MoBay deputy mayor lauds Issa for 62-foot ‘Together We Rise’ monument

unveiling of a statue. This is the genesis of great thinking for the Hip Strip,” Crawford declared during the ceremony. He described the artwork— two hands lifting a tree as people climb and build together— as representing the collective effort required to move Montego Bay forward. "It tells our story. It's about unity, resilience, and growth,” he said. Crawford expressed confidence that the monument would inspire other businesses along the boulevard to invest in public art, culture and beautification. He praised Issa, chief executive officer of S Hotel, for turning ideas into tangible developments. “The S Hotel family and the stakeholders group have shown what happens when the private sector leads with heart,” Crawford said.

Issa explained that the idea for Together We Rise emerged from the success of another major installation commissioned by him and created by Cole — a 46-foot sculpture of Jamaica’s national bird, the streamer-tail hummingbird, popularly known as the doctor bird, mounted on the façade of S Hotel in August 2025. The positive public response to the bird, encouraged him to consider another monument. The original plan was to celebrate Jamaica’s musical heritage, including mento, ska and reggae, but the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa prompted a rethink. “So the statue is not really about Melissa, but it was born of Melissa, and the message is, of course, the resilience of our Jamaican people, the suffering and loss of life that happened in really the strongest hurricane to this part of the world, and also the message of the help we got both from fellow Jamaicans and the international community,” Issa said. He noted that the sculpture was completed in August, but the unveiling was held on the hurricane’s first anniversary to commemorate the…