Social Impact with Emma » U.S. Embassy : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

How About An Interfaith Prayer Breakfast?

January 20th, 2018

I was present at this year’s 38th National Leadership Prayer Breakfast, the annual ritual at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. I was seeing it for the first time, and was struck by the huge room full of people. A few women were wearing hats and most people were in their “Sunday best.” It was dominated by […]

The Populist Or The Pragmatist: Which Do You Prefer?

January 15th, 2017

I have been thinking about the nature of leadership, recently. A few things have turned my thoughts in this direction: Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated as President of the United States of America in a few days’ time – a man who has been described by his predecessor (and more recently, by John Lewis, […]

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 […]

Should Masculinity in Jamaica Be Redefined?

April 5th, 2016

“Masculinity needs to be redefined.” So says Anika Gray. Anika Gray is an attorney-at-law. She is also a Chevening Scholar, who pursued her Masters in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. Her focus is on Human Rights, Health and Infrastructure Policy. But today, at the launch of a U.S. and UK Government-funded […]

Msgr. Albert, HIV/AIDS and the Need to Recommit

December 1st, 2015

At breakfast today in a Kingston hotel, a large group of Jamaicans stood for a minute’s silence in remembrance of Msgr. “Father” Albert, who had passed away quite suddenly just the evening before. His presence seemed to hover among us for a few minutes; he was a regular participant in World AIDS Day ceremonies. Last […]

#KickOutGBV: More Than Just a Hashtag

October 22nd, 2015

Where is Jamaica going in the campaign against gender-based violence? Are we getting anywhere? I asked myself this question repeatedly at a recent public forum on “Gender-Based Violence in the Caribbean,” ably organized by the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Model United Nations and the Department of Government in collaboration with Respect Jamaica. The […]

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