By Claudia Gardner:
Although she had been in Jamaica for only four hours when she officially launched her Ink. Breath. & Bars: From Pain 2 Power Jamaica Tour 2026 on Monday evening, award-winning American poet, author and transformational speaker Sunday Jones said the island had already made her feel at home.
Reflecting on her arrival during Monday’s launch, Jones told the Negril Times that she was overwhelmed by the warmth she received almost immediately after landing.
“I have only been here for four hours and I already felt exhilarated,” she told Negril Times then. “I felt very much welcomed and loved. The air was fresh, and as soon as I got here, I felt refreshed.”
With a laugh, she admitted that one aspect of Jamaican life stood out immediately.
“The driving is fast,” she joked. “But I felt good. The energy felt good. Whenever I can feel good energy, I know that I am safe, I am home, and I am good.”
One of her most memorable moments came before she had even left the airport.
“The immigration officer greeted me by saying, ‘Welcome home,'” Jones said. “That meant everything.”
Now, after several days of activities in Kingston, the tour has moved to western Jamaica, where Jones is continuing her journey of healing, storytelling and cultural exchange. Last night, she performed at Roots Bamboo in Negril, while tonight she will headline the featured Ink. Breath. & Bars: From Pain 2 Power experience at Sador’s Ethiopian Restaurant in Bamboo Walk, Negril.
The tour will continue on Sunday with an invitation-only VIP Sacred Healing Ceremony, followed by community outreach activities on July 27 and 29. Participants will also visit the Temple of Inner Peace Sanctuary on July 28 before the tour concludes with Jones’ birthday celebration on July 30.
Jones explained that the Jamaica tour was never part of her original plans. What began as a birthday trip organised by her friend and tour sponsor, Priestess Tassili Ma’at, soon evolved into something much bigger.
“Tassili brought me here to celebrate my birthday,” Jones said. “While we were talking, I told her I thought it would be so cool to bring Ink. Breath. & Bars to Jamaica, and she immediately said, ‘Yes.'”
For Jones, the tour is about much more than performances.
“I am just here to heal and be healed, to love and be loved, to learn and teach,” she said.
Her arrival was warmly embraced by members of the Negril community, including Negril Chamber of Commerce President Damian Salmon, Immediate Past President Elaine Bradley, and renowned Jamaican dub poet and cultural ambassador Yasus Afari, who delivered the guest address.
Since then, Jones has completed the Kingston leg of the tour, which included a performance at the Kingston Night Market, a visit to the Bob Marley Museum, a Kingston highlights tour, and a Youth Inspiration Tour at Haile Selassie High School, where she shared her message of resilience, healing and purpose with students.
