US Embassy on JJ's passing

Statement

March 28, 2009

U.S. Embassy, Georgetown

The death of former President Janet Jagan

The U.S. Embassy community is very saddened to learn of the death early this morning of former President Janet Jagan.

President Jagan’s U.S. roots and upbringing, as well as her Chicago-area courtship of then-dental student Cheddi Jagan, are well-known to the Guyanese people and a source of pride for the people of the United States. As a principal figure in Guyana’s successful struggle for independence, she embodied the fight for the right of people to choose their own destiny.

Born just two months after the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution first guaranteed women the right to vote in the United States, President Jagan was herself – both through words and deeds – a staunch advocate of the rights and role of women in society, politics, and government. Her lifelong commitment to this cause had a demonstrable impact on the lives of countless women in Guyana and throughout the world.

The entire staff of the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown expresses its condolences to the Jagan family, and to a mourning nation.