“[…] I’m a slave from a land so far/ I was caught/ And I was brought here from Africa…/ I’m a slaaaave from a land so far/ I was caught/And I was brought here from Africa/ “Ah toil, ah toil/ Ah toil, ah toil/ So haaaard each day…/ I’mm dying…/ …
Read More »Dear Editor: Broad hair guidelines no match for racist beliefs: how MOE erred
“[…] The official Ministry of Education press release announcing the hair code […] works to trivialise the issue and divorce it from its substantive context. “[….] An interview with former principal of Fatima Collage, Father Gregory Augustine two weeks after the press release illuminates the point. On 20 July he …
Read More »Noble: The problem with Roget’s fixation on criminality of ‘urban youth’
“In my 50-60 years, I have never heard so much corruption in my land as in the last few days… People are stealing money as though they invented it. It seems almost as though the rich have taken a vow to thief, thief, thief…” Ambassador Makandal Daaga, the then leader …
Read More »Noble: The golden handcuffs—our love-hate relationship with Trinidad and Tobago
In 1958, the author, John Steinbeck, wrote an essay describing San Francisco as a city with “a golden handcuff with the key thrown away”. The article was a rhapsody about life in that city. On the other hand, we watch our nation slide into a putrid abyss—never leaving but badmouthing …
Read More »Dear Editor: Pundit Maharaj’s race-baiting comments provoke memories of Hulsie Bhaggan
“[…] As at June 1993, police reports revealed that there were 13 rapes in Central Trinidad. Five of the 13 rapes had been committed by East Indian men, and one of the seven women raped by masked men was of African descent. “[…] Forward to 2023, a religious leader of …
Read More »Dear Editor: Revisiting the good hair, bad hair debate and its dangerous prejudices
“[…] What the video creator is clearly signalling is that a prerequisite for good hair is solely based on texture and length… These disruptive and prejudiced attitudes and mindsets must be confronted because they inform other discriminatory practices. “[…] There are real life consequences to these dangerous prejudices…” The following …
Read More »Dr Shaka Hislop: “We must be intentional in how we want to shape this world”
“[…] Those who benefit most from the inequalities of racism and supremacy that we continue to live in today are, in Dr Martin Luther King’s words, more efficient and effective with the limited time that they are afforded. “That leaves us—who are progressive, who dream of a better world—with the …
Read More »Vaneisa: Taking liberties; the issue with Winford James’ ‘loose hypothesis’ on Indian/Hindi names
Having admitted that he hardly knows anything about ‘sub-continental Indian/Hindi naming conventions’, Winford James proceeded to write a column in last Sunday’s Guardian that revealed that he did not even bother to inform himself before presenting readers with an interpretation that was breathtakingly appalling. Declaring that he is ‘a big, …
Read More »‘Significant and humbling!’ Newcastle poised to grant Hislop keys to the city for anti-racism work
Former Trinidad and Tobago international and Newcastle United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop is prominent on the Wednesday 2 March agenda of the Newcastle City Council as the executive will vote on presenting Hislop with the keys to their city for his anti-racism work. Hislop, who turned 53 on Tuesday, joined Newcastle …
Read More »Jearlean claims Attong’s disgust at controversial ‘Trinity Triangle’ ads makes her ‘eminently unqualified’ for PolSC post
United National Congress Senator Jearlean John has suggested that new Police Service Commission (PolSC) member Maxine Attong is ‘eminently unqualified’ for the role owing to her criticism of the UNC’s controversial ‘Trinity Triangle’ advertisements in the build-up to the 2020 General Elections. The first video advertisement depicted a young woman …
Read More »Noble: The most unkindest cut of all; the UNC’s ‘well-choreographed’ Senate attack on democracy
Mark Antony’s speech from Julius Caesar is worth recalling at this juncture in our country’s history. It speaks to how honourable men, seduced by the drama of the moment, can wreak great evil upon a nation. This is the sum of the events of 21 October in our Parliament; …
Read More »T2021 W/C: WI in trouble after 8-wkt loss to S/Africa despite de Kock pull-out after refusing ‘the knee’
South Africa star Quinton de Kock’s refusal to take the knee today in a now commonplace gesture against racism, even at the expense of his place in the squad, is likely to have a long-term effect on his team’s chances at the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. Today, though, the …
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