Over 200 Jamaicans Honored for Contribution to Nation Building

Over two hundred Jamaicans who have made outstanding contributions to nation-building were formally recognized on Monday, October 18, during the virtual 2021 National Honors and Awards Ceremony. This is the second consecutive year the ceremony is being scaled down from the usual pomp and pageantry, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jamaica’s third-highest national honor, the Order of Merit was bestowed upon Professor Donald Jasper Harris, the father of the current Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, for his outstanding contribution to national development.

Four prominent Jamaicans have been conferred with the Order of Jamaica. Thirty-six (36) Jamaicans received the Order of Distinction in the rank of commander and Forty (40) received the Order of Distinction in the rank of officer, for outstanding work in various fields. On the list of honoraries are front-line health workers and Olympians. Two civilians were recognized for acts of bravery they displayed to save lives, including popular businessman Dwight Moore, who received the badge of honor for gallantry, for his bravery and heroism in saving the life of a policeman who was under attack on August 19 of last year. The medal of honor for gallantry was bestowed upon firefighter Dennis Taylor. He rescued a 66 years old man who was abducted and dumped in a pit – 55 feet in depth – in St. Catherine on Sunday, May 1, 2021.

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