Minister Johnson Smith Hails Female Trailblazers

Scores of Jamaican women, who are pioneers in their fields, have been hailed by Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, for driving
meaningful change in the society.

The women, who are involved business, politics, entertainment, academia, media among other areas, were celebrated at a recent International Women’s Day (IWD) event held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.

Senator Johnson Smith, who was honoured for being the first woman to head the Foreign Ministry, said that her career in politics has offered her a powerful platform to change things for the better.

Congratulating the honourees, she said they reflected the scope of service to Jamaica, and they should be celebrated.

Speaking on the IWD theme: ‘Accelerate Action for ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,’ she noted that as women “we accelerate action by striving to be our best selves every day.”

“Continue to serve, continue to accelerate action, continue to be great, continue to be a Jamaican woman excellence,” she urged.

She hailed the Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA) for organising the IWD event to recognise the female trailblasers.

“We must continue to celebrate the first, even as we look for the day when there are no more firsts, but until then, we celebrate them, we acknowledge them, and we recognise the power that we manifest as we move forward together,” she said.

For her part, Principal Director in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Sharon Coburn Robinson, who was also honoured, noted that the event not only recognised outstanding women “but those we call unsung heroines, women working quietly and steadily in the background.”