1970s revolution brought positive change to TT

And while events to mark the milestone locally may not have been as grand or noticeable as other observances, activists who have long identified with the occurrence contend that the country was enriched by the struggle.

Saying that the effects of the revolution has impacted almost every facet of the society, Chairman of the Emancipation Support Committee Khafra Kambon lamented, however, that not much was being done to sustain the efforts over the years.

“Almost every area has had some positive change. But in terms of maintaining and strengthening them, there has been no institutional follow up to sustain it,” he said last week.

Kambon said the Emancipation Support Committee had done its part by highlighting the significance of the event during its Emancipation Day observances in August.

He said a conference about the event, featuring several foreign speakers, was also held last month at the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies. It was organised by the history department.

Kambon said references to the revolution will also be contained in a magazine which is currently being compiled by the committee. The magazine is expected to be on bookshelves next month.

The 1970 Black Power Revolution was the result of the frustrations of activists, academics, trade union leaders who were bent on bringing about socio-political change in TT.

Many of the individuals who were at the forefront of the event have over the years remained engrossed in the fight for social equity.

These include former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, social activist Clive Nunez, and Michael Als, writer and head of the Toco Foundation.

Late foreign-based civil rights activist Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), who coined the term Black Power, was banned from returning to TT during the upheaval. He died of prostate cancer in 1998.

Specifically, the revolution, which began in February, offered a monumental challenge to what was, at that time, a dominant cultural ideology founded primarily on a European model.

This often manifested itself in a perceived sidelining of the Africans at the expense of whites and other races by the Dr Eric Williams-led People’s National Movement Government (PNM).

Williams, who had formed the PNM just 14 years before, eventually called a state of emergency which led to the detention of those who orchestrated the revolution.

Even before the actual uprising, several developments — including the passage of the Industrial Stabilisation Act in 1965, at a time of widespread worker dissatisfaction — had intensified tensions between the Government and a significant portion of the organised labour movement.

In passing the legislation, the Government essentially restricted workers rights to agitate for better terms and conditions of employment.

This gave rise to a general feeling that the then PNM was doing little to improve the lot of Africans and East Indians, both of whom formed the majority of the population.

Kambon was a member of the Student Guild of Undergraduates on the campus at the time of the revolution. But the guild itself had formed itself into the National Joint Action Committee under the leadership of Geddes Granger (Makaandal Daaga).

Daaga, who unsuccessfully contested the Laventille West seat in the May 24 General Election this year, has been appointed Caricom Cultural Ambassador Extraordinaire in the new People’s Partnership Government.

The students’ guild later joined forces with members of the trade union movement, particularly the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union, led by the late George Weekes, the Transport and Industrial Workers’ Union and Panday, a young trade union leader and activist.

Kambon recalled on Wednesday that a study conducted by former UWI lecturer in Sociology, Acton Camejo, years ago revealed telling statistics on race and employment in TT as well as the influence of the business elite.

Today, while racial discrimination persists on some level in several sections of the society, Kambon still regards the Black Power Revolution as a “transformative moment” in the country’s history.

“It has its reverberations in almost every aspect of society. A legacy was left and it still stands,” he told Sunday Newsday.

Had it not been for the event, Kambon said, this country would not have been able to taste success at international beauty pageants.

“Wendy Fitzwilliam, a black woman, winning the Miss Universe pageant (1998) or even being considered beauty queen material – that could not have happened before (the revolution),” he said.

“People with dark-skinned complexions could not have held jobs in banks or managerial positions in private companies. These were things we fought bitterly for. All that did not happen before 1970.”

Kambon said he was heartened by the fact that the People’s Partnership Government has also been attempting to ensure there was some retention of the revolution’s legacy through its decision to include Daaga, leader of the NJAC, into its fold.

Apart from the State owning a significant portion of the economy, Kambon said he was also pleased that emphasis has been placed on the teaching of East Indian and African history alongside European history in the nation’s schools.

Chief Education and Research Officer of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) Ozzi Warwick, reflecting on the observance, said the change in Government suggested that “we are still living in very interesting times.”

“It presents a sense of new possibilities because we have Mr Daaga, who came out of 1970 and Errol Mc Leod (Labour Minister), who once represented the OWTU, also a part of something politically new. Indeed, this shows that the spirit of 1970 never died,” he said on Wednesday.

During the second decade of the 21st century, Warwick said he observed that there has been a re-emergence of social movements which played a key role in 1970.

“This is very important for TT now as we seek to create our own space in terms of the economic architecture. The consciousness of workers has again been awakened through their struggles,” he said.

Stressing that the revolution must never be seen as an isolated event, Warwick noted that the journey for equality and social justice has persisted through a heightened consciousness to move citizens forward.

“This now has to be harnessed in the new political paradigm,” he said.

Those who were intimately linked to the revolution and the hope of that era can now identify with the ongoing struggles of the working classes to improve their lot, Warwick argued.

He said there were also many educated, young people who have spoken out about the injustices of that era through various artforms and modes of communication. “So, I disagree with the view that the revolution was an isolated event. We have continued struggling to achieve a society that could have only been dreamt of at that time,” added Warwick.

Political analyst Derek Ramsamooj said on Friday that one of the most inspiring benefits of the Black Power Revolution has been the restructuring of the society.

“It ensured that the institutions of both the private and public sector practiced a system of meritocracy and equal job opportunities for all regardless of ethnicity,” he said.

“This heightened sense of national consciousness reflected a post-Independence movement of our citizens participating in actions that would result in the evolution of our society.”

Ramsamooj said the post-Independence generation has benefitted from the Black Power Movement with respect to educational opportunities, employment opportunities and the capacity to enjoy social mobility.

He told Sunday Newsday that the elite class and the present owners of production have also benefitted from the revolution.

“Generally, there has been an expansion of the indigenous business and professional classes,” Ramsamooj said

Ramsamooj said the 1970 upheaval served as a catalyst in fostering empowerment and entrepreneurship in the society.

“Perhaps that is what has led to a thriving expansionist middle class and lower upper class,” he said.