Olivia Grange
Olivia Atavia "Babsy" Grange, DSE is a Jamaican politician. She has served as Member of Parliament for Saint Catherine Central since 1997 and as Jamaica's Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture for the duration of the Jamaica Labour Party government from 2007 to 2011 and Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport since 2016.
Early life
Grange was born on 27 April 1946 in Luke Lane, West Kingston, Jamaica. Her father was a shoemaker and her mother was a dressmaker. She attended All Saints Primary, Gainstead High, and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Canada.Career
From 1983 to 1985, Grange served as Government Senator and Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Culture. From 1985 to 1989, she was the Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister. Running as a Jamaica Labour Party candidate for St. Catherine Central, Grange was elected into parliament in 1997. In 2007, she was appointed as Minister of Information, Youth, Sports & Culture. She is currently the Minister of Sports, Culture, Entertainment and Gender Affairs after the JLP was elected to office in 2016. A reggae enthusiast, Grange is also a founding member of the Jamaica Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers. She also co-founded Canada's "first black community newspaper", Contrast.Controversies
Gangster Killings in Vehicles Registered to Grange
In July 2004, police seized a Honda Civic after One Order leader Oliver “Bubba” Smith was shot dead along Festival Road; vehicle registration documents showed Olivia “Babsy” Grange and Andrew “Bunman” Hope as co-owners of the car Smith was driving at the time of his killing.In October 2005, detectives re-questioned Grange following a shooting at Church and Wellington Streets that left Omar Campbell alias “Tickerus” dead; records revealed she was co-owner of the vehicle in which the gang member was killed, prompting further police scrutiny of her ties to constituents under criminal investigation.
Dispute with James Robertson
- Their rivalry began in 2003 when Grange challenged Robertson for the Jamaica Labour Party’s Area Council Two deputy-leader post; Robertson won amid whispers of “tainted money.”
- A high-stakes rematch slated for November 2014 was abruptly postponed by party brass—officially to avoid internal bitterness and focus on looming national elections—extending their contest into a second decade.