To whom much is given, much is expected is the biblical philosophy which guides Jamaican-American sisters Meisha Smith-Coulter, Alison Smith, both attorneys, and Jessica Smith, a medical doctor. Although residing in the United States, they cling tenaciously to the Jamaica of their formative years in Black River, St Elizabeth, a quaint seaside town where they were raised largely by their late grandmother Keturah “Miss Tukah” Wright.

For years after migrating from Jamaica, the sisters pondered how they would give back to the town that provided the strong foundation they all relied on for their successes, but could not quite figure out the best way to contribute. That all changed when, in November 2023, their beloved grandmother passed away at almost 102-years-old.

In the midst of battling with immense grief, the sisters had an epiphany. All three had attended Black River Primary School. All three had fond memories of their childhood there. It struck them that a great way to honour the memory of their grandmother — a staunch advocate for literacy and education — was to create a foundation and provide scholarships to students from Black River Primary School who were entering high school.

To that end, the Keturah Foundation was birthed in 2024 and, after applications were submitted by some of the best and brightest students and interviews conducted, four students were presented with scholarships of US$500 each at Black River Primary’s graduation ceremony in June that year.

“We feel blessed to provide these scholarships,” said Alison, who stirred pride in Jamaicans when she was elected the first Jamaican American to ever serve as president of the century-old Broward County Bar Association in 2022.

She was recognised during the annual Black River Day 2024 celebrations for her civic contributions in South Florida and her continued support to St Elizabeth by the St Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce, with support from the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation.

Fresh from the presentation of the second annual scholarships at the graduation last month, she insisted: “Although the students feel like we are blessing them, it is really my family that is being blessed, because we get to perpetually honour someone who was our entire world, and in that way, her name will live on in posterity.”

Meisha and Jessica echoed the same sentiments, with Meisha noting that the goal is to increase the amount of scholarships that they provide to students, while honouring her grandmother, who loved Black River and lived there for decades with her husband Charles Decordova (CD) Wright, the first Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth South Western. Jodi Bernard-Kerr, the scholarship coordinator, herself a resident of Black River, was responsible for coordinating the entire programme — from the creation of the application forms to issuing the monies to the students. She lauded the gesture, stating: “Mahatma Gandhi says ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’ That’s what coordinating this scholarship fund meant to me. The ability to be of service to the school I attended, by assisting bright young minds in receiving financial support towards their educational pursuits, is extremely meaningful.”

The sisters have pledged to continue the scholarship programme annually because, “after all, as the old Jamaican proverb says, ‘One-one coco full basket’.”

Analeisa Nembhard (left), student of Black River Primary, receiving her Keturah Wright Scholarship award from the honoree’s grand daughters Meisha Smith-Coulter (centre) and Alison Smith.

Black River Primary School student Kahlelah Myers (left) happily accepts her Keturah Wright Scholarship award from sisters Meisha (centre) and Alison Smith, both attorneys and granddaughters of the late Keturah Wright, after whom the scholarship is named.

Black River resident Jodi Bernard-Kerr (right), who co-ordinated the Keturah Wright scholarships for students of the Black River Primary Shool, St Elizabeth, gets a photo op with granddaughters of the late Keturah Wright, Meisha Coulter-Smith (left) and Alison Smith.

Parents, relatives and staff of Black River Primary School in St Elizabeth, watch as the students march in procession at their graduation ceremony and Keturah Wright Scholarship presentation.