Emancipation, Discrimination and the Jamaican Society

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds.”- Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Unfortunately, the Jamaican society has lost that zeal and spirit of Emancipation for which our ancestors fought and gave their lives. We have become satisfied with just being bystanders instead of becoming modern day freedom fighters. Regrettably, as a society we have taken our freedom for granted. Perhaps this is so because this freedom for which the blood and tears of our ancestors were shed is not widely read or discussed. In 1838 Emancipation was declared in the British West Indies. This freedom came after centuries of enslavement. After Emancipation in 1838 the freed black population had no land or assets and for the most part they had no education. Colonial England was one of the primary architects of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade which lasted for over 300 years. England’s development today is largely owed to the labour of the enslaved Africans. Recently, United Kingdom High Commissioner to Jamaica, Asif Ahmad, said his country is unlikely to honour Jamaica’s call for reparations. The High Commissioner landed a low blow when he added that Britain rejects monetary reparations for the enslavement of people of African descent because they are all dead. The High Commissioner is so misinformed and appears as if he skipped history classes. Those of us who have been following the reparations movement and discussions were not taken by surprise by the views of this senior United Kingdom diplomat. Surprisingly, the ill-timed and rude comments by the High Commissioner went largely unchallenged in the society. However, social historian, Professor Verene Shepherd accused the High Commissioner of ‘dissing’ the Jamaican people. Professor Shepherd also rejected the expressions of remorse from European powers for the acts and legacy of slavery. The Professor noted that such expressions are being used to avoid legal liability for the crimes of the slave trade. On a visit to Jamaica in 2015, then British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose family owned slaves, called for Jamaica and the United Kingdom to “move on” from the deep wounds caused by slavery. Seriously! The extent to which the society can move on is largely dependent on reparations. Why is it that all other races which have been wronged have received reparation? The Germans compensated the Jews after the Holocaust which occurred during World War 2. The Jewish State therefore could afford to move on and develop into a modern society. David Cameron in his defiant address to the Jamaican Parliament called for both countries to move on from this painful legacy and continue to build for the future. How can the Jamaican people move on when all around us there are legacies of slavery? All around us are the legacies of slavery. We encounter them daily in our education and healthcare systems; in the justice system and the underdevelopment of the Jamaican society resulting in a high homicide rate. The Jamaican people cannot ignore nor can we move on as if nothing of consequence happened to us from centuries of enslavement. For centuries our ideas, our creativity, our labour and our bodies were enslaved and punished What is Reparation The term reparation is of Latin origin and means to repair. In International Law it is a well-known principle that those nations or individuals who have wronged other nations or individuals should make reparation to fix the damage which has been suffered. Director of The Centre for Reparation Research (CRR) and chairperson of the National Council on Reparations (NCR), Professor Verene Shepherd in a recent interview define reparation as, “the act of making amends for a harm that has been done.” Professor Shepherd added that this harm was done through colonization and slavery. She said the manifestations of the harm done continues and can be seen through a cycle of poverty which exists among our people. Professor Shepherd is adamant that reparation should not be viewed as a financial bailout, or grant, or a loan. Reparation is a development issue which has a financial aspect as part of correcting the ills. It appears those who benefited from the labour of our ancestors believe that we are stupid. Are you familiar with the book; How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, by the Guyanese academic Walter Rodney? If no, add it to your bucket list. Europe which was heavily invested in the slave trade underdeveloped not only Africa but all territories impacted by the TransAtlantic Slave Trade, Jamaica included. The TransAtlantic Slave Trade is arguably one of the scourges of humanity and one of the earliest forms of Human Trafficking which resulted in 12- 15 million Africans being transported to the Western Hemisphere. It is estimated the Caribbean accounted for appropriately 30 per cent, with the British Caribbean accounting for about 2-4 million. A Cultural Renaissance Culture is never static. The dynamism of the Jamaican culture is rooted in our motto: Out of Many One People. Another legacy of enslavement to which we still struggle surrounds our black hair. Recently, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information sent out a reminder to principals of public schools that no student should be barred from sitting exams on the basis on his/her natural state of their hair. The background to this latest discrimination of black hair originated from a circular sent to parents from Manning’s High School in Westmoreland which allowed for the wearing of Eurocentric extensions; however, students were told no Bantu Knots or Chiney Bump which are Afrocentric hairstyles. More than two decades ago Joan Andrea- Hutchinson a news anchor was ridiculed for appearing on television in Nubian knots. A number of viewers called the television station to complain that her African hairstyle was inappropriate. Sadly, over the years we have been indoctrinated to see our skin tone as problematic. Jamaica is overwhelmingly a black society. Recently a primary school principal wrote an article in which she objected to any male teacher turning up for work in cornrow hairstyle. Disturbingly, too many principals are overly concerned about policing the bodies of their staff instead of ensuring that effective and quality teaching and learning takes place under their stewardship. Of course the primary school principal is light skinned. In the Jamaican society she is what we call a browning. The concept of ‘browning’ in the Jamaican society is equated to being privilege. The fact that we still have problems with cornrow hairstyle is telling. It is frightening and indeed unacceptable that in 2021 we are still struggling with the issue of black hair. Our education system which should be a vehicle of empowerment still reinforces the message of our former colonizers thus setting the stage for us to fail as a people. Our eyes are open yet we are not seeing. The fact that Jamaica gained political freedom is not enough. Until and unless a nation gains economic freedom, that nation is still enslaved to the many avenues of neo-colonialism which are widespread. Sadly, the history of our people, their struggles and achievements are not widely known. This is compounded by the fact that the teaching of History is not compulsory in Jamaica’s education system. As a people we have been indoctrinated to view all things black as inferior. The time for a cultural rebirth is now. The time has come for us as a proud and strong people to interrogate some of those Eurocentric themes and perspective through a Caribbean framework. The time for us to free ourselves from mental slavery has passed. We need to call for the compulsory teaching of History in our schools. The sad reality is that Emancipation Day for Jamaicans is just another public holiday to have fun and frolic. This year’s fun and frolic will be drastically reduced to the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has implemented nightly curfews along with other COVID-19 protocols in an attempt to reduce social gatherings. As a society we need to recapture that spirit of Emancipation and community. We need to look out for each other. On this Emancipation Day let us reflect on the past and (re) examine ourselves to see how best we can contribute to the ongoing reparation movement in order that justice can be served to the descendants of those who were enslaved. Emancipation Day should be a sober occasion used to sharpen our knowledge and sense of history. On this the 183rd anniversary of Emancipation let us never forget our past. It is in reflecting on our past that we will ensure that history does not repeat itself. As a society we need to rekindle that spirit of determination; that same determination which resulted in Jamaica winning the gold, silver and bronze medals in the final of the women’s 100m at the Tokyo Olympics. Our ancestors went through too much for us the descendants to be merely bystanders. Emancipation is a movement. Each generation is expected to carry on the work from the previous generation. We cannot move on until justice is served! Happy Emancipation Day. In the words of Steve Biko, merely by describing yourself as black you have started on a road towards emancipation, you have committed yourself to fight against all forces that seek to use your blackness as a stamp that marks you out as a subservient being. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #EmancipationDay #reparation #Jamaica #history #mentalslavery #justice