When the organization was formulated in 1936 its overall purpose was to improve the quality of life for all Jamaicans wherever they reside … may it be in Jamaica or in a foreign land. It was for that reason that the founding fathers struggled so hard to help Jamaica become an independent nation. It no doubt took genius and courage to accomplish this feat, yet now forty years later, it would seem as if the plight of Jamaicans have remained the same. Our growth and development in some very critical areas leave a lot to be desired, and it is quite possible that the reason for this is that somehow we did not continue in the vein of former leaders of the organization. “We, as it were, dropped the baton.”

It is therefore incumbent upon us to pick up the baton and move forward in unity to preserve the rich legacy that was willed to us as it only fair that we pass it on to future generations. Let us rally under the Black Green and Gold, and continue our nation building, because we are one people with one destiny.

Finding The Solution & Moving Forward

The members of theJPL are aware that we have lost valuable time in the nation-building process and we plan to move forward aggressively to regain our position. There is no doubt that the challenges will be great but if we are united no powers can stop us from arriving at our goal. If we are working in concert and have a strong organization in place we will be protected from the negativity and indiscretions that seems block our paths from time to time.

This however, this can only be done by organizing our community block by block at a time, and for this we need collaborative effort. Here again as a people we are quite fortunate, because among us there are numerous individuals with diverse talents and creative ingenuity, which if pooled would be a force to be reckoned with.

There may be individuals who at one time or the other may have had a crisis or even needed a shoulder to lean on, but that help was not forthcoming. This too would be included in our future aims and objectives. The League plans to be the neutralizing force that will have the ability to negotiate in all situations on behalf of Jamaica Nationals. All Jamaicans are being invited to bring your talents or ideas and assist the League during this critical re-building stage.

Programs

The new administration of the JPL took office in January 2003, and the Officers and Board of Directors have pledged their commitment to making a difference in the community. They have outlined some bold initiatives which they intend to undertake in the near future. Among the areas they plan to tackle are health, education, economics, immigration, sports& culture, business and trade. The organization has already started to look into ways and means to address the problems our children are experiencing Public Education System in New York. We are looking for volunteers with expertise in any of these areas of expertise.

Patriotism

Patriotism-National Pride and Jamaican seem to go hand in hand. Jamaicans are very proud of their heritage and take every chance they get to display it. The high visibility of the Jamaican Flag displayed by Nationals is a perfect example. The founders of the Jamaica Progressive League were just as proud of their heritage as we are today, but they took their pride one step further. They took it to the level of unselfishness and committed their lives to creating a legacy and inheritance of which we are the beneficiaries. It was their dedication that is primarily responsible for us having the flag we adore so much.

The inactivity of the JPL in recent have led to the encroachment of the in-roads that Jamaica and Jamaicans have made in the society. Thus should we continue to be passive we will lose much more. In the words of our first National hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey “We must agitate, agitate, agitate.”