been a recipient of Jamaica’s gift to the global community in numerous art forms.   Unquestionably, Jamaica is a cultural superpower.   It appears though that reggae music is still not fully accepted in the birthplace of its roots. It seems that classism is very much at play regarding how some of us in Jamaica view reggae and its offshoot, dancehall.   It seems to me that reggae music is somewhat that ‘bastard’ child who everyone tries to be nice to; however in an effort to be friendly; th...

March 14 is World Kidney Day. The theme this year is “Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere.” It is estimated that 850 million people worldwide have kidney diseases from various causes, among that number is my dad Fitzroy who was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney disease in August of 2018.   According to the World Kidney Disease website, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is responsible for at least 2.4 million deaths per year and is now the 6 th fastest growing cause of death globally. The same source reports that despite the growing burden of kidney diseases globally, kidney health disparity and inequality are still widespread.   Sadly, about 1.7 million people die annually from Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) with 85 percent of those individuals coming from low to middle- income countries. Social conditions such as poverty, gender discrimination, lack of education, occupational hazards and pollution often adds to the challenges for those who are affected by Chronic Kidney Disease and...

“A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.”- Melinda Gates A gender-balanced world is a better world.   The significance of March 8 is universal. It is that time that the international community pauses to celebrate the achievements of women in political, economic, cultural and social spheres.   Creating a gender-balanced world is more than a women’s issue, it makes business sense. The time has come for societies to ensure that there are gender-balanced boardrooms, gender-balanced government, as well as gender-balanced media coverage. The day is also significant for many other reasons. International Women’s Day (IWD) brings awareness to the issues of gender parity and gender biases which are steeped in patriarchal structures and should be of concern to all.   The widening pay gap between men and women is problematic and needs to be addressed urgently. This can only be addressed if there is a collec...

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”- Benjamin Franklin Records management (RM) is a critical aspect of the overall management and accountability in any organization. A records management programme is able to tell the story of a company.   Records management is also known as Records and Information Management (RIM). RIM is the function of an organization tasked with the responsibility for the creation and maintenance of a coordinated procedure to address a company’s record. A comprehensive records management programme is equally vital for both a well-established organization as it for a less-established company. Practitioners of records management sometimes differ in their definition of records management. This difference in outlook sometimes has to do with the culture of an organization. A well-established organization undoubtedly will be in a financial position to pay for expertise that a less-established and less financial viable organization might not be...