GoodHeart | Ava-Gay Blair-Black celebrates moms with Mother of the Year Awards
Published:Saturday | May 18, 2024 | 12:08 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Dedication, determination, inspiration and love. Behind many success stories are mothers who sacrifice everything to make their little ones’ dreams a reality. There’s no denying the power, beauty, and heroism of a mother’s love. To honour their efforts in raising individuals, communities, and the nation, superstar gospel personality Ava-Gay Blair-Black created and hosted the pioneering Mother of the Year Awards to celebrate phenomenal maternal figures across the island.
Conceptualised by Blair-Black, the award ceremony is designed to pay homage to those hidden figures, our outstanding mothers. Inspired by her own mom who single handedly raised four children, as well as other people’s offspring, she realised enough wasn’t being done for other women who excel in this significant role. So when the opportunity arrived to be the change she needed to see in this world, she rose to the occasion.
“There are amazing mothers out there who go above and beyond, taking on other people’s children under their care and doing so much great work for the community. Who recognises them? They deserve a national and international honour. So I decided I’ll take this on,” she told GoodHeart.
So how exactly does the competition work? Prior to the globally celebrated Mother’s Day, members of the public are asked to nominate women they believe are most deserving of the accolade. “We wanted to reach out to mothers from all across the island. Communities, churches and families, write letters describing the outstanding work and impact of mothers.” the event organiser added.
After going through the vetting and checking process, the top three are later crowned at the main event held on Mother’s Day.
Impacting the lives of her bundles of joy and others around her is a requirement for the Mother of the Year Award committee, “She must be seen as the community and village mother. She must be someone who young people can have to provide comfort and a shoulder to cry on, while offering words of affirmation, encouragement and inspiration, so that others can be the best versions of themselves.
Each year, the event has been hosted in different parishes. The first staging occurred in Kingston, while the second and third were in Manchester and St Catherine, respectively. This year, the award ceremony found its way to the beautiful garden parish of the island, better known as St Ann. “The aim is to appeal to a variety of mothers from different walks of the island and do an island tour in the process,” she added.
It is important to note that the winner of the annual award doesn’t necessarily have to hail from the host parish. All nominations have been welcome and that will continue to be the open rubric going forward.
Prior to this year’s event, only the top-three received trophies and certificates. But as the showcase gets bigger and better, the entrepreneur was able to treat all the mothers who were nominated this year to main prizes. The team received more mothers this time around and was happy to celebrate that milestone. “We received approximately 20 mothers, all of whom felt honoured and appreciated. Even though they weren’t in the top five or the top three, they walked away with a trophy in their hand,”
The Sterling Gospel Awards’ Gospel Personality of the Year winner switched gears in another thoughtful way this year by hosting the main show with her little pride and joy. Matching in Mommy-and-me fashion, she shared that the event holds an even great significance to her as a first-time mother.
Second runner up went to Cherrilyn Henry, while the first runner-up was Elizabeth Murphy. When it was time to announce the winner, the outgoing mother, Annmarie Parkin, graced the stage to pass on the queen batton. At the end of the night, Esmay Currie was crowned this year’s Mother of the Year winner.
Currie explained that when she first learned of the award ceremony, she immediately brimmed with excitement, “I’m glad that someone nominated me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have heard these beautiful words that they shared. It felt so good to be recognised and celebrated,” she explained.
“The winner has three biological children, but managed to raise 14 children in her house, along with the ones she gave birth to. Additionally, as the wife of a pastor, she became the maternal figure to look up to and turn to in the church. She is always helping others and offering the kindest of words. This was evident in the letter sent and the judges believed that she was the best mother to wear the crown and bear the auspicious title,” Blair-Black shared.
Currie remarked that the judges must have had a tough time choosing a winner because, in her eyes, all the mothers had done such a remarkable job. But when her name was announced, she was over the moon, expressing just how thrilled she was to receive the honour, “I could not believe it! I am blessed! I am so blessed! I love children. I love raising them. And if I could, I’d do it again.”