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Harcourt Fuller's bittersweet homecoming
Published: Monday | July 19, 2010
Harcourt Fuller (right) and his father Ashley. - Contributed
Paul H. Williams, Gleaner Writer
Last week, we featured Harcourt Fuller's rise from poverty, in one of the Corporate Area's inner-city communities, to his pursuit of a PhD at the prestigious London School of Economics. [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR]But amid Harcourt's joy, there is more than a tinge of sadness and heartbreak.
"Over the years, most of my childhood friends have been killed in the violence, including my two best friends," Fuller had said. "Just last year, the only true childhood friend that I had left in Jamaica was shot to death in [St James] so that others could steal his goats."
He also said the passing of these honest, hard-working men had left a bittersweet flavour in his life - happiness for the great memories he has of them, and sadness for their senseless killings, "so sadly symbolic of the trajectory of Jamaican society for far too long".
However, very recently, when Fuller visited Jamaica for a family wedding, his sorrow was intensified.
The seemingly bleak future of the three young daughters of his two deceased friends is the basis of his discontent. He is disturbed because, not only have the girls been robbed of their fathers, but the void created by their loss is affecting them in many ways. They are bright, articulate, talented and very ambitious, but they are facing challenges that could pull them through the cracks and which could have been less intense were their fathers alive.
Taking it hard
Marion, 19, seems to be taking it the hardest as she was very close to her father, the man she said had bought her so many books, she could open a bookstore.
"Sometimes, I am the first person in class to get all my books. If I should say, 'Daddy, I need 20 books and one skirt', I would get the 20 books before the one skirt," she said, while noting that she found her grade-one booklist and report in his belongings after he died.
The tall and statuesque unemployed high-school graduate is a
[COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR]multi-talented young woman who wants to continue her education, but has [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR] no money to do so. She was enrolled in school when the life of her father, who was a chef, farmer, fisherman, tailor and builder, was snuffed out. She had to discontinue because of lack of finances and depression over her loss.
"I was all my father had ... What hurts me the most is that nothing has been done about it. An innocent life has been taken and nobody cares," Marion said sobbingly in a sit-down with The Gleaner.
Fuller reached out and gave Marion, who wants a career in either law, teaching or theatre, a comforting hug as she broke down upon retelling the circumstances under which her father died, and how she heard the news of his death. The other two girls, the daughters of Fuller's other deceased friend and Marion's cousins, looked on, tears welling up in their eyes.
Following the heart-rending moment, Fuller made an appeal to the Government, the private sector, and institutions of higher learning to assist [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] Marion in whatever way they could "so that she can realise her dreams". He said the last time they spoke, Marion's father said he wanted his daughter to go to college[COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR]. Now that he's no longer around, Fuller wants to make sure the wishes of his departed friend come true.
"As someone from the inner city ... where we are never supposed to achieve anything, and as someone who was fortunate enough to earn a PhD, I am appealing to Jamaica. Here is an opportunity for Jamaica to help one of our own," he said.
Yet, the one who seems to be more at risk is Cindy. The 14-year-old star athlete, who lost her father five years ago, is having some serious psychological problems because of a recent traumatic incident in her community. Her grades are slipping as a result, and she is in dire need of counselling, "so that she can get back on track".
Fuller said emphatically: "It is of utmost importance that she be immediately removed from the community."
STORY NOT UNIQUE
Against this backdrop, and in looking at the unequal opportunities that exist in Jamaican communities and schools, Fuller went on to say: "I know my story is not unique. I know that there are other youths in the ghetto who have the same personal drive, and the same potential, but the challenges are too many ... I want them to get opportunities, and society to embrace them. We shouldn't just be supporting people from the elite schools ... We are all Jamaicans, and every Jamaican deserves a chance, as long as the person can say, 'I want it'."
Shelly, the youngest of the three, seems to possess that I-want-it factor. She sits the Grade Six Achievement Test next year and said she was preparing herself for the big tests. Yet, Fuller said she, too, needed help in many ways. Though he regards them as his "daughters", he has to return to his wife and two-year-old daughter in Boston, and to his career. While he will do whatever he can from afar, he's hoping that substantial help will come for these girls, so that one day they, too, can achieve what he has.
He declared: "Every child is special, and we need to give that child a chance to shine as I have done, through my own initiatives, and through the assistance of family, friends, community and nation; and the opportunities presented to me, and which I took advantage of. I want them to have the same experiences, in their own right."
Names changed to protect the privacy of the young ladies.
paul.williams@gleanerjm.com