THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE STORY which app-eared in your Saturday, May 5 edition, headlined 'Lois Samuels flowing with love', by staff reporter Winston Wilson Jr., was artfully written. Unfortunately, Mr. Wilson lets himself, his newspaper and the country down in his last paragraph.
In it, he refers to the Ingledews as "an exotic" (pray tell to and from whom?) couple. But that is a matter of opinion and writers are entitled to their opinions. What Mr. Wilson is not entitled to do in my country is to characterise any woman (or man for that matter) of African descent as having "strong features".
In describing Mrs. Ingledew as having strong features, the subtext is that there is something unusual or atypical about her features. It suggests that there is a standard for normal features that is elsewhere and she, unfortunate soul that she is, did not attain it. Luckily for her, she finds a "contrasting complement".
That kind of 'othering' of what is commonplace in Jamaica must not be tolerated. It is offensive and dehumanising. The normality of the features of people of African descent is not in relation to those of some other group; they do not need to be complemented by other people's. Our features are valid and complete in and of themselves.
I am, etc.
R. Anthony Lewis
Via Go-Jamaica.com
