Social Impact with Emma » crime and violence : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

The Nature of Violence, Youth and Broken Windows

December 27th, 2018

I was astounded to read in the New York Daily News that for five days over Christmas, there were no murders at all in that city of 8.6 million. Zero. Now, New York is a deep, dark, gritty city – everyone who has been there will agree. It is bursting with energy, day and night. It […]

On “Calling BS” – Shouldn’t We Do It More Often?

May 16th, 2018

Just after the terrible school shootings in Parkland, Florida earlier this year, a young woman named Emma González made a passionate speech, in which she challenged the gun lobby and lawmakers. She described the attitudes and expressions of apathy and inaction by politicians, and their justification of gun ownership and violence, repeatedly punctuating her comments […]

Since Everyone is Talking About Crime…

June 18th, 2017

It seems everyone and his grandmother is talking about crime, these days. Everyone, from the loquacious cab driver, to the politician putting his foot in his mouth, to the all-knowing esteemed columnist has something to say. They talk about the causes of our high crime rate: Bad parenting – absent fathers, struggling mothers Slavery – […]

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 […]

Does Kingston Deserve Its Bad Reputation?

December 27th, 2016

I am currently reading a book – a sort of cultural/historical tour of the Caribbean islands – which attempts to find a “common Caribbean culture.” I plan to write a review of it shortly. The chapters on Jamaica were disappointing. Jamaica does consist of more than tourist resorts (Rastafarians and tourists) and Kingston (gangsters). Is […]

Mentoring Our Vulnerable Boys: Not a Walk in the Park

July 6th, 2016

Have you ever considered mentoring? What are the pitfalls, and what are the rewards? Panos Caribbean enlisted the expertise of Claudette Richardson Pious, Executive Director of the Children First Agency in Spanish Town, to put prospective mentors through their paces at a recent workshop. Ms. Richardson Pious knows the challenges our young people face only […]