Approximately 50 years ago, mainly young people—disillusioned by the continued colonial nature of the country, the deep racism, classism and limited opportunities—made brave efforts to improve things. Instead of the then government, led by Dr Eric Williams, listening and properly engaging with these persons, the leaders of the movement were …
Read More »Vidale: Brace for more; repressed, unanswered societal problems do not go away
I wrote the following words in 2015: The diminution of a murder to ‘gang related’ has promoted a (group think) consciousness that some deaths are acceptable. Moreso, we embraced extra judicial killings as a justifiable response to a situation which is out of control. “Kill everybody an done!” However, there …
Read More »Dr Mahabir: ‘Black power agenda’ threatens ‘national treasures’; Gilkes: Colonial monuments carry offensive symbolism
Dr Kumar Mahabir: “[…] Despite the horrendous history of Columbus, his statue represents a tangible historical link to the Europe, Africa and Asia since 1498. It is one of the few statues of Columbus in the Caribbean and is a destination site for local and foreign tourists…” Corey Gilkes: “[…] …
Read More »‘There is a different feel…’ NJAC reviews global response to George Floyd killing
“[…] It is not that there haven’t been demonstrations and protests as a result of the killing of innocent black Americans before. That has been a part of America’s history. But analysts, commentators and activists all agree that this time there is something different. “There is a different feel—a different …
Read More »How to start a revolution; rule number one: challenge everything!
I spent barely four days in Manama in 2005, in the lead up to and immediate aftermath of Trinidad and Tobago’s historic second leg Fifa 2006 World Cup qualifying play off encounter with Bahrain on 15 November. Apart from an unforgettable football match and the searing heat, what I remember …
Read More »Rowley: Black lives movement relevant in T&T too, sets re-opening dates for churches, bars and cinemas
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said Trinidad and Tobago will be back to ‘80 percent of its functionality’ by 22 June, as the country gets back to business—having flattened the curve of Covid-19 infections. However, Rowley said the threat of racism remains a real concern in the wake of ‘black …
Read More »Noble: Writers must read too; why Baldeosingh misunderstands Black Power movement
Stephen King, the famed writer, once said: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others, read a lot and write a lot.” It is a pity that several in our community do the second and not the first. But beyond that, book publishing …
Read More »Baldeosingh: Black Power’s gains were overstated
“[…] Another key claim that NJAC always makes is that, because of Black Power, banks were forced into hiring non-white persons. It is true that, after the 1970 protests, banks did diversify their hiring practices. But […] this was just an acceleration of a process that had already started…” In …
Read More »Dear editor: Basil Davis’ 1970 funeral is historic, although we’ve lost hard-won gains
“[During the 1970 uprising] Basil Davis pleaded that [an] arrested man had mental problems but was well known and harmed no one. The police officer shot the unarmed, pleading Basil Davis at point blank range killing him on the spot. “The shooting death of Basil Davis outside of Woodford Square, …
Read More »What’s in a name—Pt 2: Black Power, Calypso, Soca and pumpkin vine
What, a young British schoolboy was asked somewhere in the early 1980s, is Black Power? His response was a name: ‘Clive Lloyd.’ As the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago emerges from Carnival and begins a largely muted celebration of the anniversary of the epoch-making 1970 Black Power Revolution, some other …
Read More »Noble: From Dr Williams’ education dream to nightmarish inequalities; what went wrong?
In August 1962, the first Common Entrance group entered secondary schools and heard Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams say: “… you carry the future of Trinidad and Tobago in your school bag.” At QRC, there was a boy from Rio Claro, another from Princes Town (now president of the Old …
Read More »Daaga make we do it! Black Power stories of the Q and the 1970 Coup
“Power alone,” the poet Syl Lowhar wrote in Tapia’s “Black Power in Human Song” special somewhere in the 1970’s, “will never make us strong. The heart must also sing the human song.” Almost half a century after Geddes Granger’s NJAC empowered Black people in Trinidad and Tobago, the politically most …
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