MIAMI – As Jamaicans in South Florida will continue to mourn the loss of the late Lady Bustamante, a condolence book will be opened to the public at the Consulate General of Jamaica in Miami, on Monday (Aug. 3) through Friday (Aug. 7).
Lady Bustamante, widow of Jamaica’s first Prime Minister and National Hero, the Rt. Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante, died last Saturday (July 25), at age 97. She was born in Westmoreland in 1912.
Following the annual Jamaica Independence Service, this Sunday (Aug. 2), a condolence book will also be opened at the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale, in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
In paying tribute, Jamaica’s Consul General, Mrs. Sandra Grant Griffiths said that the pioneering spirit of Lady Bustamante shaped women’s and workers’ rights movement in Jamaica. “She was a shining example of quiet fortitude,” she added.
Described as a heroine in her own right, ‘Lady B’ as she was affectionately called was a staunch defender of women’s rights and workers’ rights. She was committed to the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) which was founded by her late husband, and was its honorary treasurer and a trustee up until her death.
Lady Bustamante will be given an official funeral by the Jamaican Government on Saturday (Aug. 8) at the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Liguanea. Saturday, August 8, will also be observed as a national day of mourning.
