Norma Brown Aarons’ social work
THEY say children live what they learn, and Norma Brown Aarons is a living testimony to the adage.
A trained psychologist and social worker, Brown Aarons, who grew up in Jones Town, Kingston, told All Woman that from an early age she remembers her family always extending a giving hand to people.
“I come from a family that loves people. I grew up seeing my uncle care for people. They would come to his office and get an envelope or food. On a Sunday people would come for dinner and even when I was in the United States the house would be packed with Jamaicans my family knew. I remember having to come home some Sundays and pack dinner to give to people before going back to Sunday school,” she said.
As a result, Brown Aarons said she developed an innate care for people and would always attend to her siblings when they were hurt. Continuing this trend, she entered the Miss Jamaica World competition in 1968 as a platform to extend her support to people. After being eliminated she got the opportunity to travel to Canada where she studied nursing for two years, before her aunt adopted her and she moved to the United States. There she said she realised a vast difference in the profession for which she had an interest.
“Nursing in America was very different from nursing in Canada. At the time I saw nursing in the US as a bedside job. In Canada we were more with the doctors and would analyse the patients, give suggestions and speak about the patients more in depth. So I didn’t continue my nursing course there [United States],” she said.
Instead she went into bookkeeping, then worked as a secretary before studying to become a psychologist and social worker at the then Audrey Cohen School for Human Services and Education at the Metropolitan College of New York.
Subsequently, she worked with Air Jamaica, then became a social worker in New York City before joining the US Army then leaving and becoming a federal officer. But after her only child was killed in 1992, she decided to return home and assist the children locally.
“I do social work because of people. I am a humanitarian. I love people, especially the elderly and children. After the death of my son it took a toll on me, but I could not give up.
The love I had for my child was not just for my child. When he died a part of me went because we were close, but I had to continue working as there are many people out there who are just looking for someone to listen and help them,” she said. “Since being here I cater to over 200 children by sending them to school and paying for their CXCs out of my pocket.”
Also a lay magistrate, Brown Aarons sits on the bench every Wednesday at the Half-Way-Tree Resident Magistrate’s Court, a job she says she enjoys because of the counselling aspect involved.
“I’m easy to talk to and people will come and share what they’re going through and I help them to solve their problems,” she said.
She’s also a Justice of the Peace, a mediator with the Dispute Resolution Foundation and once worked as a probation officer — another stint she enjoyed because of the magnitude of service she was able to give.
“I worked with children and adults and there are many senior citizens who have been forgotten in the system and I would work to get them out, get clothing and medication for them. I enjoyed this, as listening to two sides of the story you’re able to help, and as a trained psychologist you also listen to what’s not being said and you’re able to approach the situation from an unbiased perspective,” she said.
Brown Aarons’ services also extend to the Grants Pen Police Station where she works with members of the community to resolve disputes and assist in any way she can. Known to the community members as the “rice lady”, she gives them food packages she receives from Food for the Poor as well as shoes which she may receive whenever she travels.
“I’m a recipient of Food for the Poor items and I distribute them to the community. I also help people with housing and any area where there’s a need,” she said.
A Girl Guide in her younger years, Brown Aarons has not left the area of service organisations. Sitting on the board of New Day Primary School, being vice-president of the Bird Sucker Youth Club, and a member of the Police Civic Committee are some of the many hats she wears.
She’s also an advocate for education and proper parenting skills. As such, Brown Aarons and Superintendent Jacqueline Green from the Grants Pen Police Station have decided to set up a parenting class for young mothers.
“I always push for people to get an education, as what’s inside of your head, no one can take it out. I want women to respect themselves and watch their association. I see a lot of young moms who are not interested in getting careers and they don’t realise they will need to eventually care for their children. Too many young people have children and can’t care for them the right way. They don’t know parenting skills and grandparents are getting younger, so we decided that this was needed to help guide them. Part of this will encourage them to also seek help for themselves financially in an honest way,” she said.
In her spare time she can be found reading, listening to vintage music, particularly the Merritones, or enjoying a game of cricket, football, basketball or watching track and field.
Brown Aarons believes in the power of prayer and believes that people should live each day like there’s no tomorrow, as we don’t know what’s promised to us. She also believes in being her brother’s keeper and doing unto others as we would love them to do to us.
