Let us praise our women

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Dear Editor,

Many women in Jamaica are unsung heroes despite their sterling and magnificent contribution to society. Let us pay them due recognition. Of course, not at all unsung is our hard-working prime minister, Mrs Portia Simpson Miller. And, like Nanny of the Maroons, Louise Bennett Coverley (Miss Lou) has been rightly placed on a pedestal for her role in poetry and Jamaican creole. We also note Ms Carolyn Cooper's strength in her endless quest in promoting written and spoken patois. With her writing, Mrs Jean Lowrie-Chin has cemented her place in the annals of history.

People like Miss Fae Ellington, Dr Carolyn Gomes and Dr Glenda Simms have marketed us well in the international arena. Their invaluable contribution to gender issues and the protection of our women and children are significant.

How could I end without mentioning my classmate, Miss Merlene Joyce Ottey? She was our first Jamaican woman medallist at the Olympic Games.

In the wider world, we salute people like Miss Wilma Rudolph, Olympic champion in the 100m and 200m in 1960, Mrs Winnie Mandikizela-Mandela for her role in the release of her husband, the great Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned between 1964 and 1990; Mrs Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. These women have all empowered their people and are ambassadors for the downtrodden and neglected in our sin-filled world.

Paris Taylor

Greater Portmore, St Catherine

paristaylor82@hotmail.com