The Jamaican-American Student Association at Florida A&M University is hosting different events this week to help showcase the pride of Jamaican culture.
JAMSA encourages people of all cultures to come out and join the celebration and pride of Jamaican culture.
Friday marked the start of JAMSA week with a social event called Pon di Block, where members shared a taste of Caribbean cuisine by offering plates of jerk chicken for sale.
Ayshja Graham, JAMSA’s vice president, says Jamaican culture can be expressed through music, food and traditions.
“It was an event where we wanted to unite with everyone in the Tallahassee community and spread more knowledge about Jamaican culture,” Graham said.
“The goal for Pon di Block was to create an environment that gave the same feeling as a cookout in Jamaica with the music, food and overall family feel,” she added.
This week, the celebration continues as JAMSA hosted “Rep Yuh Flag” swag giveaway on the quad. Students of all Caribbean cultures were encouraged to join the members of the organization for an opportunity to express pride for their culture.
Tuesday, the Jamaican-American Student Association encouraged all of the Tallahassee community to attend their Jamaica Day Expo starting at 6:30 p.m.
Makyla Watkins, a JAMSA executive board member, says the Jamaica Day Expo helped people to immerse themselves into Jamaican culture by experiencing some of the stations that were displayed at the Expo.
“We will be showcasing the rich history of Jamaica by implementing a traditional clothing station, a patois station, and will feature stations that will highlight famous Jamaicans like Bob Marley and Usain Bolt,” Watkins said.
The Jamaican-American Student Association opens its membership to everyone regardless of the culture group you belong to. JAMSA members said they are excited to welcome anyone who is truly interested in learning more about Jamaican culture.
Charlize Taffe, a member of JAMSA, shared her sense of gratitude for the ability to represent Jamaica on a campus where Caribbean culture is not usually the center focus.
“Being so far away from home I don’t usually see representation of my culture, though it is an HBCU I have been able to experience Black culture but not necessarily a highlight on Jamaican culture,” Taffe said.
“Seeing JAMSA incorporate Jamaican culture with American culture creates a sense of a home away from home, I feel like I finally have a safe space and new family that JAMSA helped me to build,” Taffe added.