THE MONTH OF March has ended. This is a month of conflict as we recall the major negatives while also celebrating the significant international acknowledgment that cries out for embracement.
March has long been defined by the Ides of March. This is the occasion on which the senators conspired and assassinated Caesar. It has therefore become a month in which betrayal and disloyalty are recalled. The month must mean more than this, no matter how hurtful.
The month of March is recognised and known as International Women’s Month. This is heart wrenching to me as I recalland give thanks to the many women who have made my life that much better and who have made this world a much more pleasurable place to live.
I grew up as just one of many youngsters in a genuine nuclear family. Our parents were there, but we all accepted our grandmother as the family matriarch who worked very hard and who was the main and most impactful source of discipline. Love to you gran!
Then there was my mother. Through her I was allowed to see first-hand what hard work and fatigue were. She worked the double shifts because she had two young boys to feed, clothe and educate. She saw sacrifice as her role. You were my first and best teacher, mom.
Most of us had impactful girlfriends and lovers who were there for us. I was no exception and give thanks as they encouraged emotional growth in me. Today, I am at a point where I salute my wife who has taken a house and made it into a home for me. That’s all a man can ask for.
A man can never live out all of his dreams no matter how hard he tries. We can only do our part and then have vicarious pleasure through the lives of our children. I am more fortunate than most, because I have both a daughter and a granddaughter. They add years to my life.
I give thanks to Miss Babb (who flogged me at primary school), Miss Rock who opened my heart to literature at CP, Miss Ross who never stopped telling me how special I was at Nyack High and Professor Liz Mansfield whose creative writing classes at university ignited curiosity in me.
I honour the strength of Dame Nita Barrow (who allows me a memory of sharing a plate of pudding and souse with her); Dame Hilda Bynoe whose sons, my friends at university, showed me the reasons to respect and appreciate her. To these two women, I add Michelle Obama for the simple class and quality by which she carried herself as first lady.
This world has also been blessed with strong female political leaders. So I extend respect to persons like Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, Eugenia Charles and Aung San Suu Kyi. They withstood great challenges and showed the world why the female is the stronger sex.
True progress is always preceded by strong agitation and examples of high standards. With this in mind, I am proud of the efforts of Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Dame Elsie Payne, Dame Maisie Barker-Welch, Dame Ermie Bourne and Nalita Gajadhar. This world is much better for their efforts.
In sport and culture, we big up Diana Ross (I recall the riot in 1966 and my drenching in 1983 in Central Park), Barbara Streisand (and our meeting while filming “The Way We Were” on my college campus). Thanks also to Serena Williams, Joan Baez, Ella Fitzgerald and Miriam Makeba.
The month has ended and we, as Barbadians, countrymen of Janice Millington, Chelsea Tuach, Patsy Callender and Sheryl Hackett, can thump our chests and say: “We love you, Ri Ri,” our Bajan superstar. Celebrate this month, and let us all respect and honour our women!
Jeff Broomes is an experienced educator, principal and community organiser who also served as vice president of the BCA and director of the WICB. Email: unclejeff2@hotmail.com