Under The Sycamore Tree

Hello dear audience! This is Jacqui, writer and researcher of “Under the Sycamore Tree.” Here are our show notes for our Episode 3: “Families Live Here.” Possible triggers in this episode include intimate partner violence, HIV+ / AIDS, police violence, rape, unfair arrest, hiv+ / aids, trans-youth abuse. The organizer and organization featured in this episode is Charrice Talbert, Treasurer and Board President of PETAL. Promoting Empowerment Through Awareness for Lesbian and Bisexual Women (PETAL) is an organization founded in 2011, whose mission is to achieve social, economic, and gender justice for all women in Belize with a particular focus on lesbian and bisexual women. This is done through an advocacy and empowerment model, based on a human rights approach, for relevant engagement within and outside of Belize. PETAL can be found online via their website [https://www.petalbelize.org/], their Equality Fund webpage [https://equalityfund.ca/wvl-grantee/petal/], and their Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/PETALBELIZE/?ref=page_internal]. Our Producer, Dave-Ann, first interviewed Charrice and Stephanie in late 2021, and Carla’s conversation with Charrice happened in March 2022. I hope you connect with these texts and enjoy the episode even further! Sincerely, Jacks.

Hello dear audience! This is Jacqui, writer and researcher of “Under the Sycamore Tree.” Here are our show notes for our Episode 2: “Setting Precedent: Positive Rights?” Possible triggers in this episode include transphobia, police brutality, rape, unfair arrest, trans-youth abuse, misgendering, and possible deadnaming. The organization and organizer featured is Candacy McEwan, Founder and Executive Director of Guyana Trans United. Founded in 2012, Guyana Trans United is an organization that aims to improve the quality of life for the trans Guyanese community and to ensure that their rights are recognized in all domains through human rights advocacy, promoting respect and acceptance within the larger society, and empowering transgender individuals through creating and sustaining an environment free from all violence, prejudice, discrimination, and other negative and adverse conduct. The precedent-setting Caribbean Court of Justice case that frames this episode is McEwan, et. al. vs. The Attorney General of Guyana (2018 [https://today.caricom.org/2018/11/13/ccj-declares-guyana-cross-dressing-law-unconstitutional/]). You can find a video of Judge Saunders’ judgment [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_tos2u8mwg] on the Caribbean Court of Justice’s YouTube channel, and the written judgment here [https://www.humandignitytrust.org/wp-content/uploads/resources/MC-EWAN-et-al-v-AG-OF-GUYANA-Copy.pdf]. Our context on the UK Privy Council comes from Radio 90 FM [https://www.facebook.com/nationwideradiojm/videos/privy-council-rules-against-same-sex-marriages-in-cayman-islands/1021101295431880/] (Jamaica), and according to the journal, International Legal Matters [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-legal-materials/article/abs/mcewan-and-others-v-attorney-general-of-guyana-ccj/FE2B1040DDB467E76C7B0E97C745275F], “the savings clause of the Constitution of Guyana is to be found at Article 152; it states that nothing contained in or done under the authority of any pre-independence written law shall be held in contravention of the human rights protected by the Constitution.” Visit Guyana Trans United online via their Equality Fund webpage [https://equalityfund.ca/wvl-grantee/guyana-trans-united/], their Twitter [https://twitter.com/guyanatrans?lang=en] @GuyanaTrans, and their Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/Guyana-Trans-United-GTU-148525782006659/]. Our Producer, Dave-Ann, first interviewed Candacy in late 2021, and Carla’s conversation with Candacy happened in March 2022. I hope you connect with these texts and enjoy the episode even further! Sincerely, Jacks.

Hello dear audience! This is Jacqui, writer and researcher of “Under the Sycamore Tree.” Here are our show notes for Episode 1: “Setting Precedent: Eldership & Selfishness.” Possible triggers in this episode include domestic violence, family abuse, and stigma. The organizations and organizers featured in this are: Susan Doorson, Chair of Women’s Way Foundation of Suriname. Susan Doorson, Chair of Women’s Way Foundation of Suriname. Founded in 2008, Women’s Way Foundation is the oldest, first, and only lesbian and bisexual organization in Suriname. Their mission is to increase awareness around sexuality and health, and to ensure the emancipation of women—specifically women who (also) have sex with women and trans men—so that the quality of their lives become better and free from stigma and discrimination. Women’s Way can be found online here: Website [https://womenswayfoundation.com/]; their Equality Fund webpage [https://equalityfund.ca/wvl-grantee/womens-way-foundation/]; Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/WSWFSuriname/]; and Instagram: @wswf.sr [https://www.instagram.com/wswf.sr/?hl=en] Colleen Douglas-Hinds, Director of Guyana Rainbow Foundation. Guyana RainBow Foundation (GuyBow) is an organization founded in 2000 whose mission is to support and strengthen the capacity of Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer women, along with increasing the overall respect, acceptance of, and support for non-gender conforming persons and non-heteronormative sexual orientations in Guyanese society. GuyBow can be found online here: Website [http://www.guybow.org/]; and their Equality Fund webpage [https://equalityfund.ca/wvl-grantee/guyana-rainbow-foundation/]. Lucien Govaard, Board Member of CARI-Flags. Caribbean Forum for Liberation & Acceptance of Genders & Sexualities (CariFLAGS) was formed in the late 90s as a loose coalition of actors and activists responding to developing issues facing the LGBTQ community. The group has provided leadership in articulating an indigenous LGBTQ voice and agenda for the Caribbean regionally and in support of local groups. In 2008, a core group renewed the CariFLAGS mission with a focus on human rights, health, culture, and spirituality. In 2012, CariFLAGS transitioned into a regional movement-building coalition: activists from 15 territories agreed to work together to develop a strong, representative, regional organization capable of advancing a Caribbean LGBTQ agenda. Cari-FLAGS can be found online on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/groups/cariflags/about]; and their Equality Fund webpage [https://equalityfund.ca/wvl-grantee/cariflags/]. Our interviews with Susan and Colleen were held with our Producer, Dave-Ann Moses, in late 2021. Carla’s conversation with Lucien and Larry Chang was held in April 2022. Larry [https://www.larrychang.info/] is a Chinese-Jamaican gay man, community organizer and spiritual counselor. Larry has much to offer the Asian-American, LGBT, Caribbean-American, and People of Color communities, but it is his urgent message of developing local sustainability that is of immediate interest to all. Larry was born in Jamaica of Hakka Chinese immigrant parents; he is a founding member of the Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals & Gays, J-FLAG . He had previously organized a gay group in Jamaica, the Gay Freedom Movement (GFM) as early as 1978 in a fiercely hostile climate. He held the position of General Secretary and was Publisher and Editor of its newsletter, Jamaica Gaily News. Learn more about Larry’s art and cultural organizing work via his website [https://www.larrychang.info/]! Colin Robinson’s words came from one of his final interviews in this plane: “Sex & Gender Justice in Trinidad and Tobago with Colin Robinson,” Interview with Abby Charles, CaribNationTV [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVntk2CuyVw]. I hope you connect with these texts and enjoy the episode even further! Sincerely, Jacks.

Hello dear audience! This is Jacqui, writer and researcher of “Under the Sycamore Tree.” Here are our show notes for our Episode 0: “Sankofa Tings.” Possible triggers in this episode include climate change, racism, European colonization, neoliberal capitalism, patriarchy, homophobia, transphobia. Find out more about the Women’s Voice and Leadership - Caribbean partner organizations on our funders’ websites: Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice [https://www.astraeafoundation.org/stories/introducing-our-womens-voice-and-leadership-caribbean-grantees/] and Equality Fund [https://equalityfund.ca/what-we-do/womens-voice-and-leadership-caribbean/]. Learn more about the Women’s Voice and Leadership - Caribbean partnership more between Astraea and Equality Fund more generally here [https://www.astraeafoundation.org/stories/announcing-our-womens-voice-and-leadership-caribbean-partnership-with-the-match-fund/]. Next, you might be interested in the excerpts we read! Here is the booklist from this episode, in the order read in the episode: Olive Senior’s poem “Discovery,” from her over the roofs of the world (Insomniac Press, pg. 44 [2000]; RWL Book Club Pick [https://www.rebelwomenlit.com/events/oliveseniormeetup], August 2020); Curdella Forbes’ A Tall History of Sugar [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/books/review/tall-history-of-sugar-curdella-forbes.html] (Akashic Books, 2019; RWL Book Club Pick [https://www.rebelwomenlit.com/events/atallhistoryofsugar], April 2020 - see our  podcast episode [https://www.rebelwomenlit.com/podcast/like-a-real-book-club-episode-8-a-tall-history-of-sugar-book-club-meetup] on the book!); and Aime Cesaire’s Discourse on Colonialism (trans. from the French by Joan Pinkham, Monthly Review Press, 2000 [1972 (1955)]. You might also be interested in all of the historical content we used! Here are links to check out more: Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit addresses [https://resilientcaribbean.caricom.org/dominica-prime-minister-roosevelt-skerrit-addresses-the-un-general-assembly/] the UN General Assembly (via Resilient Caribbean)’; I became aware of this speech from Bahamian-American artist Tamika Galanis [https://www.tamikagalanis.com/], and her video piece, “A Thousand Points of Light [https://oxfordamerican.org/web-only/one-hurricane-season]” (2018) Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados addresses Opening Ceremony, COP26 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsBVx_8oFm0], 1 Nov 2021 Interview with David Commissiong [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSoOnuHMf4E]: “Farewell to British Colonial Rule”: Barbados Breaks From the Queen as Calls Grow For Reparations,” Democracy Now (NOTE: DemocracyNow! is a very important resource for this podcast! Check out their weekday news [https://www.democracynow.org/] and podcast [https://open.spotify.com/show/3cNrL5nALTDuWbRfabHeOG?si=bf89aba1efbb466e]) MAURICE BISHOP Live at Medgar Evans College [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7MtydR-fiI], Brooklyn (29 May 1944 – 19 October 1983), CARIBBEAN INSIGHT TELEVISION (CITV) Day and another (Appellants) v The Governor of the Cayman Islands and another (Respondents), UKSupreme Court [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMBOSOhPY-U] Privy Council Rules Against Same-Sex Marriages in Cayman Islands, Radio 90 FM [https://www.facebook.com/nationwideradiojm/videos/privy-council-rules-against-same-sex-marriages-in-cayman-islands/1021101295431880/] (Jamaica) Finally, we sealed this episode with audio from one of Colin Robinson’s final interview in this plane: Sex & Gender Justice in Trinidad and Tobago with Colin Robinson, Interview with Abby Charles, CaribNationTV [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVntk2CuyVw] I hope you connect with these texts and enjoy the episode even further! Sincerely, Jacks.