MEET Felicia. Felicia is a 19-year-old University of Guyana second-year communication student, who resides in ‘C’ Field Sophia. She is a disciplined and decent citizen who respects all societal rules and norms, even though she wakes every day to the smell of cannabis sativa wafting past her unconcerned nose, she remains resolute in her determination not to succumb to the trappings of her community. Among the mixture of tenement and big houses, Felicia resides in a small, partially constructed abode with her single-parent mom, who is a security guard.

On a calm, but hot day, while Felicia was watching television, her mom solemnly laboured into their home and informed her that she lost her job. Mommy made it clear that she could no longer support Felicia financially to attend UG. This news almost closed the curtains on a dream to become a journalist, but this determined student decided to do something about it. She devised a two-fold plan: to sell ice and icicles to members of her community and find a job. Her mother reminded her that the house has an illegal connection and if the power company comes by, there would be no electricity to sustain the business. Felicia insisted that she would get a job by this time.

Felicia proceeded to send out applications to several private media companies. After 10 applications, there was no positive response. One evening, she sat in her chair completely dejected and fed up and decided to try another strategy. She dropped her Sophia address from her applications and listed the address of a family member from an ‘accepted community.’ To her little surprise, five out five applications from the new addresses received favourable responses. She was called to several interviews, but did not receive a job. The interviewers expressed tacit concerns about the fact that she was from this community. This disciplined, church-going student left her last interview with a sense of doom and waited on a bus with her last GY$100.

While waiting for a bus, a black SUV rolled up, the windows came down and grey-bearded gentleman offered her a ride home. She told this stranger all her problems and he offered to help, but his help came with excessive harassment and misery. In the end, Felicia became pregnant and was forced to drop out of the university and became a victim of a patriarchal society. The socio-economic pressures reduced her to dependence on men for survival. In her middle age, Felicia constantly regaled her kids of different “child fathers” about her dream to become a journalist. Community discrimination or community profiling is real.
#endcommunityprofiling