Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.
by John Goddard
Recently, Research Fellow Rashad Brathwaite raised the matter of race and class with regard to how the authorities handled breaches of the Covid-19 restrictions over the past two years. We in Barbados like to pretend that race is not an issue here, so I wish to join Mr Brathwaite in identifying a few concerns.
Let me state from the outset that I have nothing against our white or Indian brothers and sisters. Indeed, I have much respect for some of my former white schoolmates and I enjoyed a good relationship with white and Indian teaching colleagues and students at Harrison College. However, I would be dishonest if I didn’t say that it is clear that white and Indian Bajans are at an advantage vis a vis their black counterparts when dealing with the legal system.
For example, how many non-blacks are in GIS and Dodds prison? Or don’t any of them commit crimes? In a country with 90 per cent blacks, one expects the majority of the prison population to be black, but, surely, there should be at least a small percentage of non-black inmates! Alas, it seems that members of races other than blacks are hardly ever taken before the court. This seems rather strange!
Secondly, how is it that in a small country, apart from work, blacks and whites and blacks and Indians seldom mix? Recently, I happened to pass by a church where a white wedding was held. I stopped to allow guests to cross the road to their cars. Except for an Indian guy, there was no non-white person exiting the church. The same situation is true for weddings and funerals of black Bajans. One is very unlikely to find non-black attendees.
Are there any non-blacks in the police service, the defence force, government teaching service or among the ranks of the public service? That, of course, is a rhetorical question. Cricket and football are the two most popular sports in our island.
Yet one would be hard pressed to find any non-black players in our clubs. When I played First Division cricket for the Lodge, Pickwick and Wanderers were all-white teams and there were whites in Carlton and YMPC. Perhaps, someone can explain to me where all the white cricketers have gone. When I asked a white acquaintance, he reminded me of the “unfair treatment” meted out by the West Indies selectors to Robin Bynoe, Geoffrey Greenidge, Richard Edwards, Stephen Farmer, and by Barbados to Graham Bethel. No wonder young Jacob Bethell has opted to play youth cricket for England
Except for Senator Andrew Mallalieu, there is no white or Indian parliamentarian in Barbados.
It seems as though there is a tacit understanding that politics will be reserved for blacks while whites and Indians control the economy.
A good friend once told me that, unofficially, Barbados is an apartheid state whose effectiveness lies in the fact that there are no written laws to enforce it. History and socialisation have done the job admirably. Perhaps South Africa could have learnt a few
lessons from us!
Seriously though, after fifty six years as an independent country, it is time for Barbadians of all races to recognise the need for full integration.
As citizens of an island we claim to love and are committed to, we should be prepared to share the joys and sorrows of the society. It is not good enough that one race experiences all the pain while others who are in the minority enjoy the privileges of being Bajan.
There is much work to be done to build a just and fair society. Maybe hope lies with this present generation of black, brown and white Barbadians.
John Goddard, retired but always an educator.
