https://padlet.com/parrisjalisa/e4rl5qgxztbqko4a en-us 2020-07-19 04:47:08 UTC 2020-07-19 04:55:44 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f600.png parrisjalisa https://padlet.com/parrisjalisa/e4rl5qgxztbqko4a/wish/657642949 The Black Lives Matter Movement was started by three women, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, who want to see something done about the current situation of black life in America. They desire a world where black people are not afraid to live and to be seen as equal to everyone in their community despite the colour of their skin. (Interview with founder in YouTube) . This interest group was created after the death of Troyvon Martin, a seventeen year old African American teen who shot and killed by George Zimmerman, who was later acquitted of the incident (Black life matter .com). This occurrence is just one of the countless reoccurrence injustices of Africa America on American soil and across the world that individual faces, because of the colour of their skin or some other racial feature. According to statement on Black Life Matter website “The goal of the movement is to support the development of new Black leaders as well as create a network where Black people are empowered to determine our destinies in our communities.” This type of movement had also occurred in the Caribbean during the early phase of our development, where enslaved individuals fought for equality and to be free from their Colonial master. 
Caribbean History
 Although, the Caribbean consist of small islands we have a profound history that can be incorporated in the Black Lives Matter Movement. The struggle of racism occurred in the Caribbean a long time ago, where the Arawaks and the Caribs, indigenous people, were discovered by Christopher Columbus and his men on their voyage to the West Indies. These European men found the early settlers attractive in appearance, as well as quick learners, as they repeated every word that was spoken to them. However, the indigenous people were persuaded by the gifts they received, which included red caps and glass bead just to name a few. This deceptive behavior on behalf of the Europeans led to the indigenous people’s demise as they were defected and brought into slavery by the Europeans. Most of them perished because of an excessive workload, disease and warfare, to name a few. After some time, a number of other countries invaded the Caribbean: Portugal, France and England, where they fought over different territories within the regions, and sought for wealth by robbing each other’s ship using pirates and Buccaneers but was unsuccessful. Soon after agriculture was tried and was productive .The crops that was used in the islands consisted of cotton, tobacco, dye wood, cocoa and ginger. Animals were kept as well because they provided food and mill power to the early colonialist (Plenary 3 slide 11-17). Sugar was first brought to the Caribbean by the Portuguese, this plant necessitated agriculture with growth and harvest cycles of many years. This required a permanently established workforce around the fields as well as a continuous supply of skilled and unskilled labor. This led to the first set of workers who were the unattractive white persons, prostitutes and outcasts, in England, Scotland and Ireland. However this was unsuccessful because the mortality rate amongst the indentured workers was high due to diseases, deficient diet and overwork (Plenary 3 Slide 24).This led to the Slave movement that is well known in the Caribbean because of the decline of the White Indenture Labour Scheme. 
Slavery was also occurring in West Africa at the time of the raid of the white people; however, it was much more humanizing compared to the Chattel Slavery that occurred in the Caribbean. Slavement came about as a wager for a debt a individual owned, or a person’s family could not afford to support them financially so they would offer to be a slave to lessen the burn on the family, or it was a punishment for those who would have committed various criminal offences. (Plenary 4 Slide10-11 ). West Africa Slave benefit compared to Chattel Slave detriment. West Africa Slave: no dominant race factor perceive provide with rights and protection treated as housemaid by owner and enjoyed privilege and had rights had right to own their own names, property , could marry and children was not consider slave live in the same house as their master be given promotion as well as economic factors Caribbean Slave: see as property branded like cattle treated badly names was change had no right that a white person had to respect justice (Plenary 4 Slide12) Places in Africa that had been attacked by the assailant include Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast and Slave Coast just to name a few. The reasons for acquiring slaves from West African were: easily to follow commands, relatively resistant to new world disease, decrease in transportation fee as well as very profitable returns for European traders and planters who took part in the trade. Demand for African labour led to the de-population of people from the West African Coast. A disproportionate number of men were taken, as their homes were burnt to the ground, as they ran to escape the fire. This is how they were captured, then placed in a coffin and brought to the ship. The ride to the Caribbean known as the middle passage was a complicated one with persons dying on the journey. Once in the Caribbean they were sold and placed on plantations in different Caribbean islands where they were beaten and treated inhumanly for next to nothing. Some of the treatment they received were: limbs amputated for constantly running away, destruction to the enslaved both mentally and physically plus flogging for minor offence, just to name a few. These are some of the harsh and brutal treatment that the West Indians faced as they toiled in the Caribbean. However during this time of slavery, slaves rebelled and fought for what they wanted. Haiti had one of the well known instances where slaves rebelled and battled their way to freedom becoming the first free black Caribbean Isla region. This was known as the Haiti Revolution that occurred between August 14 1791 to January 1 st 1804, where the Haitians fought against French Colonial rule (Plenary 4 Slide 39).As we look at the ‘black life’ struggles in the Caribbean history content and how the freedom, voice and desire to live mattered to them, we can say the Black Life Movement is relevant to Caribbean history. However, it has been mentioned, that although blacks are no longer physically in chains, we are still in some white persons eye, bond to our past, where we came from and what happened.
 America History 
Just like the Caribbean, slaves were moved from Africa to America to work in agriculture with the same treatment that Caribbean chattel slavery received. This occurred until January 1st 1963, when Abraham Lincoln on the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, ended slavery forever, physically. Although, this was made official by law, many of the white Americans were unhappy about the decision and racism and segregation was birth in America. From there on African Americans have been fighting for their rights to go to school, to vote and find work, just to make a living. One example of Black Lives Matter Movement in America is the incident where Ross Parks from Montgomery, Alabama refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus. Her defiance sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Its success launched nationwide efforts to end racial segregation of public facilities on December 1 st 1955.(Biography of  Rose Parks) Although no was killed Mrs. Parks stood up for what she believed and this is what the black life movement is about, as mentioned above. 
Conclusion 
The Black Lives Matter Movement is more than essential to the Caribbean, it is Caribbean History. Our ancestors fought for what they believe in and what they know they deserved, which is a place where black persons are free and not looked down upon, or feel less than human because of skin colour. This movement is still being fought in our Caribbean island today, not as pronounced as our history tells us, however, there are still some areas in our system that need to be assessed and adjusted to totally free us from slavery. These systems include our school system, which was influenced by our colonial past, and our Parliamentary system as well as our court system. Some of our Caribbean countries still are being governed by the Queen of England through the works of our Governor General. These things were created with the influence or assistance of our colonial ties and need to be cut off so that we can really say that we are independent. In addition, as was sung by the song writer Bob Marley” Emancipate yourself from mental slavery None but ourselves can free our minds” we as current West Indians need set our mind free and accept the past, what was fought for us and embrace the future as we still have to keep on fighting to make sure we don’t end up the same place our ancestors were but in a different way, Therefore Black Lives Matter in Caribbean past,present and future.



]]> 2020-07-19 04:51:25 UTC https://padlet.com/parrisjalisa/e4rl5qgxztbqko4a/wish/657642949