By Stephen Weir
Ignore the chilliness exterior your door immediately—it’s Bob Marley Day in Toronto! DeWitt Lee needs you to image your self ankle-deep in heat Caribbean waters, collaborating within the second annual BOB clean-up, held in reminiscence of the late, nice Bob Marley on February sixth.
BOB? It stands for Beautify Our Seashores. That is the second 12 months volunteers from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and St. Lucia will roll up their sleeves—or dive in—to wash up in Marley’s honor. Whether or not wading, snorkeling, or scuba diving, groups will probably be eradicating every part from plastic waste to hurricane particles—and in some instances, even deserted autos.
Whereas Marley’s household has organized clean-ups in Jamaica earlier than, what makes BOB particular is its regional attain. The clean-up now extends to different Caribbean nations, turning this right into a wider motion. This 12 months, the BOB clean-up runs from Bob Marley’s birthday, February sixth, to March twenty second, aligning with the UN-declared World Water Day.
Right here in Toronto, Bob Marley Day will kick off with a Canadian celebration: One Love – One Seashore – One Flag at Queen’s Park. The occasion options the elevating of the RBG (pink, black, and inexperienced) flag, with group members collaborating, together with Jamaica’s Consul Normal, Mr. Kurt Davis.
Later, at 4 p.m. Jap, there will probably be a Zoom presentation that includes contributors from the varied Caribbean seaside clean-ups. You may tune in by visiting bit.ly/1love1beach.
When Caribbean Digicam spoke to DeWitt Lee, a well known GTA Black activist (and beloved Black Santa Claus), he shared how the imaginative and prescient of the Bob Marley Day of Service got here to life:
“This 12 months, I had the chance to current One Love – One Seashore to the Caribbean Consular Corps on the Trinidad and Tobago Consulate, hoping to encourage extra islands to pay homage to Bob Marley by way of acts of service,” Lee mentioned.
In 2024, as Grenada ready to have a good time its fiftieth anniversary of independence, Lee discovered a method to contribute. “I noticed a particular alternative to hitch the wave of nationwide delight by organizing clean-ups of fifty seashores and bays throughout Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique,” he defined. “What began as a Grenadian independence initiative changed into the primary annual Bob Marley Day of Service – One Love One Seashore, a Caribbean-wide clean-up.”
Whereas a lot of the air pollution close to these seashores comes from cruise ships and careless vacationers, Lee emphasizes that the accountability to wash up typically falls on the island nations themselves.
By the inaugural BOB Day, Lee had secured commitments from groups in St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, the Cayman Islands, and, in fact, Jamaica. This 12 months, with Canada turning into a digital chief within the marketing campaign, the BOB motion continues to develop—and get moist!
#BobMarleyDay #OneLoveOneBeach #BOBCleanup #CaribbeanCleanup #ProtectOurOceans #MarleyLegacy #BeachCleanUp #EcoWarrior #CaribbeanPride
