THE movement of our African ancestors from the west coast of Africa to the West Indies, and the eventual enslavement of our brothers and sisters on plantations on the islands, was cruel, brutal and immoral.
Those of us who have had the opportunity to study West Indian History, would have understood that the sole objective of the white plantation owners, was to make huge profits from the sweat and blood of our African ancestors.
Slavery was always wrong. But slave owners treated it as an economic necessity. They saw it as an opportunity to enrich themselves and their homeland. They didn’t care at all about humanity; about the body and soul. Their main concern was economic prosperity.
During the time of slavery, it was the black slave owners against black African brothers and sisters. However, long after the abolition of slavery, came the system of hate which arose from supremacism.
Now, supremacism is a belief that superiority and inferiority is an innate reality between individuals and groups and a complete rejection of the concept of social equality as a norm. Indeed, that notion gave rise to white supremacy over blacks.
In the United Kingdom and the United States, white individuals and groups persecuted black people vigorously.
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while travelling in Dallas, Texas.
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Junior, a prominent figure of the American civil rights movement was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
Indeed, my cousin, Botham Shem Jean was shot and killed on September 6, 2018 by off-duty police Amber Guyger.
Botham Jean, a 26-year-old accountant, was brutally murdered in the sanctuary of his home in Dallas Texas, by Guyger. He was eating ice cream in his living room at the time. He was shot right down the middle of his heart; the bullet pierced every organ in his body before it was lodged in his spine.
Now, I have been articulating the brutality of White people over blacks in America. But the situation in Saint Lucia today, is black people murdering black people like themselves.
As I write, I recall a young man who was shot and killed by another black young man in the presence of his father. He was holding a child at the time. The father of the young man who was shot pleaded with the assailant not to pull the trigger. But he did. He killed the young man in “cold blood”.
There are several cases where young people were killed by other young persons like themselves.
The situation in Saint Lucia is fast becoming intolerable.
I have told you all of this to show the evil in man. It shows a ‘heart of stone’ not flesh! The wanton cruelty by man against another man like himself.
It is so sad to know that wanton cruelty is a characteristic of man.
God created man and woman to be in communion together. To create families, and live together, bearing the image of and reflecting the three in one God or the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We have been called to live together in unity, not cruelty and brutality.
This cruelty and brutality occur in all facets of human life. Meaning that it also occurs in the work place. To quote a line from the ‘mechanics ode’; “leave strife and discord to others”.
It may surprise you to know the length at which a human would go to tarnish the reputation of a co-worker, at the workplace, to achieve his or her selfish ends.
But what is more astounding, is the fact that the culprit behaves in a manner that would suggest that nothing has gone wrong. That is the deceit!
Going back to the days of slavery; the slaves worked extremely hard on the various plantations, sometimes with hurt in their hearts and tears in their eyes.
Indeed, the islands of the Caribbean are now seeking reparation from their mother countries. And I am firm in my belief that reparation would eventually come.
Now what exactly is reparation. Reparation is the making of amends for the wrongs one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged.
Indeed, the slaves have all gone to the great beyond, however the reparation or money would be paid to relatives of those who were wronged, or to the government to be used extensively for the people of the country.
Similarly, those commit slander or defamation against another should be called upon to pay reparation or compensation for their wrong doings.
So, you understand some of the impediment to peace in the world. People have the tendency to retaliate against persons who have wronged them.
If that is the case, then crime and violence is far from over in our Fair Helen.
In conclusion, I ask the question: what happens to people who do others wrong? Do people like that suffer the pain they inflicted on others?
I say yes! There is a phrase that we use at the workplace; ‘Karma is a bitch!’ And I know it really is. I am hoping that those who say it fully understand what they say.