This evening is a very special one as it marks the inaugural lecture of a regional series recognising women who have made a significant contribution to the making of Caribbean history and modern Caribbean societies. It is no secret that women have influenced historical processes which, in turn, have also influenced the lives of women for whom a new history moting and protecting our rights and the advancement of all women and working with our men to jealously guard the rights of all workers. In fact, in all historical periods, women have been at the forefront of social activity and social activism. One of those significant historical periods which we will address this evening is that of the 1930s when social protests laid the basis for the development of a 'new day' for the peoples of the Caribbean. That is to say, that collective response to post-slavery social and economic violence ushered in modern Caribbean societies. In 1937-38, social protests erupted throughout the region, resulting in the creation of political parties, the formation of trade unions and in making universal adult suffrage possible. Women were active in these protests as they have always been in resisting colonialism. They, too, were in the leadership of a movement which laid the basis for political independence and which cleared the path which took us into the modern era with pride and dignity. The labour riots were not accidental. They were the response of workers, peasants and the unemployed to the historical class and race oppression they suffered at the hands of the colonial government. These social groups were now demanding, of that government, greater participation in the civil and political processes of the country, better working conditions, higher wages and an end to racial and class oppression. The Moyne Commission, appointed by the British Colonial Office in 1938, to report on the causes and effects of the social unrest drew attention to the decline in the sugar industry, the main employer at the time, and the high levels of unemployment which resulted from the dismal social and economic conditions of the day. Based on its findings, the Commission expressed concern that the riots were quite different from any other previous unrest or revolt because it was a call for a new social order and a dismantling of the old. In order to prevent any further disturbance of that magnitude and in the interest of colonial rule, the Commission made a number of recommendations, chief among which were universal adult suffrage, a new constitution leading to self-government and the establishment of trade unions which became committed to representing, protecting and advancing the interests of workers In this regional upheaval, women's contribution should not go unnoticed because they were present from start to finish. Women were as active and as committed as the men in the resistance movement. They were active as leaders and they were active in all the support activities which kept our fearless and committed men going: strikers, leaders and others. In Jamaica, for example, it is interesting to note that on the Frome sugar estate in Westmoreland where the riots started, the first shot was fired by the British soldiers when one young 19 year-old woman, Hilda Buchanan, threw a stone at the soldiers, hitting one among their ranks in his head. In that attack, one pregnant woman was martyred. We continue with this trend of thought and speak briefly to the situation of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago where the presence of women in and their contribution to the social upheaval and the labour movement of that period were quite significant and I hope the presentation will help to concretise our discussion. In Jamaica, while women like Aggie Bernard were busy keeping the fires of change burning in the period of the unrest, there were other women who committed themselves to correcting the breach by representing women and their interests before the Moyne Commission, set up as it was, to investigate social and economic conditions in Barbados, British Guiana, British Honduras, Jamaica, Trinidad, Leewards Islands and Windward Islands and matters connected therewith and to make recommendations. …
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Dec 30, 2023
Musa Kaleem + 1
Open Access
