Those of us engaged in social justice recognise that we stand on the shoulders on giants. We are not the first and hopefully we will not be the last in this work to make our communities, countries, region and the world, a more equal place for everyone. ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐, ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒโ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐๐ฝ๐, ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ.This was Hazel Brown โ every day she seemed to think of what else can I do, whom else can I reach out to, to get the understanding across and importantly the action โ the positive movement forward for gender equality at a much-accelerated pace.
For UN Women MCO Caribbean, Hazel Brown a founding member and long-standing Coordinator of the Network of NGOs of Trinidad and Tobago For The Advancement of Women, was a crucial partner. She was in the negotiating sessions for the Beijing Platform for Action, at the Commission on the Status of Women and the lead up to these with our regional meetings in Latin America during which her contribution was acknowledged in 2020, and of course at sub regional meetings in the Caribbean.
Hazel celebrated culture and used it as a critical medium for advocacy. This included using the Baby Doll character to highlight the single mother and pressing the point of the need for the support of the father, in the interest of the childโs overall welfare.
โOne of the things I learned early on, that standing up for something and being strong in it, has a price that you had to be willing to pay. If you are not willing to pay the price you may as well go along with the crowd.โ Hazel Brown, in an interview with UN Women MCO Caribbean in 2020
She led initiatives to increase the number of women in politics and she worked for womenโs economic empowerment. She described violence against women and girls and changing the culture that normalised this type of violence, as one of the most pressing issues of our time. Hazel lobbied in the halls of justice and Parliament, and she literally walked up and down in the streets of Port of Spain seeking justice and empowerment and ultimately equality for women. Hazel we will not forget your legacy, we will do what we can to continue to build on it, and we will miss you.
#SheLeadsEquality
UN Women Photo/Sharon Carter-Burke