By Nicanor Gordon
“I have a lot of scars,” Jonathan Bennett laughed over the phone. “Do you want me to send you them?” Bennett, who recently graduated from Brooklyn’s Benjamin Banneker Academy, has infectious energy as he walks me through his day-to-day. Top of the docket is preparing to attend the Borough of Manhattan Community College before matriculating to Morehouse College the following year.
It’s been a busy June for the Jamaican-born, 19-year-old entrepreneur. He’s only recently wrapped up his senior activities, attending prom and his graduation. Normal end-of-high school events. Bennett talks me through his prom. There’s a mix of embarrassment and pride as he details the night — his outfit, his date, how his parents sent him off. Fairytale stuff.
“I was excited,” he smiled. “Once I saw how everything was coming together.”
But it almost did not happen. Just over a month earlier, Jonathan Bennett was embroiled in a struggle of life and death.
A Brush with Death
In early May, Bennett visited Jamaica to supervise a photo shoot for his start-up, Irie Essentials. The company is a boutique distributor of natural, organic self-care products produced locally in Jamaica. Bennett, having completed his high school curriculum in January, was taking an even more hands-on approach to the operations.
It was already his fourth visit to the island for the year. On this trip, he spent some time with a cousin and met a young woman who he remained in contact with for the duration of his stay. After an unlucky flight mishap that prolonged his stay on the island, he agreed to meet up with the young woman for lunch at a seaside restaurant in the parish of St. Catherine. What followed was harrowing; the date was a setup. Bennett was targeted, and the young woman was used as bait. He was ambushed by unknown assailants, one of which had identified himself as the young woman’s uncle.
I gave Bennett an out. At any point, if the conversation proved too much, we could pivot to another topic. No one should be battered, stripped, and held hostage, and no one should have to relive those events. He never took it. This is not a story of resilience. Bennett was bedridden for weeks. Even after the wounds healed, the trauma was still fresh.
“I was very depressed,” Bennett confessed. “I didn’t even want to leave my room. I just wanted to be away from everyone. My trust in everyone was gone, just because of that situation. It removed a part of me.”
He credits his mother, Ingrid Murray — who owns a Brooklyn-based business called Prospect Cleaning — with being the central force that pulled him out of this doom spiral.
“My mom let me know that the situation wasn’t the end,” he enthused. “I‘m still alive and that’s what I need to be grateful for.”
He threw himself into his senior events.
“I know that there are many people who have been in similar instances who were cut off and gone,” Bennett explained.
Reconnecting His Faith
At 19 years old, Bennett had doubts about the existence of a higher power. It’s a normal phenomenon in North America. In an article published by the Pew Research Center, studies show that adults under 40 are more likely to be non-religious. Stack on top of the stressors of running a company for three years; there’s little time for non-secular activity.
Bennett is quick to point out that he’s never stopped believing.
“There’s been times where my faith would waiver, but it never left, it never hit that zero point. I’ve always been intrigued by different religions.”
Bennett and his siblings were raised Seventh Day Adventist. Both of his parents are devout Christians. “That faith that was instilled in me at such a young age is what has brought me to this point in my life,” he explained. “Whenever I’m in hard times, and I feel like I’m not moving forward, I pray.”
A month ago, at the mercy of assailants who made it clear that they were going to kill him, he prayed.
“My faith brought me through that situation,” Bennett stated. It brought him clarity of purpose. In the brief moment, his would-be murderers separated, deliberating what to do with the young man, he seized his opportunity. Bennett pushed past the men and hopped over the barricade separating the road from the seaside. He tumbled down a hill and fell into the sea, where he was later discovered by the local guard that was performing patrols.
Pushing Through It All
Bennett is Jamaican, and no Jamaican is unaware of the nation’s ongoing struggle with crime and violence. But he’s also American and the incident was eye-opening. Coming face-to-face with violence puts things into perspective, but Bennett is adamant that his relationship with the island has not and will never change.
“I love Jamaica with my heart and soul, every time me get a little break from school me come a Jamaica,” he enthused. Throughout the interview, Bennett effortlessly code-switches into Jamaican patois.
If anything, the event has strengthened his resolve and affection towards the small country. He speaks about Jamaica with the same affection he speaks about his mother.
“The passion I have for Jamaica is way beyond this incident,” Bennett declared. “Jamaica has done a lot for me in the sense of molding me into who I am, into giving me the principles I carry. This incident is nothing compared to what Jamaica has done for me.”
Bennett intends to pursue a degree in political science with a minor in business management. The latter is self-explanatory, but the interest in political science stems from a desire to give back to the country that made him.
“Growing up in Jamaica and seeing how things are, I’ve always wanted to be the one to be able to make a change,” he expressed. “I have the opportunity to go to school; my intent is to equip myself… To be competent to make the changes that Jamaica wants to see.”
Jonathan Bennett is a 19-year-old survivor of a robbery, kidnapping and attempted murder. More than that, he is a budding community leader, and already an entrepreneur. His company, Irie Essentials, looks to bring the natural hair and skincare products that are commonplace in Jamaica, to the Jamaican diaspora in the United States.
Nicanor Gordon is a freelance journalist and screenwriter based in Kingston, Jamaica. He has a bachelor's in Computer Science from the University of the West Indies. After pivoting out of the computer science field, he stumbled into a career in journalism. His work prioritizes the intersections between technology and Caribbean culture and history. On any given day you can find him on a park bench, in a cap and a mask, hunched over a new book, getting caught in the rain.
