On July 25 the Bahá’í community of Jamaica celebrated Bahá’í Day.

The annual observance dates back to 2003 with the proclamation by then Governor General of Jamaica Sir Howard Cooke as part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the faith in Jamaica.

This year the Kingston community reflected on the Bahá’í principle of gender equality and its impact on the role women have played in the administration of the faith in Jamaica.

The Bahá’í Faith has no clergy; however, the first national spiritual assembly of the Bahá’ís of Jamaica — the nine-member elected national governing council of the faith — included four women.

As a part of their reflection on the role of women, the community watched Glimpses into the Spirit of Gender Equality, a feature-length film produced by the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) in 2021, which examines advances in the area of equality for women and men at the level of the grass roots and their connection with the conversations that have been unfolding at the UN.

The BIC film marked the 25th anniversary of the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action that resulted from the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 and reflects on advances made toward the goals for gender equality articulated in the declaration. The film highlights examples inspired by Bahá’í community-building efforts in different countries around the world.

Over the years the observation has taken various forms in different communities, including a public concert, the painting of a mural at a school, a library exhibition, a press breakfast in collaboration with the Jamaica Council for Interfaith Fellowship, as well as devotional gatherings.