Richard Johnson (Jamaica Observer) writes that “Niambe McIntosh, the youngest daughter of reggae legend Peter Tosh, is living up to the legacy of her late father by continuing his advocacy for equal rights and justice.”

The soft-spoken McIntosh is the head of the Peter Tosh Estate which administers all efforts and activities relating to the affairs of the musical superstar. It is a job that she doesn’t take lightly given the serious nature of the work of her late father who was murdered in 1987 when she was only five years old. However, she notes that the passion to continue his work is in her DNA and as such it must go on.

McIntosh, who is an educator and calls Boston in the United States home, is the face of the Tosh family. She was on hand to receive the insignia when her father was posthumously conferred with the Order of Merit in 2012; she is front and centre at activities for the annual Peter Tosh Music Festival; and when her brother Jawara (known in musical circles as Tosh 1) was arrested, then beaten while in custody which resulted in him being in a coma, it was she who provided the updates. It was her lot to speak on behalf of a family in mourning when he subsequently died earlier this year.

“That spirit comes from my dad,” she told the Jamaica Observer in a recent telephone interview.

“In his time, he faced police brutality, was arrested numerous times but his fight for justice was an everyday thing. So now we must carry one that push for justice… speak out where we see injustice taking place. It’s what my father would want. He was able to advocate through his music, as an educator I have a voice and a platform, so I use it to speak up and work towards that change that we so desperately seek… It’s in my DNA,” she explained.

McIntosh heads the Peter Tosh Foundation which has as its mission the realisation of the dream of the legend through education, partnership and the empowerment of everyday people. The foundation comprised a number of tenets which speak to a specific area of advocacy critical to Tosh’s legacy.

“There is Legalise It. This is committed to the legalisation of marijuana. It is about the education of the people on all aspects of the plant… not just the recreational use. So we are concerned with how its prohibition impacts the life and livelihood of many as well as the economic benefits of legalisation. Another aspect of the work is Just for Jawara…Justice for All. This looks at criminal justice reform. By sharing my brother’s story we hope to bring awareness to condition in prisons and the impact it has on persons who are disenfranchised and they wider impact that has on our communities.” [. . .]

For full article, see http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/peter-tosh-s-daughter-continues-the-work_206228?profile=1116