Way back in the 1950s, legendary Trinidad and Tobago calypsonian, Francisco “Mighty Sparrow” Slinger, had a very popular calypso titled “Dan is the Man” which satirically berated the educational system perpetuated on Caribbean youth by then-British colonialists.
In his entertaining musical commentary “Sparrow” criticized the British for teaching Caribbean kids “The cow jumped over the moon” and “Dan is the Man in the Van,” rather than the realities of the day, where Caribbean people were being marginalized by the British, even following the emancipation of slavery on August 1, 1834.
Fast forward 189 years later, on the eve of the commemoration of another Emancipation Day in the Caribbean. It is astonishing that there are people still determined to hide the fact of slavery from the general population, and even hide the history of slavery and its impact on the Black population from students in some schools.
But, it is a fact that the history of slavery and the despicable impact it had on Black people generally, can never be contained even if some people try to prevent its teaching.
The scars of slavery are permanently etched in the psyche of the Black population. It cannot be forgotten because long after emancipation, Black people are constantly reminded they have no rightful place in society. Long after Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her seat in a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in several societies across the world there are people bent on keeping Black people standing in the back of the social bus. It is a fact.
It is a fact that the wealth of the British was built on the backs of slaves brought against their will from Africa to toil on sugar cane plantations in the West Indies.
It is also a fact that the great historical wealth of America was built on the backs of similar Black slaves working on cotton plantations across the southern USA, including here in Florida.
In as much as Sugar and cotton were kings in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, Black slaves were the kingmakers. It is a fact.
Countless numbers of Black slaves died toiling on sugar and cotton plantations, subject to unbelievable injustices, brutalities, and harsh conditions. It is a fact that in the West Indies and in America, slaves rebelled repeatedly against the conditions, but hardly ever succeeded against the might of slave owners and the establishment.
Eventually, slaves in Haiti were able to organize themselves into a powerful force, and successfully rebelled and took control of Haiti as an independent nation in 1804. But because Haitian rebels were so audacious as to cast off the yoke of slavery and gain independence, the countries that were major perpetrators of slavery, never forgave them. From generation through generation since 1804, to this day, Haiti has been left to meander in poverty and self-destruction. Sadly, this is a fact.
Even after the emancipation of slavery, and the bloody civil war fought over the southern US states determination to maintain slavery, and the northern states’ determination to free slaves, southern states were still reluctant to offer Black people equal rights in society.
The unwillingness to give Black people equal rights in society led to another type of slavery – racial segregation. This humiliating system sought to place permanent social barriers between Black and White people.
Were it not for the courage of people like Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and the equally courageous leadership of former presidents like John F. Kennedy and Lynden Johnson, civil and voting rights would likely never have been granted to American Black people.
Although it may be costly, it is recommended that parents make the effort to take their children to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. There in splendid, creative display is the history of Black America from slavery to the modern day. Every aspect of Black history displayed in that museum is a fact that no silly nursery rhyme or anyone can deny.
As the Caribbean and Caribbean Americans celebrate and commemorate Emancipation Day on August 1, every Black man, woman, and child must always strive to retain this freedom; knowing only you can free up your mind and resist the mental chains. This too is a fact.
