Hello dear audience! This is Jacqui, writer and researcher of “Under the Sycamore Tree.” Here are our show notes for our Episode 5: “Stats & Storytelling: Fi di Dolly dem.” Please note that we will take a brief break for the summer and return with the second and final batch of our episodes on (x date). 

Possible triggers in this episode include abortion, domestic violence, HIV+ / AIDS, SRH, mental health, class. The organizers and organizations featured in this episode are:

• Sarah-Ann Gresham, Co-Founder of Intersect Antigua, (Antigua and Barbuda). Intersect Antigua is a Queeribean feminist collective committed to gender justice and to centering the experiences and needs of the most marginalized among us, including queer, trans, and non-binary people and those with disabilities who are Black, Indigenous, and identify as people of colour. Intersect is here to re-imagine a world where Caribbean women, men, and non-binary people are free to live and love in societies where they are cared for and cherished. Check out Intersect’s literary magazine on their website! Find them also at their Equality Fund webpage; their Facebook page; Twitter: @intersect_anu; IG: @intersect.anu; and LinkedIn. 

• Shantae Porteous, who, at the time of our discussion, was Health & Wellness Officer at WE Change JA (Jamaica). Women’s Empowerment for Change (WE Change) is a feminist organization focused on advocating for and with lesbian, bisexual, and queer women. WE Change is focused on equipping women with the tools to advocate and become activists for the creation of a world that recognizes and protects the rights of all people, regardless of nationality, socioeconomic status, abilities, race, gender, or sexuality. Visit WE Change online via their Website; their Equality Fund webpage; their Facebook page; Twitter: @WEChangeJA; and IG: @wechangeja. 

• Denae Fairweather, Director of Publicity and President of the Board of Our Circle, based in Belize. Our Circle ​advances legal and lived equality for LGBT-formed family units, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy reform. Visit Our Circle online via their Website; their Equality Fund webpage; their Facebook page; and Twitter: @ourcirclebze. 

Carla led this conversation with Sarah-Ann, Shantae, and Denae in March 2022. We sealed this episode with audio from one of Colin Robinson’s final interview in this plane: Sex & Gender Justice in Trinidad and Tobago with Colin Robinson, Interview with Abby Charles, CaribNationTV. 

I hope you connect with these texts and enjoy the episode even further! Sincerely, 

Jacks.