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 Tribute to Jason

It is indeed out of heightened sadness that I write to share some of the joys I have experienced when we were all younger.  The image of Jason will remain indelibly imprinted in the annals of my memory.

I recall with much fondness and nostalgia, visiting Mama and Papa in the country and listening intently to tall “country” tales as recounted by Jason and David, in their characteristically jovial manner. My laughter seemed to go on unendingly for the duration of my visit, as the guys just simply “cracked me up” with jokes. To this silly girl from Kingston, those country tales became an unforgettable part of what became, the repertoire of childhood memories- ones I have repeated to my own children and mentees, as I reminisce nostalgically on the joys of my childhood in Jamaica.
I also recall visiting the country and accompanying Jason to Knox College, where he had so impressed the faculty with his academic prowess, that he was offered an unprecedented teaching position in he Chemistry lab, prior to him attending University. As I look back, I am reminded of how proud I was of my cousin as I shared in his accomplishment.

My last memory of Jason, while quite emotionally charged by challenges he was experiencing, was again a beautiful one. I took both of my children, Jalil and Raja, on a trip to Jamaica and we visited the country. Being dog lovers like their mom, the boys immediately began to embrace the many yard dogs Mama had running loose in the yard. Recognizing that Jalil and Raja had no experience with handling “yard dogs,” Jason took them under his wings and gently introduced the boys to the dogs and their puppies. I left the children with Jason and went with his brother, David, to Christiana market.  Upon my return, I saw Jalil and Raja and Jason sitting on the grassy common, covered over with white marl and red dirt, hugging the filthy dogs, and simply having a grand time. The boys had only just met Jason, but it was as though they knew each other for a lifetime.  Jason imparted to my children something I have always treasured about my visits to the Jamaican countryside–that purity and genuine freedom of spirit to simply “BE” a part of the simple beauty and innocence of the rural landscape.  I will forever treasure Jason and the simplicity of his existence, for imparting this beauty and kindness to my children.

In that God deemed Jason ready to be called home at such an early age, I am even more convinced of the old adage which states, “only the good die young.” I believe unequivocally that it was Jason’s  purity in spirit, his simplicity  and his inability to be perverted by, or accept the harsh cruelties of life on earth, that made our father, in his infinite wisdom, ascend our dear Jason into peaceful eternity.

In all Jason has been to us, and all he will become in his eternal resting place, he will forever be the purely brilliant young man of my memories, with whom I had the honor and distinguished pleasure of sharing familial ties.

Published by: Local Lives, Global Voices

I, Chandra Young, ‘the moon that outshines the stars, was born in Kingston Jamaica to an Indian Father whose family migrated from India, and a mulatto mother, whose family, paternally and maternally, trace their history on the island to the 17th century sale of slaves, and slaves themselves. We migrated to the United States while I was a youngster. I later went on to graduate from The City College of New York, with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science; then Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, with a Jurisdoctor degree; and I am currently on hiatus from my doctoral studies in Law and Policy at Northeastern University. After graduating from law school, I successfully sat for both the Florida and New York Bars, and worked in both the Private and Public Sectors. Simultaneously, my role as mother and my passion for education pushed me into Academia, where I have lectured at colleges in the areas of Political Science, History, Business Law, Sociology, Pluralism and Diversity, Critical Thinking, Critical Academic Reading and English Composition. In these capacities, I have mentored inner city/urban college students, and have also served as Guardian Ad Litem to the Seminole County Courts, where I advocated on behalf of children of families in crisis. Being a scholar of Political Science in my collegiate years, I contributed my talents and passions towards championing of the rights of my fellow students, many of whom, like myself, were of Immigrant families. I was instrumental in a student movement that spearheaded a University-wide student boycott protesting tuition hikes in the City University system. The successful protest led to the shutdown of all the University’s colleges in every Borough, and got the attention of the media and politicians of the day. The result of the successful protest was a halt of any tuition increase for several fiscal terms. Today, the City University and State University systems are free to families earning less that $125,000.00, which include most urban, inner-city and immigrant students. While at City College, I was selected as a student ambassador contestant in the Ms. Jamaica-USA pageant, sponsored by the Jamaica Progressive League and the Honorable Una Clarke, the first Caribbean and Jamaican born woman to be elected to the legislature of the City of New York, and mother of United States Congresswoman Yvette Clark. A diligent advocate of affordable housing for New Yorkers, I was committed to the mission of realizing the American dream of home ownership for New Yorkers and I am the recipient of a Proclamation by the City Council of the City of New York, for my efforts in that regard. My dedication to the City of New York and immigrant communities, particularly those of Caribbean heritage, have been unwavering, and I was presented with the Marcus Garvey Award of Recognition by the New York based Jamaica National Movement, for service to Jamaicans and Caribbean people in the City of New York. I continued my passion of being a part of a mission to champion the rights of underprivileged and underrepresented persons in my recent milestone, the United States Peace Corps, where I dedicated 18 months of my life, away from home and family, to the people of Jamaica, as a Literacy Adviser and Community Developer. I am the mother of two children, a writer, blogger and poet. I always loved writing. As a child, I remember finding privacy and solace to write in my garage, where I could hide the written pages amongst the plethora of books our family stored there. I began blogging on my Facebook page and was encouraged by friends who enjoyed by posts, to start a blog. I officially started this blog during my Peace Corps Service, but it is certainly not limited to my service. In fact, it represents an amalgamation of thoughts expressed and lived through the direct and vicarious experiences that being a global citizen can provide. This blog is my way of building a bridge that connects our local lives experienced in our specific localities, with the global voices that unites us in the similar experiences, concerns, pains, passions, etc that joins us together as human beings in spite of geography. You there.......Me here. We....together in one world....one humanity.

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