Social Impact with Emma » 51% Coalition : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

There Are Many Ways to Be an Activist

February 11th, 2017

Activism (and advocacy, its first cousin) is like a tree with several large branches. Like our guango tree. Each branch grows in a different direction, but each branch is strong. Or, to use another nature metaphor, it is like a plant bearing many seeds. Like our moringa tree. The seed pods fall, and break. Sometimes […]

Debating in Jamaica: Style Over Substance?

October 11th, 2016

OK, so there are two sides to a debate. Can you really set down rules for an argument between two people? What, really is a “win”? Don’t we each decide who won for ourselves? I pondered over this while sitting on the rooftop of Phoenix Central – the smart, angular building on Phoenix Avenue that […]

Human Rights Begin At Home

September 27th, 2016

It was a busy evening in Half Way Tree. A huge thunderstorm descended on the area, just as rush hour started. Rain fell in bucketfuls, and traffic slowed and started to pile up outside the Webster Memorial Church Hall. Yet, a group of women fought their way through the puddles, arriving on the doorstep somewhat […]

Women in Business and Politics: Finding a Safe Space

May 20th, 2016

The room was packed. In the end, we were squeezing chairs into small spaces, and it grew rather warm. The occasion was a discussion on Promoting Women in Business and Politics: Pros and Cons, organized by the 51% Coalition and Women Business Owners, in Kingston. Perhaps there more “cons” than “pros” arose during the conversation, which was […]

A Question of Respect

January 14th, 2016

Mr. Christopher Gayle, a highly esteemed Jamaican cricketer, embarrassed a woman reporter recently. As such, I feel he disrespected her. I have often thought about the word “respect,” a frequently used term in Jamaica. Many Jamaicans simply say “Respect,” in response to a comment, or in concluding a conversation. It’s a kind of acknowledgement of […]

Pay Our Mothers, the Producers of Quality Citizens

November 17th, 2014

What would happen if all the mothers in Jamaica went on strike? Now, there’s a thought. The country would grind to a halt, I suspect. Children would not go to school. Families would go hungry. Economic production would slow. Households would cease to function. Clothes would go unwashed. We would all end up living in […]