Angela Brown Burke | Sister P at 80

If you travel far enough into St Catherine, past the bustle and the quick talk of the capital, you’ll find Wood Hall. It’s a quiet place, the kind of community where yards feel like open hands and children learn early that neighbours are family.

That’s where Portia Lucretia Simpson Miller, born on December 12, 1945, began her story. No one looking at the little girl running barefoot through the community could have guessed she would one day become the first woman to lead Jamaica. Those who knew her then say she always carried purpose in her stride.

From Marlie Hill Primary, she went on to St Catherine High School before transferring to St Martin’s High School when she moved to Kingston. She also attended the Jamaica Commercial Institute, where she earned a certificate in shorthand. Each step widened her world a little more. Before she ever dreamed of Parliament, Portia Simpson Miller was an advocate for the people. She joined the Trade Union Congress in the 1970s, where she discovered her passion and began developing her political persona.

By 1974, she faced a formidable test in the municipal election as a councillor candidate for the People’s National Party (PNP) in the Trench Town division. That division was one of the strongest Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) seats in the area, and her chances looked slim. But ‘Mama P’, or ‘Sister P’ as she was affectionately called, campaigned the way she would for the rest of her political life - street by street, yard by yard and conversation by conversation. When the ballots were counted, she won by 300 votes. It was the first sign that she could do what others thought impossible.

Two years later, in 1976, she became member of parliament for South West St Andrew, a seat which she held for 42 years. The people of South West St Andrew trusted her because she asked questions and stayed long enough to hear the answers and find solutions to the many challenges that her constituents faced.

Within the PNP, she quickly climbed the ranks of the party under the leadership of the Most Honourable Michael Manley and, latterly, PJ Patterson. In 1977, she served as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and also in the Office of the Prime Minister.

In 1980, she became president of the PNP Women’s Movement, using that platform to push for visibility, equality, and legal protections for women across the island. By 1989, she was appointed Minister of Labour. In an interview after her appointment, she said, “I am determined to leave a legacy etched in the consciousness of my fellow Jamaicans. You just watch me grow.” And that she did.

Throughout the years that the PNP remained in government, Simpson Miller continued to serve as minister of labour and welfare, after which sports was added to her portfolio in 1995, She served as Minister of Tourism and Sports in 2000 and then as Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sport, from 2002 to 2006.

In 2005, Sister P made history by becoming the first female president of the PNP. A year later, she achieved another historic feat. The impossible became real. Jamaica had its first female prime minister in Portia Lucretia Simpson Miller.

There was a kind of electricity in the air that day, girls watching TV, women whispering to each other on buses, men nodding with quiet approval. For a brief moment, the whole island seemed to look in the same direction. The little girl from Wood Hall did it again. Her ascension to the office of prime minister gave people hope that their own stories could stretch farther than they once believed.

Her style wasn’t about big speeches or polished lines. She led with empathy and a presence that felt familiar. When she visited schools, children rushed to her. When she walked into a community, doors opened without anyone calling out.

Governing Jamaica was a tumultuous task, but Mama P took on the challenge with strength and determination. Her years as prime minister weren’t easy. The world economy had turned rough, and Jamaica had no choice but to steady itself through stormy weather. Simpson Miller and her team engaged the US Congressional Black Caucus, which helped advocate on Jamaica’s behalf during crucial discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It was a period that demanded patience, discipline, and political courage. Many of the fiscal rules, debt-reduction strategies, and long-term reforms that guide the country today, trace their roots to that period of national recovery.

Over the years, as our seventh prime minister, she earned recognition on both sides of the political aisle. She was well respected far beyond Jamaica’s shores, both regionally and internationally. Her career of service in government was full of notable achievements. Among them:

• Establishing the National Insurance Fund (NIF) and National Health Fund (NHF)

• Co-pioneering of the Bureau of Women’s Affairs

• Spearheading Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Legislation

• Building houses for young professionals and sugar workers

• Strengthening property rights for spouses and introducing Matrimonial Maintenance and Pension Benefits reform

• Overseeing the construction of the National Indoor Sports Centre

• Developing the overseas recruitment centre for farm workers

• Expanding social-protection networks and support for the elderly

At 80, Simpson Miller stands as one of Jamaica’s most enduring examples of what persistence can do. Her story has the texture of a folk tale: a girl from Wood Hall who said “watch me grow” and then grew beyond anything the country had seen before.

She paved the way for my own journey in public life. As the first female chairperson of the PNP and now the member of parliament of the constituency which she served with such distinction, I stand on the foundation she built. Her legacy is not only one of national achievement, but of opening doors for the next generation of women like me in politics.

As the PNP celebrates her 80 years, we celebrate her accomplishments, the examples she set in leadership, and the lives she touched and transformed through service.

The titles change, but the story remains the same.

Happy 80th birthday! May your light continue to guide, inspire, and remind us that true service begins with heart.

Angela Brown Burke is the chairwoman of the People’s National Party and member of parliament for South West St Andrew constituency. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com