SUNDAY 7 APRIL 2019 – UWI TODAY
9
ADVOCACY
In celebration of International Women’s Day,
commemorated globally on March 8, The UWI’s
Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS)
joined a coalition of organisations to host the third
successful Women’s Rights Rally and March at the
Queen’s Park Savannah (Opposite Whitehall) under
the theme “
Demand Better – March for Gender Justice
!”
On Saturday, March 9, right after Carnival, all were
invited to “Bring Yuh Message and Come”.
We built upon the daring coalition speaking out
against violence and injustice that began with the “Life
in Leggings Solidarity Regional March” in 2017. In
2018, we continued this coalition calling everyone to
“Speak Your Truth” for empowerment of women and
girls and to be fearless in pushing for progress. In 2019,
we demanded better for gender equity and equality, for
women’s rights, for sexual rights, for human rights, and
justice for all. We came out to celebrate women.
The event started with an Information Fair,
including counselling services (wholeness and wellness
counselling), legal advice, resources from community
organisations, and more. Hundreds of people joined,
some wearing mas’ costumes and bringing messages
of gender justice. We marched around the Savannah
with empowering music, chants led by Womantra and
a tassa band. Organisations and individuals raised
their concerns through messages of defiance and
empowerment on placards, t-shirts, banners, and flags.
The one hour rally, hosted by Gerelle Forbes,
showcased a variety of voices and perspectives
through short remarks and performances including
T&T Sweet Tassa International; a spoken word poetry
group from St Georges College; songs by Georgia
McIntyre, Morisha Ransome, and Zachery Montrose;
excerpts from the play
Gene Miles
by Cecilia Salazar;
and poetry by Arielle John. Remarks were given by
Sabrina Mowlah-Baksh (General Manager, Coalition
Against Domestic Violence), Her Excellency High
Commissioner Carla Hogan-Rufelds (Canadian High
Commission), Cassandra Tommy-Dabreo (General
Secretary, Amalgamated Workers Union), Jacquie
Burgess (Coordinator, Network of NGOs for the
Advancement of Women), and Dr Gabrielle Hosein
(Head of The UWI IGDS).
3
rd
Annual Women’s Rights Rally andMarch
Hundreds March for Gender Justice
B Y D R A N G E L I Q U E V N I X O N
Dr Angelique V Nixon is Core Organiser of Women’s Rights Rally and March and a UWI IGDS Lecturer.
learning to advance sport as a new engine of economic
growth.That’s something sorely critical to a traditionally two-
stroke economy that’s aching for an upgrade. The university
is hoping its Faculty of Sport and scholarship programme
will attract the researchers, top tier coaches, athletes and
medical professionals, as well as investors with an eye for
what’s around the bend.
Of course, The UWI can’t hold a candle to the
investments tertiary institutions in others countries are
able to manage. As mentioned earlier, big things have small
beginnings.
The institution envisions a more robust economy and
multi-faceted society. Every vision must start somewhere.
These initiatives are that first, tentative step.
Changing perceptions, building discipline
For Sachin Seecharan, cricket was an ever-present
influence in his early life. The game was as fundamental as
breathing to his family. Additionally, it was never lost on him
how his cricketing heroes were able to translate a passion for
the game into viable careers. From cricket with a coconut
branch on a blustery beach to accolades at Lord’s Cricket
Ground; if you’re going to dream, there’s not much point to
merely dreaming of a softer pillow.
As a social sciences student, Sachin appreciates that
more people are growing to accept sports as a major element
of the university experience. UWI is escaping prevailing
perceptions as an institution that only favours erudition. It’s
proving itself to be more inclusive of all types of individuals
in search of higher learning as it celebrates the development
of both mind and body.
As a scholarship recipient, Seecharan has his sights
set on the Trinidad and Tobago senior team as well as the
Combined Colleges and Campuses (CCC) cricket team.
For this up and coming cricketer, $5,000, though small to
some, enabled him to purchase some of his gear and get
him in the game.
Sachin also sees the discipline that sport demands as the
sort of lifelong programming that will serve him well after
his university days are over.
The UWI scholarship programme, while designed to
give aspiring athletes a modicum of support, is not meant
to compete with the demands of academics. Awardees
are expected to hit the books as much as they hit their
high scores. Maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher while
maintaining active participation in their chosen sport is
a delicate balancing act awardees must manage. Deputy
Principal Ramnarine explains that the Student Athlete Policy
is designed to help students attain that crucial balance.
Awardees are excused from some classes so they might fit in
competition schedules. The policy also embraces alternative
forms of teaching, such as tutorials and online outreach to
strike a balance between athletics and academics. As The
UWI works to create an environment in which both facets
of the developmental process can co-exist, it is also focused
on the future of the programme.
Building on a strong sporting foundation
There can be no question that students are keen on the
sports scholarship programme. When it was first advertised,
there were 23 applicants for the ten available scholarships.
The ten eventual awardees met the criteria for qualification
without breaking a sweat. For Professor Ramnarine, the
lead champion of the initiative, the main hurdle is a scarcity
of resources. The UWI remains committed to continuing
the scholarship programme through UWIDEF. With 80
per cent of the bursaries offered by the university coming
from the public sector, it is hoped that sport can also get
favourable consideration. As such, The UWI remains open
to sponsorship from the wider community and the private
sector to further the big picture objectives of the Faculty
of Sport.
For table tennis champ Brittany Joseph, and cricketer
Sachin Seecharan, today it’s Trinidad and Tobago, tomorrow
it’s the world. But then, you may have read this somewhere
before – big things have small beginnings.
A number of partners and organisations supported
the event, namely the Breastfeeding Association, CAFRA
T&T, The Equal Opportunity Commission, Girl Guides
Association, Mamatoto Resource and Birth Centre,
Midwives Association, Ministry of Social Development,
National Centre for Persons with Disabilities, National
Union of Government and Federated Workers, Network
of Rural Women, Single Mother’s Association, Soroptimist
International, T&T Unified Teachers’ Association, andThe
UWI Guild of Students, among many others.
The working group included members of CAISO:
Sex and Gender Justice, CEDAW Committee of T&T,
Fire Circle TT, UWI IGDS, Network of NGOs of TT for
the Advancement of Women, Womantra, and Women
Working for Social Progress. The IGDS offices acted as a
base and secretariat, coordinating the event with key staff
members Angelique Nixon, Renuka Anandjit and Kathryn
Chan working closely with Dr Hosein and the rest of the
IGDS Staff.
The event was made possible with financial support
and resources from the Canadian High Commission,
British High Commission, Blue Waters, Caribbean
Association for Feminist Research and Action T&T
(CAFRATT), Cocoa in the SunMarketing, Express, Family
Planning Association of T&T (FPATT), First Citizens,
Guardian Media, The UWI IGDS, Ministry of Gender and
Child Affairs - Office of Prime Minster, UN Women, and
Women’s Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD).
We want to recognise and offer gratitude to all the
partnering organisations and sponsors for showing up
and bringing out their groups, families, and friends. We
offer thanks to all for raising their voices and joining
forces for women’s rights and all the intersecting issues
related to gender and sexual justice – from workers rights
to reproductive justice to disability rights to economic
and ecological justice to LGBTI+ rights. We spoke out
against injustice and discrimination, against gender
based violence, against sexual harassment, against sexism,
misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and classism.
We demonstrated unity and power in coming together to
Demand Better and March for Gender Justice. The UWI
IGDS looks forward to working again in the coalition for
next year’s rally and march.
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