Black in the Caribbean

Trinidad and Tobago Carnival: A vibrant celebration of culture and tradition

The Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is an annual event that showcases the rich cultural heritage and vibrant spirit of the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. This two-day extravaganza, held on the …

The British monarchy’s connections to the slave trade

‍‍Slavery has been a dark stain on human history, and Britain played a significant role in the transatlantic slave trade. However, the involvement of the British monarchy in the slave trade is not as …

The American occupation of Haiti: A controversial chapter in history

The American occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934 remains a contentious and controversial chapter in history. It was a period marked by political intervention, economic control, and social …

The Zong Massacre

In 1781 over 100 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard the Zong slave ship to allow the slave owners to collect insurance money on their human commodities. This is one of the most egregious acts of …

Proud to Be: Reclaiming black dignity

The theme of Black History Month 2021 is Proud to Be. How did our ancestors reclaim their dignity, and what made them proud to be after slavery? I grew up listening to a lot of uplifting songs …

Rasta forerunners – Early Jamaican preachers

The making of the Rastafari movement can be seen in two parts: restoring the dignity of black people that slavery and colonisation had stripped from them and setting them on a spiritual path that was …

Sir Francis Kerr-Jarrett – Jamaican landowner

Francis Kerr-Jarrett was a landowner and sugar manufacturer in Jamaica. He served as Custos Rotulorum of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, from 1933–1965. Custos rotulorum is Latin for ‘keeper of the …

Constance Mark – Caribbean Women in WW2 Britain

We often think of the British Armed Forces as exclusively male, but it may surprise you to know that many Caribbean women served in World War II. Historically, most Armed Forces were almost …

Tacky’s Rebellion

When the English took over the colonisation of Jamaica from the Spanish, they imported thousands of Africans as slaves to work on plantations of wealthy Englishmen. Like other colonised islands, the …

Early Jamaican Maroons

Jamaican Maroons were escaped African slaves who had run away from Spanish owned plantations when the British took the Caribbean Island of Jamaica from Spain in 1655. They fled to the mountainous …

History of the Dominican Republic – From colonisation to independence

Where is the Dominican Republic? The Dominican Republic is a country in the West Indies that occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, the second-largest island of the Greater Antilles chain …

Abolitionists and revolutionaries – 7 Black women you should know about

Here are seven Caribbean and American women who were abolitionists, revolutionaries and activists. These women fought to free their people from the chains of slavery, discrimination and the lasting …