Dear Editor,
I write to clarify a comment that appears to unfortunately have been misinterpreted by some, including in a letter to the editor published in the Daily Observer on April 20, 2015.
On Monday, April 13, 2015, I posted a photo on social media of P J Patterson giving brief thank you remarks at one of the functions held in honour of his 80th birthday. In the caption under the photo I quoted some key lessons that he shared in his thank you speech, and I also described different attributes in summary hashtags. One of the hashtags was #firstblackPM. I explained under the photo that what was significant to me was that P J Patterson was the first black prime minister to be elected that looked like the majority of the electorate, which spoke to a change in psyche of the electorate at a point in our history — a milestone from my perspective. A moment in time that spoke to positively accepting self-identity.
While Hugh Shearer was indeed the first prime minister also of a darker skin tone, I noted in the discourse under the photo that there was a distinction vis-à-vis an active, known electoral choice by the people of Jamaica. For as history recorded, Hugh Shearer was selected as the first among equals, by 32 fellow members of parliament after the previous prime minister, Donald Sangster, unexpectedly passed away in 1967. As such, for me it did not equate to the 568,789 voters in 1993 who, with full knowledge of who the party leader of the PNP was, voted definitively for Patterson as de facto prime minister.
This is not to take away from the work done by any prime minister of Jamaica of any shade of black or cultural background who has contributed to Jamaica's development since our first elections in 1944. Instead, from my perspective, it was a comment about a milestone in the psyche of our people; particularly profound for me, given Trevor Rhone's Old Story Time seminal line "anything black nuh good" that used to abound more explicitly, and where, unfortunately, extreme 'bleaching' continues today. There was no desire or intention to mislead anyone on history.
I am a young Jamaican that sees how race (including shades of black) and class dynamics have dogged our country over many decades, and I look forward to the day when those factors cease to play a role in how people view each other or sometimes limit how far someone can advance. Indeed, I am grateful that our past does not define our future, for I know at the core of every Jamaican, whether they are black, brown, white, or any other hue, there is a tenacity and a perseverance to rise through challenges, and that is what will ultimately unite us as a people and inspire us to serve one another. This continues to be my inspiration.
Thank you also to the letter writer for the opportunity to further share historical lessons and perspectives with the wider public. Sharing conversations in a constructive way is indeed one of the tools we can use to unify and grow our country.
Senator Imani Duncan-Price
imaniduncanprice@gmail.com
#firstblackPM
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I write to clarify a comment that appears to unfortunately have been misinterpreted by some, including in a letter to the editor published in the Daily Observer on April 20, 2015.
On Monday, April 13, 2015, I posted a photo on social media of P J Patterson giving brief thank you remarks at one of the functions held in honour of his 80th birthday. In the caption under the photo I quoted some key lessons that he shared in his thank you speech, and I also described different attributes in summary hashtags. One of the hashtags was #firstblackPM. I explained under the photo that what was significant to me was that P J Patterson was the first black prime minister to be elected that looked like the majority of the electorate, which spoke to a change in psyche of the electorate at a point in our history — a milestone from my perspective. A moment in time that spoke to positively accepting self-identity.
While Hugh Shearer was indeed the first prime minister also of a darker skin tone, I noted in the discourse under the photo that there was a distinction vis-à-vis an active, known electoral choice by the people of Jamaica. For as history recorded, Hugh Shearer was selected as the first among equals, by 32 fellow members of parliament after the previous prime minister, Donald Sangster, unexpectedly passed away in 1967. As such, for me it did not equate to the 568,789 voters in 1993 who, with full knowledge of who the party leader of the PNP was, voted definitively for Patterson as de facto prime minister.
This is not to take away from the work done by any prime minister of Jamaica of any shade of black or cultural background who has contributed to Jamaica's development since our first elections in 1944. Instead, from my perspective, it was a comment about a milestone in the psyche of our people; particularly profound for me, given Trevor Rhone's Old Story Time seminal line "anything black nuh good" that used to abound more explicitly, and where, unfortunately, extreme 'bleaching' continues today. There was no desire or intention to mislead anyone on history.
I am a young Jamaican that sees how race (including shades of black) and class dynamics have dogged our country over many decades, and I look forward to the day when those factors cease to play a role in how people view each other or sometimes limit how far someone can advance. Indeed, I am grateful that our past does not define our future, for I know at the core of every Jamaican, whether they are black, brown, white, or any other hue, there is a tenacity and a perseverance to rise through challenges, and that is what will ultimately unite us as a people and inspire us to serve one another. This continues to be my inspiration.
Thank you also to the letter writer for the opportunity to further share historical lessons and perspectives with the wider public. Sharing conversations in a constructive way is indeed one of the tools we can use to unify and grow our country.
Senator Imani Duncan-Price
imaniduncanprice@gmail.com
#firstblackPM
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