Celebrate and respect African values

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I warmly welcome the landmark ruling by the Court of Appeal in Jamaica, affirming the rights of a young girl to wear her dreadlocked hair to school. This decision, which upheld the constitutional rights to ‘freedom of expression’ and ‘equitable treatment’ for all Jamaicans, is monumental in its significance and scope, as it demonstrates the need to continuously monitor and safeguard the human rights and dignity of all Jamaicans.

We were shocked to see the Government of Jamaica using taxpayer’s dollars to defend the decision taken by Kensington Primary School. For us, therefore, the current ruling is a victory not only for Jamaica as a whole, but for Rastafari and People of African Descent globally who continue to grapple with the various forms of systemic discrimination (direct and indirect), on the basis of their African identity, expressions and beliefs. We take the opportunity to recognise the recorded sacrifices of our Indigenous Rastafari community members who have similarly faced marginalisation, persecution, and discrimination for decades, which resulted in the deprivation of their rights to see themselves as Africans living in Jamaica.

No doubt, the ruling has dented the culture of denial where such acts are often not subject to accountability, or even course correction. As a nationm we must now further turn our attention to the systemic nature of the discrimination which resulted in this landmark decision. We have to create room in our Constitution to deal with other forms of discrimination, such as broadening the definition of ‘racial discrimination’ to provide further remedy for the known sets of racialised norms that have been embedded in our laws, our policies and our practices, which open the door to atrocities and segregation of our people.

We have to start with the social construct of race as a historical reality which created in Jamaica the impetus towards systemic discrimination in education, housing, health, employment, etc, against people whose physical attributes and expressions are considered “less than” . We need to go further to abolish archaic legislations and policies that seek to discriminate against persons on the basis of social class, racial attributes (including hairstyles, hue) and adopt measures aimed at securing rights, while sensitising state actors on the obligations of equality and non-discrimination.

Let us continue to build on this momentum, creating the ‘Out of Many One’ Jamaica where our Africanness is also celebrated, and the African identity is equally valued and respected. We are proud to be part of this global movement for justice and equality.

ANGELA BROWN BURKE

Opposition Spokesperson on Foreign and Regional Affairs