Multi-Award Winning Association Leader | Connector of Ideas and People | Consultant | Author | Speaker | Chartered Director
My Incredibly Biased Take on Jamaican Independence Day 💚💛🖤 In 1962 Jamaica gained independence (sort of) from the British Crown; and somewhat promptly (within a few days) dispatched their first dignitary – to Ottawa. Yes, the first country to establish diplomatic ties with Jamaica was Canada. I know this not because I am a bit of a political history nerd (although I am) but because that diplomat – Jamaica’s first High Commissioner in Ottawa, was my great-grandfather Earle Maynier. This wasn’t the first time Earle had lived in Canada, having taught at the University of Toronto, after gaining a degree from the London School of Economics; legend has it, he was dispatched to Ottawa owing largely to being the most senior political figure/civil servant in Jamaica who happened to speak French. About a decade ago, my friend Ruby Latif sat me down over some AYCE Sushi and laid down some hard truths, urging me to remember that my background gives me a head start over many young women of colour – because I had the opportunity to learn at home how networking works in the Canadian context. Often when I face adversity, I wonder to myself, is it because of the colour of my skin? Would a man, especially a white man, be treated differently? The answer often is ‘probably’. But alas, there is often nothing to be done but to hold my head high and soldier on. Each Jamaican Independence Day, I stop to consider my incredible ‘head start’ relative to many second-generation Canadians; and resolve to continue to do whatever I can to help others overcome even larger barriers.
