I Can | I Will | I Must
The Motto That Keeps One Woman Fighting to Beat All Odds
Marjorie (DaPoet) Walters
Marjorie lost her mother at 3 months old and was adopted by Ms. Enid Goode, however, circumstances would cause her to enter state care where she moved between two facilities (Girl’s home) namely the Glenhope Place of Safety & Stratton Girls Home.
She did not know her siblings and would later find herself alone as a teenage mom, faced with a lot of abuse and ridicule. Marjorie was told ‘you nah come out to nothing good’, a Jamaican term meaning she will never achieve good in life.
Those were the words she needed to hear to prove her naysayers wrong—Marjorie overcame the odds and triumphed. As a child, she was a big fan of the late Rt. Hon. Dr. Louise Bennett-Coverley, affectionately known to Jamaicans near and far as ‘Ms. Lou’. Her fascination with Ms. Lou became the catalyst that spawned her interest in writing, a safe place to express all she had bottled up inside her. She found time would pass quickly as she got lost in writing about her struggles with ridicule, low self-esteem, and many other challenges. She found an escape as she drowned her sorrows in poetry writing and then reciting for herself and the other wards of the state she shared space with.
If low self-esteem and ridicule were not enough, she became a high school dropout with no certification. Talk about overwhelming odds. But her talent in writing and performing was the needed encouragement to never give up despite her situation. She further shares that “you are not who they say you are; you are who you choose to be”, an encouragement she shares with others. The now author, poet, songwriter, chef, actress, and community volunteer extraordinaire shares that her challenging life is a journey and process that she has had to face, and that, even though she has a long way to go, she moves forward with perseverance and strength as her companions.
Marjorie is an active volunteer heavily involved in community service while wearing many hats. She is a mother to one child, and Nana, as she is affectionately called, to three beautiful grandchildren. She is also an aunt to the tight-knit Jackson Town Community off Molynes Road in Kingston 19, Jamaica. Marjorie hopes her life story will be the catalyst that inspires others to get through their challenges, knowing they can accomplish whatever they set out to do despite their past situations. She credits her success to hard work, dedication & not giving up.
The former volunteer for Richmond Fellowship Drug Program, C.S.J.P. (Citizens Security & Justice Program), Volunteers for the Delayed Not Denied homeless feeding program, and active member of The Jackson Town Citizens Association for Kids and the Elderly has given her time intensively to community work.
Some of Marjorie’s accomplishments to date.
The Author of Two Books —Highways, Byways & Beyond 2020 | Borders Barriers & Boundaries 2022.
An actress in ‘The Bartender’ movie on YouTube.
Self-styled Chef & Owner of The Little Place Ur Kitchen.
Songwriter for the 2021 Festival Song Love Jamaica My Land.
Bronze Award along with 2 merits for Creative Writing from J.C.D.C.
In all her achievements, she continues to give credit to the Rt. Hon. Dr. Louise Bennett Coverley, aka Ms. Lou, who influenced her dialect style. She now holds over 370 pieces of poetry and counting. Her third book is in the making, and there are no plans to stop writing anytime soon.
Marjorie Walters is a survivor. She has had to work various jobs (babysitter, domestic help, pump attendant, cook) to provide for her only child. Her story is not told for props or accolades but to give hope to children living in Jamaica’s inner-city communities and the marginalized. To share hope with those who have fallen through the cracks of society and with those who share a similar journey to herself, for them to believe that if she can, so can they. She leaves all who cross paths with her, her resounding life motto—I can, I will, I must, You Can
