Operating from a Brave Space: The Caribbean Prime Minister Who Did
I was born on the beautiful island of Barbados—the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands, just 669 miles from the South American coast of Venezuela. With a population of 295,000, the island is a mere 21 miles long and 14 miles wide, with extraordinary vistas of white sand and palm trees on the west coast and roiling waves that pound the rocky eastern Atlantic coast. Flying fish, award-winning rum, sweet bread, every tropical fruit under the sun, and a culture of friendly, welcoming people makes Barbados one of the most sought-after destinations in the Caribbean.
Originally inhabited by Amerindians and Arawaks, Barbados was colonized as a British possession in 1663, ultimately reclaiming its independence in 1966. November of 2021, under the leadership of its first female Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Barbados left the British Commonwealth and became a republic. No longer under British sovereignty, the World Bank has identified Barbados as one of 83 high income economies in the world.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley standing up to the world’s geopolitical powers
This past weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to find a 10-page article in The New York Times Magazine focusing on Prime Minister Mottley and her work to change the crushing debt policies that negatively impact Barbados and leave many Caribbean Islands in a perpetual round robin of never-ending economic stress and strife.
I was impressed with the fierce stance Mottley has taken: she has lambasted world institutions like the United Nations General Assembly and the World Trade Organization for their lack of leadership-–calling out their actions as hypocritical, greedy, and selfish. Bajans don’t typically mince their words and Mottley certainly didn’t.
The devasting hurricanes, warming seas, eroding beaches, and dying fisheries brought on by climate change, the pandemic and loss of tourism dollars have destabilized my island home and many others. Demanding an in-person meeting with the International Monetary Fund’s Managing Director, Christine Legarde, Mottley proposed an alternative way of handling the revolving debt strangling her nation. Mottley stepped into a quagmire—the global financial system—challenging the power brokers, bankers, and investors, who, as she says, are only interested in their profits and not the people of these island paradises. Mottley stopped making payments on the nation’s debts and renegotiated a more sustainable and equitable agreement, the first of its kind—bonds with hurricane clauses that would allow her to build a stronger island economy. Her leadership on debt issues and climate change have been critical, not only for Barbados, but for dozens of other Caribbean nations seeking a way out from under perpetual, heavy debt burdens.
Mottley’s leadership is a shining example of living and operating from a brave space—one that.
Stands in a truth that is deep and heartfelt
Requires risk and vulnerability, realizing that those who have influence and power may attempt to thwart your efforts
Let’s your voice be heard, full and strong
Stepping into a brave space can look like a passionate woman on a world stage or in our own intimate circles of work and community, when we recognize the right thing to do. Mottley improvised, just like a jazz musician, she put herself out there, bringing a new perspective to an old melody.
Mia Mottley answered the call for a heroine’s journey, strode out as a brave soul, and came back triumphant.
