Happy New Year to all the CaribDirect.com readers and here’s wishing you good health, peace and contentment.
My name is Tony Kelly from Birmingham and it is with immense pleasure that having been asked by David Roberts the Chief Executive Officer of CaribDirect to contribute every fortnight to this online publication I now write my first article. As a firm believer in changing the narrative that is so often regurgitated by the main stream media and which we sometimes accept without questioning this opportunity to be a catalyst for change has to be taken with both hands. I am up for that challenge and constructive feedback will be appreciated from the readers as dialogue should be a two way process. The opinions that I will share in articles are based on my reality and lived experience and might resonate with some readers and not with others. We cannot all think and act alike and will have differing views but mutual respect along the way is crucial as the world would be a rather boring place if we became like clones in all our endeavours. Debate is healthy and sometimes we need to find a middle ground or what is often referred as compromise instead of being poles apart, which is polarization.
The indoctrination, brainwashing, socialization process and misinformation that we have become so accustomed to must be challenged and the power of social media in some regards allows us to do that. However one must be aware that not everything published via social media is factual just like the main stream media and we should all be mindful of that. My motto has always been ‘If in doubt check it out’ or put another way ‘Do your independent research’ as there is truth in the proverbial saying ‘The pen is mightier than the sword.’ As a comparator not everything that is written in the Bible happens in my opinion to be factual so one needs to as much as possible try to separate facts from fiction. There is no harm in questioning things that one reads instead of just accepting it as we are constantly on a learning curve.
I hope you find my articles informative, thought-provoking and newsworthy as we need to tell our stories not just orally but in written form for current as well as future generations to read, digest and increase their knowledge/ understanding of our cultural heritage/history. We are by no means a homogenous group even though we have a lot of similarities as there are also many differences which amount to diversity. Therefore valuing, promoting, managing, respecting and embracing diversity is of paramount importance and we must not lose sight of that.
In my next article I will focus on our health and well-being with specific reference to the medical condition diabetes in this a new year and a new start. So do look out for it or as the saying goes watch this space.
London born Tony Kelly of Jamaican parents grew up in Jamaica and returned to live in Birmingham in 1979.
He is a graduate of Mico Teachers’ College and taught in Kingston high schools prior to working for 30+ years as a middle manager in central and local government with an emphasis on equity, equality, diversity and inclusion. He has a masters’ degree in socio-legal studies from the university of Birmingham.
For over a decade Tony has volunteered as a diabetes ambassador firstly for Diabetes UK and now for the National Health Service - Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group. A multi-award winner doing a yearly average of 150 health and well-being events, locally, nationally and internationally focusing on type 2 diabetes. He was diagnosed with this medical condition 18 years ago. However with a combination of physical activity and diet he has never taken medication thus proving with the right mindset and discipline it can be achieved.
As a diabetes advocate/activist Tony will continue delivering the message of healthy options to readers of CaribDirect.com .
