Social Impact with Emma » democracy : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Thoughts on Bastille Day

July 15th, 2018

In Jamaica, many parties and evening receptions are held outside, with stark shadows and artificial lighting. The annual celebration of Bastille Day (or Quatorze Juillet) on July 14 at the French Embassy is no different. The guests stand stiffly, almost in rows, while speeches are made, their faces turned slightly upwards. Then they begin to […]

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 […]

The Young Politicos: I Want Something New

March 27th, 2018

I have been thinking quite a bit about youth and politics, lately. As a former member of a youth arm in the UK (the Young Liberals) while I was at high school, I am uninspired by our young politicos. They are all lovely, bright people, but they are hardly thinking “outside the box.” In fact, […]