Emancipation Park or Usain Bolt Park

                                         Emancipation Park Kingston Jamaica

ONE OF the most enthusiastically sung lines from Bob Marley is his delivery of Marcus Garvey's command to, "emancipate yourselves from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds". While it is generally recognized, if not embraced, that Christopher Columbus did not discover anywhere and the African people did not begin their existence as slaves, emancipation from mental slavery goes beyond the general rewriting our story. In our daily lives, as a people, we celebrate and elevate the very things that enslaves us to positions of pride.

Hon Marcus Garvey,"emancipate yourself from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds".

Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. was born in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica to Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Sr., a mason, and Sarah Jane Richards, a domestic worker. Of eleven siblings, only Marcus, the youngest, and his sister Indiana survived until maturity. His family was financially stable given the circumstances of this time period. Therefore, Garvey's father could afford to maintain a large library, and it was from his father that Marcus Garvey  gained his love for reading. He also attended the elementary schools in St. Ann's Bay during his youth.  While attending these schools, Garvey first began to experience racism. When he was younger, he used to be friends and play with his white neighbors. However, when they reached their teenage years, they began to shun him. Sometime in 1900, Garvey entered into an apprenticeship with his uncle, Alfred Burrowes, who also had an extensive library, of which young Marcus made good use.

Is the 4-h Club dying?

By 2020 the Jamaica 4-H Clubs will become the leading youth leadership organization in the Caribbean.

The goal of 4-H Club is to develop citizenship, foster youth leadership, responsibility and life skills of youth through experiential learning programs and a positive youth development approach. Though typically thought of as an agriculturally focused organization as a result of its history, 4-H Club today focuses on citizenship, healthy living, science, engineering, and technology programs

The foundations of 4-H Club began around the start of the twentieth century, with the work of several people in different parts of the United States. The focal point of 4-H Club has been the idea of practical mentoring programs for youth and hands-on learning, which came from the desire to make public school education more connected to rural life. Early programs tied both public and private resources together to benefit rural youth.

The 4-H Club  program aims to educate youth in arts and sciences and encourage fellowship through,community youth programs and service opportunities. With continued urban sprawl, 4-H Clubs continues to develop new projects like life skills for youth for its members well beyond the traditional agriculture, animal husbandry,  photography, conservation, cooking, public speaking, sports shooting , history, art, leadership program for youth and other life skills.

4-h membership hit an all-time high in 1974 as a result of its popular educational program about nutrition, Mulligan Stew, shown in schools and on television across the country. Today, 4-h clubs and activities are no longer focused primarily on agricultural activities, instead emphasizing personal growth and preparation for lifelong learning. Participation is greatest during the elementary school years, with enrollment in programs and activities peaking in the 4th grade.

The 4-H Pledge

"I pledge my head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service,
and my health to better living,
for my club, my community, my country, and my world."

The Jamaica 4-H Clubs is now in its 73rd year of existence and over that time we have distinguished ourselves as an organization to be reckoned with. Our reputation and our proven track record in training the nation’s youth is a standard not to be taken lightly. At this juncture, there has been a change of the guard in terms of leadership. On May 1, 2013 the mantle was transferred to me, so I have taken up the task of standard bearer. It is a task that I am deeply honored to receive and I humbly accept.

Michael Manley

Michael Manley

Michael Norman Manley ON OCC (December 10, 1924 – March 6, 1997) was the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica (1972–1980, 1989–1992). Manley was a democratic socialist.

The second son of Jamaica's Premier Norman Washington Manley and Jamaican artist Edna Manley, Michael Manley was a charismatic figure who became the leader of the Jamaican People's National Party a few months before his father's death in 1969.

Manley defeated unpopular incumbent Prime Minister Hugh Shearer (his cousin) in the election of 1972 on the platform of "Better must come", "Giving power to the people" and leading "a government of truth".

Manley instituted a series of Social and Economic reforms that yielded mixed success. Though he was a biracial Jamaican from an elite family, Manley's successful Trade Union background helped him to maintain a close relationship with the country's poor, black majority, and he was a dynamic, popular leader. Unlike his father, who had a reputation for being formal and business like, the younger Manley moved easily among people of all strata and made Parliament accessible to the people by abolishing the requirement for men to wear Jackets and Ties to its sittings. In this regard he started a fashion revolution, often preferring the Kariba Suit which was a type of formal bush or Safari Jacket with trousers and worn without a shirt and tie popularly worn by African Leaders.