Always Trust God and Believe in Yourself

Today I want to take some time to encourage young people especially my younger family members and especially the ones in Montego Bay to keep believing in yourself no matter what your present situation. Your situation does not define who you are. Unless you are born rich, the only way to be successful in life is through hard work. Never trust get rich schemes and fast money. Remove yourself from anyone who tells you otherwise. Whether you work hard at a skill or trade or you study hard in college and work towards obtaining an academic degree. If you place yourself in the right place at the right time, doors of opportunity will open for you. There is no formula and it is not magic. It is just the way life works. Here are some steps that I took that opened opportunities for me.

1. Firm belief in God.

2. Registering for College

3.  Hard work

4. Surrounding myself with positive friends who had ambition

5. Volunteering

Here are some of the rewards I received for taking those steps

I got the opportunity to receive an all expenses paid trip to Washington DC to visit the office of United States Senators. That opportunity opened up further doors for me and the experience  I received is one that no one can ever take from me. 

In summary, always trust in God and keep believing in yourself. Never trust get rich schemes. Work hard and one day you will achieve success.

Encouragement to my Family in Jamaica

To my younger cousins in Jamaica, I know crime is spiraling out of control and things are hard and seems only to get worse, but I just want to encourage you to keep  believing in God and keep praying. I can tell you that because prayer worked for me. Please don’t turn to scamming because your friend is doing it and it seems like the quickest way out of your problems. Get rich schemes never work and you could end up in jail or worse. I just want to urge you to have faith no matter how hard your situation. Hard work always pays off. Work hard. Save your money. Choose your friends wisely. Ask God for what you want and he will give it to you.

Major Flooding In Downtown Montego Bay

I understand that a lot of new buildings have been constructed in downtown Montego Bay. But have the city planning authorities also put in place proper infrastructure to facilitate drainage during times of heavy rain? If I remember correctly from my geography class the soil in Montego Bay allows for water to pass through very quickly in times of heavy rain. If this soil is covered in concrete ( which is not natural ) and the water has no where to go, this may contribute to the massive flooding. So in summary, proper planning for new infrastructure is important to prevent flooding. Why am I posting this on Facebook? To educate all my younger family members who may one day become leaders. And since Facebook, Twitter, blogger and other social media (not school) is where everyone learns nowadays, what better place to discuss this?

Dear Montego Bay, Stop Killing Your Family

Dear Montego Bay, our ancestors all came to Jamaica on the same boat so we are all related. The Africans, the Chinese, the Indians all came over on the boat at different times to work on plantations and then all of them had babies together because that was their favorite thing to do and that’s how we the descendants came to Montego Bay. So we are all cousins and the land belongs to all of us. None is better than the other. We are all equal. So why are we killing our own cousins in Montego Bay. Even if someone isn’t your cousin, you probably went to school with them or grew up in the same community and played Dandy Shandy together, so let us stop pretending like we don’t know who these “killers” are. So now that we have all come to the shocking realization that we are all related, stop waiting on the government to solve our problems. Let us own the problem and do something about it. The next time you go to Sam Sharpe Square, and a random person walks past you, that person could be your distant cousin and share your DNA. Look at that person as a possible family member even if he or she is black, chinese, Indian, white or mixed. Stop killing each other.

I have failed my family in Montego Bay

The first time I wrote this blog, many people didn't get it. So let me help you out. When you read this blog, whenever you see "I" or "my", insert your name...and whenever you see "Montego Bay", insert the name of your city, town, district or village...


Dear Montego Bay ( and the rest of Jamaica),

Let us stop the hypocrisy and denial right now! Who is to be blamed for the generation of cold, heartless killers in Montego bay?  We are. We cannot point fingers at anyone else but ourselves. Who are these cold , heartless killers? These vipers that are killing people?  They are our family. They are our sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, cousins, uncles, aunts…they are our family. Yes, these cold heartless killers are my sons, my daughters, my nieces, my nephews, my cousins, my uncles, my aunts, my husbands, my wives, my boyfriends, my girlfriends my best friends, ,my neighbors. Yes my family is killing people and scamming elderly American citizens of their lifesavings, their 401K and retirement plans. We can try to distance ourselves from these “murderers and suicidal youths” and point fingers at the government…or we can accept the fact that we have failed these brilliant young minds and allowed them to become the senseless killers they are today. Not just “we”, but “me”. Not “they” have failed the youths, but “I” have failed my family in Montego bay.

Now it has hit close to home. It has become uncomfortable. The government has imposed a curfew on Mt Salem. My childhood community.

Let me stay over here in denial and pretend like I didn’t grow up with these heartless killers. Let me point fingers at “these kids nowadays” and their wicked, lazy parents. Who are these kids? Who do they belong to?  You saw these kids being born at Cornwall Regional Hospital. You were at their baby showers.You taught these kids at school. You gave them lunch money. Their parents loaned you money to buy your first car. You slept on their parents couch when your landlord evicted you. Their parents loaned you money to buy your plane ticket to go to school in Miami, with the hope that you would remember them and help them one day.  So now that you have a job, have a home, have a nice car, your kids are at the university, how dare you turn your back on these kids who are your own blood. They are not your children? Then who do they belong to? They are not your family? Then whose family are they? Let me get this straight. You watched these kids grow up in the same community, same tenement yard that you did, they have your last name, they have your DNA and now that they have become senseless killers you don’t know them. Stop the lies. Stop the hypocrisy! These kids are our family. Yes, these kids are raping, stealing, scamming, killing, hooked on drugs and alcohol. No we cant take them back to the store like some rotten tomatoes. We have to deal with who they have become and help them regain control of their lives. No this problem cant be fixed by tomorrow morning. It cant be fixed by throwing all of them in jail either. These problems are going to take more than 20 years or more to fix. We are going to need pastors, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, counselors, teachers. We are going to need a mother’s love. A father’s love. We are going to need the type of patience, understanding, caring only loving families can give.

But it’s not my problem you may say…as long as I go to work and I come home and my family is not killed, I don’t have to worry about them. Nothing can be done about them. Let the government, put more money into building more prisons an training more police for them.

So whose fault is it? How did they become this way?

It’s actually my fault.

Yes. My fault. I stood by and watched  selfish businessmen build all-inclusive hotels and I did not demand from my local government to mandate that these businessmen invest in programs to help my family;

I just stood there and said nothing, did nothing while my local government allowed foreign investors to use my kids in call centers and disgrace me and my kids by accusing us of being thieves and scammers, after they scammed me out of the millions they were making from these call centers while only paying me below minimum wage;

 I just stood there and did nothing when selfish business men demanded that my kids give their clients service with a smile and allowed them to convince me that me and my kids should accept no tips;

 I just stand there, did nothing and said nothing while millions of tourists visit my home with the intention of giving me money in return for my hospitality and service, and I watched as selfish business owners benefitted from these tourists and did not hold my local government accountable for ensuring that the money stays in the local economy;

 Yes. I did that. Me.

So you think we should just throw all of our family members in jail? Really? Who is going to take care of you when you are old? Who is going to continue to build your community that you will live in when you are old? Yes. These heartless senseless killers. When they return from prison, they are coming back for you.

How am I going to fix the problem of my family who have become murderers and suicidal youths? First I have to admit that I have been in denial. Then I have to take ownership of my mistakes. Then I have to put away my pride and seek help for the problems my family face. I have to accept that these murderers and suicidal youths are brilliant young minds that have been allowed to become corrupted and that they are worth saving. I have to seek help for my kids before they become murderous and suicidal. Whatever happened to teaching children about morals and values?  I have to teach my child right from wrong. I have to teach and show my child discipline.  I have to help my child understand that there are consequences to every decision, whether that decision is right or wrong. I have to teach my child to be accountable for his or her actions. I have to speak up when I see other parents allowing their children to do wrong. I have to hold my family, my friends and members of my community accountable for the decisions they allow their children to make. If I don't take the time to train my children correctly and work with my community to ensure that all the children are being raised with morals and values, I can't just expect the government to rush in and fix the problem when my children grow up to be murderous, suicidal, cold, heartless vipers. I have to realise that it is going to be a long, hard, painful process, but in the end it is worth it. Because with God, as long as there is life, there is hope.

Community Builders: Professor Marilyn Douglas-Jones

The work of many women who help to build our community often go unnoticed. I will be doing a series of blogs to recognize the work of some exceptional women in my community and their impact on my life.

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for life” Marilyn Douglas-Jones understands this principle very well and her community service shows that she practices this principle everyday by teaching many young people how to “fish”. I first met Professor Douglas-Jones at a Jamaica Foundation of Houston meeting. I told her about my academic goals to complete my degree and she immediately informed me about many scholarship opportunities, student honor societies and other organizations that could help me realize my goals. She introduced me to organizations which include Phi Theta Kappa, Caribbean Chamber of Commerce, Missouri City Domino Club. She also encouraged me to apply for scholarships available through Phi Theta Kappa, the Jamaica Foundation of Houston, Trinidad and Tobago Association of Houston, the Missouri City Domino Club.

Over the years, whenever I needed guidance in navigating my way through the difficulties of College life, Professor Jones was one of the first numbers I would call to receive advice on the right decisions I needed to make. Professor Jones always gave me the advice I needed to move past that particular obstacle. Many students  have learned valuable life skills through her work at Houston Community College or her involvement in organizations like Phi Theta Kappa, the Jamaica Foundation of Houston, the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce and many other community service organizations in Texas and the Carribean.

Professor Douglas-Jones continues to be active in the Caribbean Community in Houston by being on the executive boards of many Caribbean and Houston based organizations, teaching Caribbean culture, organizing events, advocating for the needs of students and mentoring young people.  

Community Builders: Sijolie Braham

The work of many women who help to build our community often go unnoticed. I will be doing a series of blogs to recognize the work of some exceptional women in my community and their impact on my life.

Sijolie Braham is the founder and president of the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Houston. As a leader in the Carribean community of Houston, she uses her platform to educate members of the Caribbean community, especially small business owners on their rights and responsibilities while doing business in Houston, and how to equip themselves to survive in today’s society where skills like computer literacy, knowledge of e-commerce and networking with Houston’s diverse international community.

As President of the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Houston, Ms Braham is very active in the Caribbean community. To promote the mission of the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce of Houston which  is “Advocating the Economic Interests and Development of Caribbean Communities in Texas,” she hosts regular meetings, workshops, networking events and Caribbean themed events. She also participates in community development activities  by other organizations such as The Jamaica Foundation of Houston, Missouri city Domino Club, Houston Caribbean festival and many others.

Ms Braham’s mission of serving the community is exemplary to the Caribbean community, especially it’s youth. She works everyday towards seeing her vision of the Caribbean small business owners realizing the resources available to them, recognizing the quiet revolution taking place in the new international commerce center of Houston and taking advantage of the resources. Ms Braham continues to work towards educating and equipping Caribbean nationals with the tools necessary to survive in Houston which is rapidly expanding and developing to accommodate the exponential growth of diversity. This growth in diversity will then promote even more opportunities for trade between caribean small businesses and organizations and countries all over the world. Ms Braham is never too busy to inform individuals who seek her advice on how they can learn the skills required.

Ms Braham can be contacted at the following address:

Caribbean Chamber of Commerce Houston

PO Box 628, Houston, Texas, 77001

www.caribbeanchamber.org

Contact@Caribbeanchamber.org

281-652-8404