open letter to DSC Board Chairman, Mr.Meade

Dear Mr. Meade:

I greet you with the utmost respect that a young person can have for an individual such as yourself in a privileged position of power, respect and influence.

First and foremost, I told myself that I wasn’t going to address this issue but that I would leave it up to the authorities to take the rightful steps to ensure that our students are protected and have a safe environment in which they can learn and develop. Secondly, I was hoping that the issue would bring youth and youth leaders to the fore and they would see it as an opportunity to champion a cause for which the entire nation needed to show concern.

My comments themselves do not stem from the original article which made several rounds on social media, talk media and/or websites but rather from a DNO article which published your thoughts on the matter. And for this reason, I must speak… to borrow a quote from a popular 2014 calypso. From the minute I read the article and your comments on the matter, my heart was pricked to respond. It is not my wish to judge your reasons for such a stance however, I must wonder about a few things:

1. What is the due diligence process established at the Dominica State College when issues of sexual misconduct arise?
2. Isn’t an initial investigation by the Chairman of the board, in this instance, and a consultation among board members necessary before a matter such as this can be “swept under the rug?”
3. Is there a code of conduct or a code of ethics established by the board as it relates to relations between school officials and students?
4. What’s the primary role of the institution as it relates to allegations of sexual misconduct? Is it the protection of students or the support to employees?
5. What effect will your personal stance, as you have yet to consult the board on the matter but having publicly addressed it in media, have on the reputation of the institution?
6. Will this issue further contribute to what most people think is the moral decay of our general population, more importantly among the youth population?

I am not saying that Dr. Peters is in any way culpable but there should be some form of internal investigations by the Board or some independent committee as this is a serious ethical issue. I also think that an investigation would go a long way in restoring Dr. Peters’ reputation if he is indeed innocent of the charges laid out against him in the initial article. A lot of people are of the impression that this is a serious matter, although they won’t publicly voice their concern, so the repercussions can be more damaging if it is addressed in an ad hoc manner.

This is even more damaging to someone who may want to come across to report some issue that they suffered for fear of it being dismissed before due process has been followed. I urge you to rethink your earlier thoughts and do the necessary as it relates to the information relayed in the original article.

I do pray that my open letter is received in the manner in which it is meant, that is, with the best intentions as it relates to both the safety of students at the Dominica State College and any other learning institution on our Nature Island, as well as the restoration of the image of institution and the persons involved in this unfortunate situation.

Respectfully yours,

 

 

Delroy Nesta Williams

Concerned Youth

Literature students review One Room Shack

Here is another review of my book from two literature students of the Dominica State College. It was a class assignment that they critique a book from a Dominican author. I was very pleased that my book, One Room Shack, was selected. For comments on their book review check Dominica News Online but you can read the entire review below:

It is a rare race of Shakespeares and Walcotts that we live in.

Written by Delroy “Nesta” Williams, One Room Shack, a compilation of the aforementioned poet’s pieces is an initiative to publish his thoughts on an understandable range of topics. Mr Williams, a graduate of the Dominica Grammar School began writing at the tender age of eleven. Williams decided one day to go out on a limb and read his poems at the first Nature Island Literary Festival and got positive feedback; up until that time he was a closet poet. When asked what fueled him to publish a book he said, “Everybody kept asking when I was going to release a book and since no other young people were releasing books I did it to inspire others that they could also do it”

The poems are contemplations on topics such as; love, Dominica, opportunity, patriarchs, comfort objects, dreams, salvation, life and so on. The compilation opens with an acknowledgement of Williams’ humble beginnings in a “One Room Shack” which is essentially its (the compilation’s) namesake and ends with a poem called “Thank You” which shows the poet’s gratitude to his readers or audience for picking up his first book. The poem continues from the title, “For trusting your instinct/Picking up my first poetry book/If you take nothing else/From my rhymes and lines/Remember the spirit within us/At the core is divine.” This is someone who has appreciated his blessings and does not take them for granted. With a mindset like this, Delroy Williams can reach great heights.

During an interview, Williams stated that he wants to evoke feelings of understanding, love, self-pride and hope in readers. This was accomplished with words like ‘Dreams flow away like rivers to the sea lost among the oceans of the world, but a glimmer of hope still exists at the horizon just at the point of the sunset.

Williams’ poems are able to captivate readers as they are extremely easy to relate to. In his poem ‘Father Failed Me’ the lines ‘prison record passed from father to son not hard work, commitment or patience lifelines of past generations but rash, harsh words scarring the soul, as the world turns’ are words that almost anyone can identify with or at least understand. There is a strong Caribbean theme in his poetry; poems like ‘The Wanderer’, ‘Dominica’, Father Failed me’ and ‘De Dominican Gift’ are a few very good examples of the evident Caribbean theme. Although his poems are pretty straight forward they are still profound and able to evoke thought.

One Room Shack Mr. Williams’ first published book is to be launched on the 26th of November at Tiffany’s in Canefield. His second book which is already completed is called Moods and Attitudes. Hopefully and perhaps, his sequential works will be even better than the first as he grows as a writer.

Noting that the poems are not very close to the standards of Shakespeare, Walcott or Yeats, Mr. Williams has a long way to go, as this is a far cry from transcendental poetry. However, just because his poetry cannot compete with the greats does not mean that Williams has not published good poetry. In fact, he should be highly commended for his publication as not many people are brave enough to find means whereby to publish their work and have it stand up to scrutiny.

Written by Tamika Jude and Nellie Jules