And what about the unsung national heroes,

the ones whose names are never mentioned by our leaders?

Who will remember them?

There is no public holiday to honour them.

No park is designated to their glory.

Poets do not hail these heroes in their verses.

No one writes their stories.

No children chant them songs of praise.

History forgets them.

We must not.

Let us not disregard our real heroes.

The ones who work to build our nation every day.

The little men and women toiling ceaselessly for minimum wage.

The single mothers, striving hard alone to raise the nations children.

Small farmers struggling on stony ground producing food for all.

Police and teachers, nurses, doctors, firefighters,

helping and healing all despite ingratitude.

The lack of resources, absence of hope,

gnaw at their hearts and make their hard jobs harder.

The young men killed, protecting others.

The girls and women raped and used and beaten.

The older folk whose wisdom is so often disregarded.

The babies born to poverty and hopelessness.

The children struggling against all odds to learn.

These are our real heroes.

We must think of them with pride and love.

We should remember them.

Jamaicas unsung heroes.