Marshall says firing reignites victimisation debate 

By Val Matthias. Updated 4:34 p.m., Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

Barrister Sehon Marshall says he was offered an adjunct lecturing position at the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College, prepared for the assignment and delivered his first lecture only to be told hours later that the college was ending the arrangement.

Speaking on hot 97 FM morning show non September 22, Mr Marshall said the college had approached him within the previous two weeks to perform duties as an adjunct or part-time lecturer in its law faculty. He said the college did not have law lecturers and that discussions continued by email for about a week.

According to Mr Marshall, the college provided him with schedules and courses, and he indicated which courses he would prefer to teach. He said he was eventually offered the position on the Thursday before his first lecture and began preparing over the weekend.

“I spent quite a lot of time preparing for the classes, reading the material, doing my PowerPoint presentations and so forth,” he said.

Mr Marshall said he met with the dean, received further details about the assignment and then delivered his first lecture at the college.

But later that evening, at about 5.30, he received an email from the Human Resources department.

“I was told that the college has decided to go in a different direction and, you know, they no longer continue with the arrangement,” he said.

Mr Marshall said no explanation was provided for the decision. He described the email as vague and said he had not sought further clarification because he felt its vagueness suggested there was no reason that would be given.

The arrangement lasted for one lecture. Mr Marshall said he had never been paid by the college, either before or after the engagement.

Mr Marshall said the circumstances had nevertheless generated wider discussion because of his public profile and the public discussion surrounding his political alignment.

He said he did not want to portray himself as a victim.

“I am just as good today as I was last week,” he said. “I continue my practice. I continue the work that I’ve been hired to do by my clients.”

Instead, he argued that the incident could reopen a wider discussion about people who, he said, had previously lost employment in similar circumstances.

Mr Marshall referred to assessors, daily paid workers, mobilisers and coordinators whom he said had been terminated from their jobs.

He contrasted his own circumstances with those workers, saying he had other sources of income and a legal practice to fall back on.

“These are the real victims who didn’t know how the children are going to be sent to school,” he said.

Mr Marshall said he hoped the attention surrounding his case would lead to greater discussion about hundreds of people who, he said, had lost employment and depended on those jobs as their only source of income.

The barrister also questioned the circumstances surrounding the Community College’s decision.

He said he did not believe the college itself necessarily made the decision to end his engagement, although he acknowledged that this was speculation.

“If I have to speculate, it’s not actually them. It’s somebody else,” he said

That, he suggested, raised a broader question about authority within a public institution.

“This is now about who has control. What is the line of authority?” he asked.

Mr Marshall also linked the incident to a wider debate over political victimisation following a change of government.

He said some people had previously justified political changes on the grounds of ending victimisation but argued that similar concerns should not arise under a new administration.

The interview did not establish why the Community College ended Mr Marshall’s lecturing arrangement, and Mr Marshall said he had not sought an explanation from the institution.

What is established from his account is that the college approached him, discussions took place for about a week, he accepted the offered position, prepared for the classes, delivered his first lecture and received an email from Human Resources later that same day saying the college would no longer continue with the arrangement.

END 

About the Author: This story was written and submitted by freelance journalist Mr. Val Matthias, a trained communicator with more than two decades in the media sector. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication (UWI Mona), a Master of Science in Tourism and Hospitality Management (UWI Cave Hill), a Certificate in Digital Marketing, and has years of broadcast journalism experience rising to ranks of a programme manager. All supporting materials for this story have been presented, vetted, and verified. Mr Matthias can be reached at [email protected]