A father’s joy
Farmer excited to reunite with teen son who grew up in state
Published:Tuesday | June 27, 2023 | 12:40 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
ANDRE BROWN is overjoyed as he prepares for a September reunion with his son, Jaheim, who has spent nearly all of his life in state care.
In an interview with The Gleaner, Brown said that when his son was just seven months old, his mother had taken him away, making it impossible for him to stay in touch with his son because she left and failed to return.
He later learned that his son had been raised by his godmother, and that after she passed away, the godmother’s boyfriend at the time took over raising Jaheim.
However, because he was unable to provide for him, Jaheim, who was then a toddler, was taken into state care.
“The man end up have the pickney dem and a walk and a beg and dem ting deh, so [child protection officers] see dem a road and tek weh the pickney dem from him,” Brown explained on Monday.
Brown further stated that his search for his son was suspended after he was arrested and subsequently imprisoned. It wasn’t until serving six of his nine-year sentence that Brown was released, and his search for Jaheim continued.
“A whole heap a years later until me find out which part him did deh,” Brown said.
“Me can tell you, y’know, when me did deh a the institution (prison), ... me feel a way fi know say me nuh deh deh fi Jaheim, but at the end of the day, me come out and me mek sure him alright,” he explained.
In addition, Brown said that he was frequently worried about his son’s mental state while growing up without his father’s presence.
Reflecting on this, he lamented that he has missed out on many years of fathering Jaheim, and that time lost has not allowed him to build a healthy relationship with his now-15-year-old son.
Jaheim, the last of Brown’s four children, will soon be able to reunite with his father and his siblings back home in St Elizabeth.
Brown, who was overcome with emotion as he spoke with The Gleaner, said he was thrilled for Jaheim’s impending reintegration into the family.
“Every time me go up deh (the children’s home), me bawl, so when me get the call say X, Y and Z (he will so be able to come home), me very happy, man,” he said.
He is looking forward to brighter days ahead, getting his son properly registered for school, and to help him to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor.
“Inna my community or family, anybody can tell you say me will spend the last pon my pickney dem. Me nuh come in like some father weh squander out the money, y’know ... and nuhbody no haffi tell me fi save my money fi my pickney dem,” he boasted.
Brown, who is a farmer, makes three weekly trips from his St Elizabeth community to Kingston’s Coronation Market to sell his produce. He stated that he uses his earnings from farming to send his children to school and to ensure that they have a comfortable life.
He also expressed that he has been using his experience of being imprisoned as a cautionary tale to his children, warning them about negative influences and peers with ill intentions.
Brown stated that he is looking forward to planning a welcome home get-together for Jaheim with the rest of the family to make him feel loved and appreciated when the day arrives.