I read, with delight, an article in the newspaper today about the academic exploits of Yasheka Magaroo, a wonderful student from a traditional high school, yes, not a sporting academy, called Titchfield. Despite, the unfittingly tame headline, I read the entire article, and came away with a sense of hope for my country. She got 10 distinctions, yes 10 on the regional examination. Then further down was an article about Gariel Grant, a wonderful Campion College student who got 9, yes 9 distinctions in the same exam.
Both are brilliant, but Yasheka especially hit my heart, for selfish reasons, I might add. When I was young, I used to spend some summers with the Indian side of my family, in a little town in Portland called West Retreat. There was a Mangaroo family living there , very humble, and like the rest of the citizens of that rural community, located not far from Port Antonio, very pleasant and had a real sense of community. Descendants of Indian and Chinese ******s, and African slaves lived in love and like Burning Spear would say, "With hearts beating in one harmony". Everybody attended each others weddings, dances, and I attended several annual "Husseys", I think it used to be called in those days. This was an Indian festival where a small house.adorned with bright flowers, was carried on the shoulders of several men, in a parade. There was no X6/X5, pumping of sewer gas in the brains of the children by men on stages with microphones, skin bleaching, gun salute. don, weaves, tatoos, skinny jeans, or blackberry. It was a simple life, a good, but not perfect life.
I am not sure, but I strongly suspect that Yasheka is a descendant of that same community of hearts beating in harmony. I hope she keeps up the excellent work, and if she is of the original West Retreat Mangaroos, I have no doubt that she will.
Both are brilliant, but Yasheka especially hit my heart, for selfish reasons, I might add. When I was young, I used to spend some summers with the Indian side of my family, in a little town in Portland called West Retreat. There was a Mangaroo family living there , very humble, and like the rest of the citizens of that rural community, located not far from Port Antonio, very pleasant and had a real sense of community. Descendants of Indian and Chinese ******s, and African slaves lived in love and like Burning Spear would say, "With hearts beating in one harmony". Everybody attended each others weddings, dances, and I attended several annual "Husseys", I think it used to be called in those days. This was an Indian festival where a small house.adorned with bright flowers, was carried on the shoulders of several men, in a parade. There was no X6/X5, pumping of sewer gas in the brains of the children by men on stages with microphones, skin bleaching, gun salute. don, weaves, tatoos, skinny jeans, or blackberry. It was a simple life, a good, but not perfect life.
I am not sure, but I strongly suspect that Yasheka is a descendant of that same community of hearts beating in harmony. I hope she keeps up the excellent work, and if she is of the original West Retreat Mangaroos, I have no doubt that she will.
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