News
The Collective Voice of TCI, don’t Underestimate Estimate it’s Power
#TurksandCaicos, June 8, 2022 – It’s high time we take the great conversations being had at the dominoes tables, churches and bars to the streets.
The basic definition of collective voice, exercises power through togetherness, the power to drive real change for our children, families and communities. These are some of the conversations taking place at the aforementioned locations, but all too often it stays there.
For the most part, we are fortunate to live in a country where censorship is not a battle we have to fight just yet. We also know, there are plenty of challenges and pressing issues facing our country. One of the greatest strengths of any country is the right to freedom of expression, with the ability to exercise those rights with out fear or retaliation. Although, this right could be trampled upon if we fail to protect it or by denying its power.
Our aim should be to empower marginalized citizens to share critically important stories and perspectives, in order to bring light to the injustices experienced by systemically marginalized communities that are becoming hot spots for crimes in areas like Five Cays, Kew town and the like. We have to deliver a consistent message, loudly and often. When our communities speak with a strong, united and collective voice, in most cases our politicians hear us.
There will always be competing interests in any political system. Nevertheless, our collective voice allows us to get their attention. This is the only way for our community to express collective power effectively and address the fundamental imbalance of power, especially when it comes to new policies being made that can significantly impact our livelihood and wellbeing.
We have the power to make a difference, so let’s do it. Our future generation will grow up knowing they have the
Issues such as certain communities that are being marginalized, better housing affordability, increase in minimum wage, food and gas pricing regulations, crime, ex-felon rehabilitation and the like. To effect change within a community it requires courage, focus, and hard work from each of us. If we are not offering solutions to our gripes, we need to change our narrative. We need more voices of reasoning, substantive conversations, activism and problem solvers, not just criticism.
At the end of the day, we are all Turks Islanders, be it expats or those with belonger status. So what’s important to our communities is for all races and creed, to join in the fight for equality and not remain helpless onlookers or reticent or only speak up when your individual community is impacted. In order to accomplish this, as concerned citizens, we have to first identify what are the greatest demands and our unifying cause.
Only then can we began to work together against a common enemy rather then fighting amongst ourselves.
We may have differences, but the goal should not be to eliminate them, but to find more common ground. We can all work with and build on shared interest. My fight may not be your fight, but we can support each other. For example, my passion is the fight for a marine vessel for our dedicated maritime and DECR staff in Grand Turk.
Therefore, until the promises made by our government on this issue translate into reality, we have organized a grassroots Search and Rescue team. If your passion is keeping the streets of your community garbage free, organize a group or adopt a street like the citizens of Palm Grove and others in Providenciales did etc.
I’ll end by quoting the words of Frederick Douglass. “Those who professes to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the roaring of its many waters”.
Henceforth, let’s fight for what we believe is right and just for the people of these beautiful by nature Turks and Caicos Islands.
Ed Forbes,
Concerned citizen of Grand Turk