This week I have women on my mind, but not in the way you perverts may think.

I start in Sudan where a woman is on trial for wearing pants in public! Now, according to the sharia or Islamic laws of the country, pants are apparently a no-no. I never like to criticise other religions for their practices but, considering the punishment could be 40 lashes, I have to break with my own tradition.

Folks, this is 2009! We have cars that run on electricity and hydrogen, cellphones that enable us to see the person we're talking to and spectacles that change their tint automatically to suit the light we're in. And yet, in some parts of the world, people are trying a woman for 'indecent clothing'. I call that 'dark'! Imagine if those sharia laws of Sudan were eligible here. Forget lashes, some of these women would be put to death based on what they wear.

Closer to home

Speaking of back home, Jamaica lost two great women recently. You might figure one is Lady Bustamante, and you'd be right. I don't think some of the younger generation really know just how integral a role she played in the development of this country. Lady B goes back to a time when politics was about serving the public not fattening the pocket. Consider that if Lady B were fighting for workers' rights today, she would stand out, so imagine her doing it decades ago when women didn't have as much clout. That's something special!

The other great Jamaican woman who passed away recently is Barbara Willelmina Golding, née Ricketts. They say never assume but I'll bet most of you have no idea who she is. The folks of Horsestable (a little nook not far from Stony Hill square and the place I grew up), Mannings Hill and adjoining areas, know 'Miss Babi' as a stalwart. If there was a national award for being a humble, honest, caring and beautiful person, Miss Babi would have received the highest honour. Lady B touched the nation but Miss Babi touched us closer.

She was the type of woman who was more concerned about her family and friends than herself. She turned no one away. She accepted my family like we were blood relatives when we moved to Horsestable and I grew up knowing that I, like my parents, could depend on her for anything. There wasn't a dry eye in the church.

These great women were buried a week apart: Miss Babi on Emancipation Day, August 1, and Lady B this past Saturday. Hope they've both found rest after their efforts to make our lives better. Rest in peace.

daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com