Justice, truth be ours forever

Three years ago, Mickel Jackson stepped into the role of executive director of the 25-year-old Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), succeeding a legacy of formidable Jamaicans who have championed the rights of the voiceless and underrepresented. With a passionate commitment to service rooted in her upbringing in rural Jamaica, Jackson embodies the organisation’s mission to advocate for justice and human rights.

A goody two shoes, she vividly remembers getting a whopping from her mother at age 17, when a half dozen of them from Westwood High wanted to attend a party at The University of the West Indies Students’ Union. They told their parents they were going to sit a CARIMAC entrance examination, except they had no intention of pursuing media studies.

They all failed, and when their plan was exposed, Jackson felt the wrath of an angry mother.

Although she did not find it funny then, she laughed at the recollection during a sitdown with The Sunday Gleaner last week.

From a young age, Jackson demonstrated her commitment to helping others. She recalls that without permission, she regularly shared the food her mother prepared for the week with a boy in her community who had no dinner – a gesture that ignited her lifelong dedication to service.

With charity and a desire for service apparently in her family’s bloodline, Jackson said her sharing has now come full circle, with her son, who – without knowing that story – gave away his bicycle to a mother who told him that her children did not have anything to ride.

She smiled satisfactorily as her eyes reflected a burning desire to do more.

“I believe in giving back to society and making someone’s life better,” she said, matter-of-factly.

As Jackson approaches her third anniversary as the head of JFJ next week Monday, she reflected, having faced significant challenges, including threats to her safety and that of her staff, but she remains steadfast in her mission.

She critiqued the toxic political rhetoric that endangers rights organisations like JFJ, emphasising that they remain nonpartisan despite accusations.

“I’ve always worked in the development sector. I’ve always worked in the non-profit sector. So, for example, I’ve supported and I’ve been a part of poverty-reduction programmes, working with young people. One of the jobs I had that I enjoyed – it wasn’t my calling, but I enjoyed it – was working in the agricultural sector, going in the fields with farmers, ... and, you know, you’re tasting raw onions in the field. That was a fun job and I enjoyed it because it’s food security. It’s also employment for young people, agri-business and so on. But my most fulfilling work has been working with people living and affected by HIV and, again, youth development. So, my calling has always been along that line,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

Call to advocacy, activism

Jackson’s journey to JFJ has been both deliberate and fortuitous. Initially, she was hesitant to apply for the position, believing it better suited for an attorney. She was also hesitant because she was used to working behind the scenes to get things done and was not too anxious to take on a “very public job”.

“Being in the spotlight, so to speak, has never been something that I was interested in,” Jackson said.

But destiny came calling a second time and with support from affiliated individuals, she relented and applied for the job and was eventually selected.

“Actually, there were two other job opportunities I was courting at the time. But I looked at it, and I looked at JFJ’s mandate, and let me say this, when you have a job that perfectly aligns with your own value system, there is never a day that I go to work and I question, ‘Why am I here?’ Never a day,” she said, although she admits to being daunted on occasions and having to drink a hot mocha to calm her spirits.

Celebrating 25 years of the JFJ’s impactful advocacy, Jackson highlights the organisation’s evolution while remaining true to its core mission of supporting marginalised communities.

“The mandate has not changed,” she affirmed, even as JFJ adapts its strategies to remain relevant in a shifting political and social landscape.

“For example, on governance matters, in 2002, JFJ spoke about the Access to Information (ATI) Act. Now we’re calling for the ATI Act to be amended to ensure that press freedom [and for] the right to seek and receive information to be respected,” the JFJ executive director noted.

The organisation has also led the charge in raising awareness around issues like unlawful detentions, all while supporting families in their pursuit of justice, Jackson noting its continued support of Mercia Fraser, the mother of Mario Dean; Yvonne Lee, the mother of Matthew Lee; Shakelia Jackson, Tyrone Edwards and the family of Nakiea Jackson, among others.

The goal?

“To see a Jamaica that, you know, live and let live, so to speak. A Jamaica where the rights of people are respected, promoted. So that is what you want in that big picture, while you’re still trying for sustainability, where the staff members, they have good wages, they have good staff benefits. You want to ensure that you have sufficient funds to go out in the communities to do public education. And that is something, let me say, I’m very passionate about, and we’ve started the work in that respect,” she noted.

Under Jackson’s leadership, JFJ has rolled out initiatives like the ‘Know Your Rights’ campaign, which includes the launch of a booklet, mobile legal clinics and community outreach programmes. The organisation has also invested in resources, such as the establishment of Justice Stores across the island, aimed at educating citizens about their rights.

Despite the challenges faced, including lengthy delays in judicial processes and systemic injustices, Jackson remains inspired by the resilience of the individuals and families JFJ supports.

Among her proudest moments are the successes of children and people living with HIV who they have helped.

“That is the work that we do. So sometimes when I hear criticism about ‘criminal rights defenders’, that has never deterred anybody at JFJ. Rather, it inspires us to do more. ... So we’re not cowering in fear over here when people give criticism. Rather, it sparks something to say, how can we support? That is the work of JFJ. And again, I’m so proud to even be a little part of the history going forward in that legacy of justice,” Jackson told The Sunday Gleaner.

Building a culture of accountability

The JFJ opposes the death penalty, a stance that, while controversial in Jamaica’s high-crime context, underscores its commitment to human rights, even amid public outrage following tragic incidents like the Cocoa Piece family massacre and the murder of young Danielle Rowe.

Jackson cautioned against whispers suggesting that Jamaica should embrace El Salvador’s policing clampdown strategy to reduce crime without a deep dive into its operational model amid cries of human rights abuse.

Jackson noted the importance of accountability structures, noting that they have led to improvements in the governance apparatus.

She referenced the Michael Gayle August 1999 story of abuse by the security forces, before her time at JFJ, and which led to the establishment of INDECOM to investigate police excesses.

The oversight body has been credited with a reduction in the number of civilians killed annually by state agents.

Citing the Integrity Commission – though gobbled by a gag clause in its legislation – and the greater utilisation of technology to provide accountability, Jackson said the JFJ has been campaigning for more changes to strengthen state accountability.

Among them is a written submission to the Joint Select Committee hearing submissions on the Integrity Commission Act in which the JFJ pushed for the commission to be constitutionally entrenched.

In the ensuing years, Jackson says the organisation may have to mount constitutional challenges for change as high-level policy dialogues and parliamentary inertia fail to bring results.

“And we’re committed to doing that within the next five years,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

She would also want to see the JFJ ramp up its public education initiatives.

“I see JFJ out there in a bus doing our mobile legal clinics, going from community to community, talking to people, doing street theatre, getting people excited about their rights,” she said, with much hope.

An attorney-at-law-in-training, Jackson believes Jamaica has come too far to look back, advocating for human rights at the forefront of the nation’s development.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com