The Dame Mary Eugenia Charles memorial lecture held UWI Open Campus in partnership with the Dominica Reparations Committee and the House of Nyabinghi. The 12th annual lecture focused on the role of women in societal development and how their empowerment could facilitate a progressive society.
The theme of the memorial lecture is Upgrading to First-Class: The Role and Contributions of Dominican Women in the Caribbean Reparations Movement. One of the main speakers was Dr. June Soomer, the secretary-general of the Association of Caribbean States (ASC); Dr. Francis O. Severin, the Director of the UWI Open Campus; Dr. Damien Dublin, Chairman of the Reparations Committee; Ms. Kimone Joseph, Head of UWI Open Campus, Dominica.
Soomer revealed that Dame Eugenia Charles lived an examplary life as the first and only female prime minister of Dominica. She was the country’s first female lawyer and largely referred to as the Iron Lady because of her strong will in steering the country away from colonial oppression. Soomer said women everywhere in Dominica must rise to their feet to occupy their positions in business and politics with a view to balancing the roles of men in the society.
“Women have been fighting for reparations from the very beginning of enslavement,” Soomer said. “We did it in many different ways…we have been fighting for that upgrade…and race has always been a determining factor in how women are treated.”
Soomer lamented that women are relegated to the background in the society, and they suffer domestic abuse and dehumanization in a society that is bent on making them faceless. She said it is not possible for a society to move forward when women are repressed and oppressed, citing the dearth of women ambassadors all around the world. She also urged women to stand up for themselves and break every limiting barrier imposed by cultural norms.
“The fact is that she was a woman whose great-grandfather was a slave and she was able to achieve these things in a society that did not recognise women in that field,” Soomer said of Dame Charles. “I think that by enabling this discourse on women and reparations, UWI Open Campus not only bolsters the rallying cry for reparatory justice but also provides a platform for profound intellectual discourse on the issue that still continues to be approached with trepidation.”
This article is copyright © 2020 DOM767
