Black Power Revolution
Encyclopedia
The Black Power Revolution, also known as the "Black Power Movement", 1970 Revolution, Black Power Uprising and February Revolution, was an attempt by a number of social elements, people and interest groups in Trinidad and Tobago
to force socio-political change.
was formed out of the Guild of Undergraduates at the St. Augustine
Campus of the University of the West Indies
. Under the leadership of Geddes Granger
(now Makandal Daaga), NJAC and the Black Power movement appeared as a serious challenge to Prime Minister
Eric Williams
' authority.
This was coupled with a growing militancy by the Trade Union
movement, led by George Weekes of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union
, Clive Nunez of the Transport and Industrial Workers Union
and Basdeo Panday
, then a young trade union lawyer
and activist. The Black Power Revolution began with a 1970 Carnival
band named Pinetoppers whose presentation entitled The Truth about Africa included portrayals of "revolutionary heroes" including Fidel Castro
, Stokely Carmichael
and Tubal Uriah Butler
.
This was followed by a series of marches and protests. Williams countered with a broadcast entitled I am for Black Power. He introduced a 5% levy to fund unemployment reduction and later established the first locally-owned commercial bank. However, this intervention had little impact on the protests.
under Eric Williams
.
A large turnout of the disaffected poor of the cities and towns, as well as those black youth of the disaffected communities were attracted to the uprising were present in the movement, as well as youths and others from the UWI, St. Augustine
campus.
, Member of Parliament
for Tobago
East. The death of this protester led to the Movement to pick up momentum. On April 18 sugar workers went on strike, and there was talk of a general strike. In response to this, Williams proclaimed a State of Emergency
on April 21 and arrested 15 Black Power leaders. Responding in turn, a portion of the Trinidad Defense Force, led by Raffique Shah
and Rex Lassalle
, mutinied
and took hostages at the army barracks at Teteron. Through the action of the Coast Guard
and negotiations between the Government and the rebels, the mutiny was contained and the mutineers surrendered on April 25.
Williams made three additional speeches in which he sought to identify himself with the aims of the Black Power movement. He re-shuffled his Cabinet and removed three Ministers (including two white members) and three senators. He also introduced the Public Order Act which reduced civil liberties in an effort to control protest marches. After public opposition, led by A.N.R. Robinson and his newly created Action Committee of Democratic Citizens (which later became the Democratic Action Congress
), the Bill was withdrawn. Attorney General
Karl Hudson-Phillips
offered to resign over the failure of the Bill, but Williams refused his resignation.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
to force socio-political change.
History
Between 1968 and 1970 the movement gained strength in Trinidad and Tobago and was greatly influenced by the Civil Rights Movement in the United States during the 1960's. The National Joint Action CommitteeNational Joint Action Committee
The National Joint Action Committee is a black nationalist political party in Trinidad and Tobago.-History:The party was established in February 1969 by Makandal Daaga , who was dissatisfied with the fact that most businesses in Trinidad at the time were owned by the white minority...
was formed out of the Guild of Undergraduates at the St. Augustine
Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
St. Augustine, a town on the East-West Corridor of Trinidad and Tobago, is the site of one of the four campuses of the University of the West Indies. It is located east of Curepe and west of Tunapuna....
Campus of the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
. Under the leadership of Geddes Granger
Geddes Granger
His Excellency Makandal Daaga, born Geddes Granger, is a Trinidad and Tobago political activist and former revolutionary. He is also a son of Gaskynd Granger, and cousin of David A. Granger. He was the leader of the 1970 Black Power Revolution. During the unrest he was arrested and charged. The...
(now Makandal Daaga), NJAC and the Black Power movement appeared as a serious challenge to Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Eric Williams
Eric Williams
Eric Eustace Williams served as the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He served from 1956 until his death in 1981. He was also a noted Caribbean historian, and is widely regarded as "The Father of The Nation."...
' authority.
This was coupled with a growing militancy by the Trade Union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement, led by George Weekes of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union
Oilfields Workers' Trade Union
The Oilfields Workers Trade Union or OWTU is one of the most powerful trade unions in Trinidad and Tobago. Currently led by Ancil Roget, the union was born out of the 1937 labour riots, the union was nominally led by the imprisoned TUB Butler but was actually organised by lawyer Adrian Cola Rienzi...
, Clive Nunez of the Transport and Industrial Workers Union
Transport and Industrial Workers Union
The Transport and Industrial Workers Union is a trade union in Trinidad and Tobago.-External links:*...
and Basdeo Panday
Basdeo Panday
Basdeo Panday was the 5th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001 and has served as Leader of the Opposition from 1976–1977, 1978–1986, 1989–1995 and 2001–2010. He was first elected to Parliament in 1976 as the Member for Couva North. He is the former...
, then a young trade union lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and activist. The Black Power Revolution began with a 1970 Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
band named Pinetoppers whose presentation entitled The Truth about Africa included portrayals of "revolutionary heroes" including Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael
Kwame Ture , also known as Stokely Carmichael, was a Trinidadian-American black activist active in the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. He rose to prominence first as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party...
and Tubal Uriah Butler
Tubal Uriah Butler
Tubal Uriah "Buzz" Butler , was a Grenadian-born Spiritual Baptist preacher and labour leader in Trinidad and Tobago...
.
This was followed by a series of marches and protests. Williams countered with a broadcast entitled I am for Black Power. He introduced a 5% levy to fund unemployment reduction and later established the first locally-owned commercial bank. However, this intervention had little impact on the protests.
Leadership
It was mainly led by many various interests within the trade unions, the army and other social groups like Afro-Trinidadians and were noted to attract many disaffected members of the then ruling PNMPeople's National Movement
The People's National Movement is the present-day opposition political party in Trinidad and Tobago. Founded in 1955 by Eric Williams, it won the 1956 General Elections and went on to hold power for an unbroken 30 years. After the death of Williams in 1981 George Chambers led the party...
under Eric Williams
Eric Williams
Eric Eustace Williams served as the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He served from 1956 until his death in 1981. He was also a noted Caribbean historian, and is widely regarded as "The Father of The Nation."...
.
A large turnout of the disaffected poor of the cities and towns, as well as those black youth of the disaffected communities were attracted to the uprising were present in the movement, as well as youths and others from the UWI, St. Augustine
Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
St. Augustine, a town on the East-West Corridor of Trinidad and Tobago, is the site of one of the four campuses of the University of the West Indies. It is located east of Curepe and west of Tunapuna....
campus.
Escalation
On April 6, 1970 a protester, Basil Davis, was killed by the police. This was followed on April 13 by the resignation of A.N.R. RobinsonA. N. R. Robinson
Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson, OCC, TC was the third President of Trinidad and Tobago, serving from 19 March 1997 to 17 March 2003. He was also Trinidad and Tobago's third Prime Minister, serving in that capacity from 18 December 1986 to 17 December 1991...
, Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Tobago
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
East. The death of this protester led to the Movement to pick up momentum. On April 18 sugar workers went on strike, and there was talk of a general strike. In response to this, Williams proclaimed a State of Emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
on April 21 and arrested 15 Black Power leaders. Responding in turn, a portion of the Trinidad Defense Force, led by Raffique Shah
Raffique Shah
Raffique Shah is a Trinidad and Tobago trade union leader and political commentator. He is also a former Member of Parliament and mutineer, having led a mutiny of Trinidad and Tobago Regiment in 1970. He was born the son of a sugar cane worker and housewife in March 1946. His early education was...
and Rex Lassalle
Rex Lassalle
Reginald Andrew Lassalle, better known as Rex Lassalle was born in Belmont, Port of Spain, Trinidad in 1945. He attended Belmont Boys Intermediate School and St. Mary's College, Port of Spain...
, mutinied
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
and took hostages at the army barracks at Teteron. Through the action of the Coast Guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
and negotiations between the Government and the rebels, the mutiny was contained and the mutineers surrendered on April 25.
Williams made three additional speeches in which he sought to identify himself with the aims of the Black Power movement. He re-shuffled his Cabinet and removed three Ministers (including two white members) and three senators. He also introduced the Public Order Act which reduced civil liberties in an effort to control protest marches. After public opposition, led by A.N.R. Robinson and his newly created Action Committee of Democratic Citizens (which later became the Democratic Action Congress
Democratic Action Congress
The Democratic Action Congress was a Tobago-based political party in Trinidad and Tobago.-History:The party was established in 1971 by A. N. R. Robinson, and was originally a autonomist party. It first contested general elections in 1976, in which it won both Tobago seats, taken by Robinson and...
), the Bill was withdrawn. Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Karl Hudson-Phillips
Karl Hudson-Phillips
Karl Terrence Hudson-Phillips, ORTT, QC is a former Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago and a former judge of the International Criminal Court...
offered to resign over the failure of the Bill, but Williams refused his resignation.
See also
- Black Consciousness MovementBlack Consciousness MovementThe Black Consciousness Movement was a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress leadership after the Sharpeville Massacre in...
- Black PowerBlack PowerBlack Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies. It is used in the movement among people of Black African descent throughout the world, though primarily by African Americans in the United States...
- Black Surrealism
- NégritudeNégritudeNégritude is a literary and ideological movement, developed by francophone black intellectuals, writers, and politiciansin France in the 1930s by a group that included the future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, Martinican poet Aimé Césaire, and the Guianan Léon Damas.The Négritude...