HISTORY will recall that on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 Frances Madden delivered the 23rd presentation in the series of annual GraceKennedy Foundation Lecture at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

The lecture entitled “It’s Not About Me” is an exposé on community development by one of its finest exponents. It was an experience not to be missed. The presentation could well have been called “It is not about the hype”, for the intervention Frances would be required to make for its success will be conducted outside the glare of media publicity which is the handmaiden of corporate outreach efforts.

This was no theoretical exposition. This was a graphic portrayal of the harsh realities of urban existence in a section of Kingston deemed off limits to those who see their personal security as a matter of avoidance rather than a question of engagement. It was also a story of hope and redemption and just what is possible when we repose faith in each other even when the prognosis might not seem promising. Frances Madden, through the prism of her vast experience, gave us a better understanding of just what is possible if we cast away our fears and immerse ourselves in the dangerous but psychically rewarding task of engaging those we consider wretched of the earth to reach for their better selves.

This was a lecture by one intimately aware of the harrowing consequences which can flow from saying the right thing at the wrong time or being in the right place at the wrong time if one happens to be a resident of those pockets of poverty dotting our urban landscape. Through the Grace and Staff Community Development Foundation, Frances has been able to touch and transform many lives which would have been consigned to the suffocating clutches of penury and misery. The foundation, financed by funds allocated by members of the GraceKennedy staff and matched by the management, is a sterling example of what is possible when corporate entities do not yield to the beguiling prospect of retreating from those sections of the society deemed by many to be unfit for human habitation or commercial enterprise.

There were a number of testimonials from members of the audience who were able to trace their ability to escape the wretched embrace of poverty and violence through the consistent efforts of the Grace and Staff Foundation which provided them with the emotional, psychological and financial space to fulfil dreams with would otherwise have been impossible to realise. They were touching as they were enlightening.

Too often our efforts at social intervention are akin to air raids. We try not to get directly involved with the issues on the ground. We only need to look at how effective is the air strikes being conducted by NATO over Libya to get a better understanding of the futility of trying to intervene from afar. Frances and people like my sister Sharene, whom she mentioned in her presentation, know that one has to have boots on the ground if one is serious about waging war. This is not a task for the faint hearted. Navigating these spaces requires an acute understanding of the nuances and codes which can often mean the difference between life and death or success and failure. It is no easy challenge. In many instances one must appreciate the value of silence and the importance of listening.

Why do men who lead short brutish lives seem to be in such a hurry to impregnate as many women as possible in their brief spell on top of the soil? Frances has the answer to that and it is not couched in any sociological jargon. Young men who are keenly aware of the painful fact that their lives will in all likelihood be cut short, seek to leave as many pieces of themselves behind through what we deem to be their promiscuity. Yes they want to leave their “name” behind. This behaviour can be explained through theories of genetic fitness. Though Frances never resorted to any arcane scientific or sociological construct for an explanation of this phenomenon.

People will find ways of perpetuating themselves in this brutal lottery of life by making as many copies of themselves to increase the chances of their gene surviving especially when the odds are against them. This explains why poor people tend to have more children than rich people.

Frances through her work is able to validate these notions. Yet, more importantly, she is able to break cycles and overturn long-held misconceptions by allowing talented individuals locked in the despairing confines of poverty and despair to set themselves free.

clyde.mckenzie@gmail.coma