Usain is all over the place and I expect he will be for awhile. As a side note, I hope Elaine Thompson gets the same level of sponsorship. She is, after all, the fastest woman in the world. But here is a new video from the Arch Birds featuring a dancing Usain. It is lovely.
I wrote the other day about the Colour Pink Foundation, and how the needs amongst this group of young transgender women is urgent. They have been attacked again. Here is the incident report:
Around 1:00am Monday August 15, 2016, eight homeless GMT (Gay Men, Men who have sex with Men and Transgender Women) persons were attacked by members of the public. The attack included stones and bottles being thrown at them causing bodily harm, but gasoline was thrown on their personal items and lit on fire and also individuals were attacked while attempting to run for their lives.
Refuge was sought at the New Kingston Police Post by three individuals while the eight others made their way to the water front in Downtown Kingston where they sought comfort in an abandoned building until day break.
Colour Pink Foundation who is the foremost organization in Jamaica advocating for the rights of the Homeless and Sofa Surfing GMT and LGBT population has set up a Go Fund Me account to assist these individuals with getting clothes and their medications which were destroyed along with other sanitary and hygiene materials.
All donations count, as such please click the link to show your support and share within your network.
LINK:
The night that Usain Bolt won his record-breaking gold medal for the 100m, the skies over Kingston were thundering and lightening was flashing. It seems nature was celebrating as well.
The win also caused two terminals at JFK Airport in New York to shut down. It seems the celebrations as people gathered to watch the race in the terminals were too loud, and someone perceived the ruckus to be gunshots. So authorities cleared the terminals for several hours. Thankfully, it was a false alarm.
Congratulations Usain Bolt. He became the first athlete to win three 100m Gold medals, beating American Justin Gatlin and Canadian Andre De Grasse with a time of 9.83 (although I am also seing 9.81 and 9.86. I wonder why the discrepancy).
I’m certain the entire island of Jamaica was watching the race last night. We heard the pounding of the speakers from HalfWay Tree, where thousand celebrated. But we couldn’t watch the race. A transformer blew right outside our house so the power went off just when he was running. What a controversy.
And this weekend, Elaine Thompson won a gold in the women’s 100m. Jamaicans now have the fastest man and woman in the world. A beautiful thing.
A young entrepreneur in my building.
They roam the streets at night because they have been kicked out of their communities and homes. They often need medical attention but are afraid to seek help for fear of discrimination. They are shot at, have rocks are thrown at them, have their belongings set on fire, are chased out of wherever they settle and are stabbed. They do not feel safe anywhere and they travel in groups to protect one another. Or they “kotch” on sofas of sympathetic friends and family. And prior to being kicked out by authorities, they lived in an underground drain, where they would be flooded out when it rained.
This is a fraction of Jamaica’s population- gay men, men who have sex with men, bisexual men, lesbians or transgender individuals. And while there are shelters in Jamaica, these individuals do not feel safe there, and they are often overcrowded.
This population has gained international attention in the past- VICE did a feature, as well as several other media outlets. But nothing usually comes of it. These individuals complain that the media talks to them, takes their time but never helps them. And they don’t see much, if any help, from government. So of course it is left to the NGO community- J-FLAG and the Colour Pink Foundation.
CPF is now spearheading a Gofundme campaign, which is aimed at raising money for clothing, food, shelter and medical care. CPF has already done some wonderful things in terms of skills training, and in fact dozens of beneficiaries are now working full time. I can attest to the efficacy of CPF, having sat in on several training sessions and graduation ceremonies. The young men, before your eyes, transformed into people with a sense of self esteem and agency.
So how can you help? CPF is embarking on a Gofundme campaign. Check it out here.
And check out my past posts on CPF here, here and their Facebook page. The Youtube video is CPF founder Jessica.
I visited the campus of the University of Technology yesterday, where I will be teaching a journalism course this semester. This is the Caribbean Sculpture Park, which consists of several metal sculptures. It is a nice oasis in this hectic place.
A man prepares snacks to sell while a young boy waits on Hope Road.
The lobby of the Pegasus Hotel, decorated for the Olympics. It will be packed when the track and field events air, I’m sure. Apparently it was standing-room only during opening ceremonies, only to clear out the second the procession of the Jamaican delegation ended.
Uh oh…seems like the reportedly horrible conditions of the Olympic village are affecting the Jamaican athletes now down there to compete. They shot this video, which has now gone viral. Let’s hope it doesn’t affect their performance.
Jamaican Journal 