A project of the GraceKennedy Foundation that has become highly regarded and which has impacted nationally is the annual public lecture series.
Since 1989, the Foundation has invited a person of distinction to lecture on a subject of political, economic or social concern to Jamaica and the Caribbean. It is the aim of the Foundation that the lecture should initiate public debate and commentary at all levels of society. To further facilitate this process the lecture is published and circulated to institutions and individuals.
Several of the lectures have become important sources for reference in their fields. A number have been assigned as texts at both the University of the West Indies and the University of Technology. Two titles have been in constant demand by schools and the general public and have had to be reprinted. These are Elsa Leo-Rhynie’s The Jamaican Family: Continuity and Change and Don Robotham’s Vision and Volunteerism.
Previous Lectures
Below is a list of topics of past lectures. Simply click on the lecture titles to access the online version in PDF format.
Topic
- 2022 – Dr Fred Kennedy, Dr The Honourable Douglas Orane, CD, Senator Don Wehby, CD.
A Century of Excellence. GraceKennedy’s Recipe for Success - 2021 – Vivian Crawford
Jamaica – Tangible and Intangible Heritage: So Much to Tell - 2020 – Margaret Jones Williams
The Decade Of Action Begins: The Sustainable Development Goals – Leaving No One Behind - 2019 – Prof Mona Webber, Wayne Henry, Tijani Christian
Clean Kingston Harbour: Pipe Dream or Pot of Gold? - 2018 – Dr. Parris Lyew-Ayee Jr.
Tech Charge: Smart Homes, Smart Businesses, Smart Nations - 2017 – Dr. Michael Abrahams
Humour, Laughter and Life - 2016 – Prof. Marvin Reid
Overfed and Undernourished: Dietary Choices in Modern Jamaica - 2015 – Prof. Michael A. Taylor
Why Climate Demands Change - 2014- Dr. Fritz Pinnock
From Piracy to Transshipment: Jamaica’s Journey to Becoming a Global Logistics Hub - 2013 – Dr. Anna Kasafi
Moral Dis-Ease – Making Jamaica ill? – Re-engaging the conversation on Morality - 2012 – James Moss-Solomon
Jamaica and GraceKennedy: Dreams Converging,
Roads Diverging - 2011 – Frances Madden
“It’s Not About Me” – Working with Communities: Processes and Challenges The Grace & Staff Community Development Foundation Experience - 2010 – Delano Franklyn
Sport in Jamaica, A Local and International Perspective - 2009 – Prof. Anthony Harriott
Controlling Violent Crime: Models & Policy Options - 2008 – Richard L. Bernal
Globalization: Everything but Alms – The EPA and Economic Development - 2007 – Kenneth Sylvester
Information Communication Technology: Shaping Our Lives - 2006 – Maureen Samms-Vaughn
Children Caught in the Cross Fire - 2005 – Marjorie Whylie
‘Our Musical Heritage – The Power of the Beat’. - 2004 – Dennis Morrison Q.C.
The Citizen and the Law – “Perspectives Old and New” - 2003- Dr. Paulline Millbourn Lynch
Wellness: A National Challenge - 2002 – Neville Ying, Anthony Irons, Lloyd Goodleigh
Changing with Change: Workplace Dynamics Today and Tomorrow - 2001 -Errol Miller
Jamaica in the 21st Century: Contending Choices - 2000 – Patrick Bryan
Inside Out and Outside In: Factors in the Creation of Contemporary Jamaica - 1999 – Barry Chevannes
What We Sow and What We Reap: The Cultivation of Male Identity in Jamaica - 1998 – Don Robotham
Vision & Voluntarism – Reviving Voluntarism in Jamaica - 1997 – Gladstone Mills
Westminster Style Democracy – The Jamaican Experience - 1996 – Elizabeth Thomas-Hope
The Environmental Dilemma in Caribbean Context - 1995 – Lucien Jones
The Jamaican Society – Options for Renewal - 1994 – Keith S. Panton
Leadership and Citizenship in Post- Independence Jamaica – Whither the Partnership - 1993 – Elsa Leo-Rhynie
The Jamaican Family: Continuity & Change - 1992 – Burchell Taylor
Free for All? A Question of Morality and Community - 1991 – Don Mills
The New Europe, the New World Order, Jamaica and the Caribbean - 1990 – Alister McIntyre
Human Resources Development: Its Relevance to Jamaica and the Caribbean - 1989 – G. Arthur Brown
Patterns of Development and Attendant Choices and Consequences of Jamaica and the Caribbean
