Louis Rankin’s portrayal of “Lennox” from Hype Williams’ cult classic Belly or Basil Wallace’s “Screwface” in the 90s Steven Seagal flick Marked For Death have contributed to the perception of Jamaicans as evil or villainous.

The day before the trip to Jamaica, I came to the devastating realization that I forgot my passport in an apartment I had been maintaining for work in the Midwest. The entire week before, I had spent time researching and preparing information for my family to ensure they were well informed and able to travel to Jamaica safely and smoothly. For all of the obsessing and occasional anxiety, I had spun into a larger web of uncertainty about visiting Jamaica, it was deserved karma for me to have left the most critical document for traveling internationally. I had heard stories of people doing stupid things like not checking to confirm possession of their passports until the day before travel, but I never thought that person would be me. My family was rightfully bewildered, justifiably disappointed. I had to fix my mistake.