Jamaica Diaspora Conference Opens With Call For Global Justice Advocacy

Jamaicans living on the island and overseas are being encouraged to see themselves as one worldwide Jamaican family, raise their voices on injustices beyond the country's shores, and contribute to national resilience.

The appeal came yesterday from Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, suffragan bishop of Dover and Bishop in Canterbury in the Church of England, as she preached the keynote sermon at Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay, St James. The service opened activities for this week's 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference.

Hudson-Wilkin identified several regional and global concerns, among them the United States' current oil blockade against Cuba and continuing tensions in the Middle East, saying Jamaica should be ready to take a public position.

She told the congregation that no country exists in isolation and that building a more resilient Jamaica requires cooperation, stronger community life, outward engagement and solidarity with people facing injustice wherever it appears.

Hudson-Wilkin also said Jamaicans must show concern not only for people close to them, but also for developments in Cuba, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and the Middle East, because all people share a common humanity and distant suffering cannot be treated as irrelevant.

The blockade affecting Cuba's oil supply started in January after US President Donald Trump issued an executive order warning of severe sanctions against countries that provide oil to the island. Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness responded on February 24 at the opening of the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in St Kitts and Nevis, telling Caribbean leaders they had to speak clearly about Cuba's circumstances and cautioning that the situation could later have consequences for other regional states.

Haiti, meanwhile, remains under pressure from political instability, major kidnappings and violent confrontations involving police and criminal gangs. The Democratic Republic of Congo is dealing with a deadly Ebola outbreak that has drawn international alarm.

Sudan is in the fourth year of its civil war, with hunger and malnutrition among the serious hardships affecting residents. In the Middle East, a recent two-month ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran has come under threat after US strikes on Iran following the downing of an Army helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.

Hudson-Wilkin said Jamaica, as part of the wider human family, has a responsibility to pursue justice and development in ways that reach past national boundaries. She urged Jamaicans to help build a stronger country while remaining calm and purposeful in a world she said is often unsettled and too focused on wealth for its own sake rather than on improving community life.

She also referred to the closing lines of Jamaica's national pledge, highlighting its promise to stand for justice, brotherhood and peace, to work diligently and creatively, and to think generously and honestly so Jamaica may grow in beauty, fellowship and prosperity while playing its part in advancing the welfare of all humanity.

Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, giving brief remarks at the service, said the Jamaica Diaspora Conference is being staged this week under the theme "Diaspora Partnerships: Rebuilding a More Resilient Jamaica". She said the gathering would allow participants to consider Jamaica's potential for growth and development, as well as the vital contribution made by Jamaicans across the global diaspora.