Devon DickRECENTLY, FIRST Caribbean Bank recognised some unsung heroes of Jamaica, which was consistent with the last celebration of National Heritage Week, highlighting unsung heroes.
In a similar vein, Eunice McGhie Belgrave, MBE, is one unsung hero.
Jamaican-born, Mrs. Belgrave, has been living in Birmingham for over 30 years and last August was awarded the MBE from the monarch of England and Jamaica, Queen Elizabeth, for outstanding services in community relations.
Mrs. Belgrave, a Christian lady, got spurred into action after the riots in Handsworth, Birmingham in the 1980s.
She pioneered changes in the school curriculum by insisting that hygiene training and basic skills training should be an integral part of the development of young persons. She has also worked with schools on mental health issues and crime prevention.
As part of the cosmopolitan city of Birmingham,Mrs. Belgrave has facilitated learning about other cultures thereby lessening racial tension in that multi-racial society.
She is also well-known for founding the Shades of Black organisation, which aims to use social activities to avoid racial tension in the community. That group encourages persons to make use of the resources that are available to meet the needs of the community.
At the age of seventy, she is involved in two school-based projects namely HELP (Healing, Enabling, Learning and Promoting) and BESTISA (Basic Education Skills Training In Sewing Arts).
Established in 1999, the HELP project is a tripartite partnership with Handsworth Wood Girls School, the Uplands Allotment Association and the Birmingham City Council.
BENEFITS THROUGH GARDENING
This project commenced with eight pupils but, by 2002, had grown to 58 from three schools.
The project enables students to be involved in positive learning through gardening. The children visit and work in their plots once a week. They plant vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers.
From this academic and agricultural experience, where the pupils have to record what they have done via writing, drawing, audio, video and photographs, they learn to appreciate the delights of home-grown fruits and vegetables.
There are other benefits from this project. HELP has received many prizes at gardening shows including the prestigious Gardeners Weekend. Their work has been acknowledged on BBC's Gardeners World, radio and in print.
In addition, after the produce is harvested in September and subsequent to the annual harvest festival organised by the Uplands Allotment Association, a donation is made to the elderly. This activity helps to bridge the generation gap between the old and the young.
The BESTISA project encourages students to design their own fashions. They are taught the basics of sewing, pattern reading, needle work, fabric technology, garment care and colour co-ordinates.
Mrs. Belgrave is an example in so many ways. She is, among other things, a teacher teaching young people to be positive about themselves, to respect themselves and others and to use the available resources wisely.
There are some other important features about this woman that are commendable. The Handsworth riots were a catalyst for action. This has been a model also in Jamaica.
CATALYST FOR ACTION
The 1831 rebellion was a catalyst for emancipation; the 1865 rebellion a catalyst for better governance and for Britain moving from Empire to Commonwealth.
The 1938 labour riots led to the granting of Universal Adult Suffrage and the Roman Catholics leading in the establishment of credit unions.
The Church has had such a history of riots, rebellions and disasters spurring action. A similar thing happened in the Eastern Caribbean.
In May 1979, the Association of Evangelical Churches in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (AECSVG) was birthed to co-ordinate a response to the La Soufriere volcanic eruption.
That organisation has since lowered the denominational barriers, instituted the ecumenical Keswick Convention since 1992 and also assisted in developing a solution to the country's political unrest in 2000.
The million-dollar question is what have we learnt and done since the 1999 April gas riots?
Hopefully, the devastation after the passage of Hurricane Ivan can be a wake-up call to the Caribbean to do things differently and better.
AGE NO FACTOR
Mrs. Belgrave also proves that age is just a number and life begins at 70. Our elderly persons have a lot to contribute. She reminds us of the importance of the young being involved in agriculture.
The syllabus of the Jamaican schools should reflect this and not only vocational and agricultural schools but also traditional high schools. Many academic programmes could be enhanced with a home-grown agricultural/horticultural project.
Hopefully, the unsung hero after the Handsworth Riots, Birmingham, Eunice McGhie Belgrave, MBE, could be an inspiration to all.
The Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church and author of 'Rebellion to Riot: The Church in Nation-building'.
