Legacy of Heroes Highlighted

Jamaica National Building Society’s (JNBS) Regional Manager for St. Catherine for the Christine Long, has called on Jamaicans to use the foundation set by their forefathers to further develop and sustain the legacy of freedom, which is enshrined in the recognition and celebration of our heroes.
Delivering the main address at a floral tribute to ancestors at the Phillipo Baptist Church in Spanish Town, on Wednesday (Oct. 15) as part of a series of activities put on by the St. Catherine Parish Council and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Mrs. Long said Jamaicans now enjoy a legacy of freedom gained through the blood, sweat, and tears of ancestors and heroes.
“They didn’t benefit from it. They dreamed of it and set the pace, so we can have it today. Their work has allowed us to be who we are, (and) progress as a people,” she said, adding that the impact of the struggles of the country’s heroes on today’s generation was significant, and permeated throughout all areas of the society.
“We can live where we chose to, marry who we want, those are some of the legacy’s that we’ve gotten from the struggles of our forefathers,” she noted.
Mrs. Long said the tenacity and focus of the country’s athletes, who brought such glory and attention on the world stage, was a fitting example of the legacy of the nation’s heroes who never gave up. “Look at the determination and resilience of Paul Bogle, who walked 45 miles on stone and rocks and came to Spanish Town, and was not given an audience; but he didn’t give up the struggle. Sam Sharpe said he would prefer to die than live in slavery. So it is, that determination that came out in our athletes and in other persons that we see with a determination to do well,” she told JIS news.
Praising the JCDC for its continued work, Mrs. Long called on corporate entities to take a more active role in sponsoring activities, that would highlight the struggles and achievements of ancestors. “If there is more support, more people who will come out and speak strongly about how we got to where are now, certainly our young people will get a better focus,” she told JIS News.