KINGSTON, Jamaica – A group of dapperly dressed men confidently strutted through sections of Half-Way Tree last Friday afternoon in a flash mob that drew stares and admiration from passers-by. The suit-wearing men stopped briefly at several locations during the short trek and interacted with the curious onlookers.

Organised by the non-profit organisation, Gentlemen of Kingston, the flash mob consisted of 15 men and is one of the initiatives by the group in an effort to change what it believes is the negative stigma attached to Jamaican men.

The men first gathered at Statement Pieces in Lane Plaza, where they changed into suits before a prayer session to hit the road. They carpooled to Tropical Plaza, where they marched down Constant Spring Road into Half-Way Tree square, switching sides of the road on three occasions.

Gentlemen of Kingston’s Director of Administration, Chavaughn Walker, believes the group’s objective was achieved although the flash mob only lasted for approximately 30 minutes.

“We believe that as men it is important for us to retake the space and reshape the narrative about the Jamaican man. We realise that in the Jamaican space, for a man, there is a negative stigma attached to him. When we talk about a man, we hear that he is wutliss, him nuh good fi nutt’n, wutliss puppa, him a scam,” Walker said.

“We believe that there are men who are standing for positivity, standing for positive developments and empowerment and we believe that we should shift the narrative from the negative to the positive.

“I believe the flash mob was effective as we have seen the number of people looking on and asking what is this, who are these people and why are we here, and so this is the start of a fruitful conversation about what the Gentlemen of Kingston is, what we entail to do, what went to do and how we will use these initiatives to take back the men of Jamaica,” he continued.

According to Davio Williams, who is responsible for marketing and social media, Gentlemen of Kingston also wants to change the appearance of what Jamaican men are defined by, which is the reason for the requirement of the suit during the flash mob.

“The narrative that we also want to change is how we appear as men and how we project as men in society. So we have started this initiative to change the narrative, to shift the focus a little bit to the positive side of men and the building men of Jamaica,” Williams said.

Walker wants the Gentlemen of Kingston to grow into becoming an organisation that attracts men across Jamaica and impacts society.

“This is the start of beautiful change. The start of fire. We begin here with 15 men, however, we entail and by God’s grace, we will bring it to 1.5 million men in Jamaica, changing the narrative totally. So we intend to be very positive.

“We are asking, we are imploring the men, come out and join us, become a friend of the Gentlemen of Kingston, become an associate because this is the time. The time is here, the time is now. Change starts here and change starts now,” Walker said.