Juan Lubolo (Juan de Bolas)

'Juan Lubolo's palenque of one hundred and fifty was stationed...on the south side of the island in the Clarendon mountains....The British had, from very early, made overtures to this group....Exactly when Lubolo agreed to the British overture is imprecise. The formal proclamation announcing the rapprochement was not issued until February 1662/3. But there is evidence to show that Lubolo had been working with the British against the Spaniards and apparently against even against other Maroons in the hills, at least since 1660....The degree to which the Spaniards depended on the blacks not only symbolically but also inn terms of their security is demonstrated in Ysassi's reaction to what he considered Lubolo's defection. The council of war was specifically called to determine what should be done in view of his action. Here they decided to leave the island not out of fear of the British so much as fear of the Maroons - the "rebellious blacks." They argued that the "Negroes" were "so experienced and acquainted with the mountains" that they could not hope to succeed against them....The Spanish governor then issued an order commanding the remnants of his army to remove from the spot quickly, pointing out that the blacks were bound to disclose to the British their rendezvous. Three days after leaving, as the governor predicted, their settlement was reached and routed by the enemy, accompanied by Lubolo and his men....The charter acknowledged the fidelity and affection of Lubolo to the British, in return for which he and his people were to receive their freedom, with thirty acres of land to those eighteen years of age and over. Lubolo's title of Governor of the Negroes was terminated, and instead he was "honoured with the title of Coll. of the Black Regiment" in the island's militia....Apparently the other bannds of black guerrillas in the hills did not view Lubolo's new alliance with satisfaction; they rather saw him as a renegade who sullied their image by capitulating to the enemy. And perhaps, as if to demonstrate their disapproval of the rapprochement, various attacks on the plantations were soon reported to the authorities....The governor therefore sent Lubolo, now the official bloodhound of the British, or Colonel of the Black militia, whether to treat with or to fight against his black brethren is not clear...Whatever the nature of the mission, Maroons apparently felt that this was their chance to wreak vengeance on the black general. Unlike Lubolo's victories over the Spaniards, in this instance he was up against more than his match. He fell into an ingenious Karmahaly ambuscade and was slain. It is reported that he was "cut into pieces," and this is not difficult to understand considering the supreme contempt they must have had for Lubolo's defection to the enemy. According to Dallas, after Lubolo's death his group decreased in number and morale and thus "sought quiet and protection in the vicinity of towns and settlements; nor were any of them ever known to return to their former haunts in the mountains of Clarendon," where evidently a new cluster of Maroons was being formed.' Mavis Campbell, "The Maroons Jamaica 1655-1796", pp. 20-5.

Alexander Bustamante

'(Alexander Bustamante) became a leader in activism against colonial rule. He gained recognition by writing frequent letters on the issues to the Daily Gleaner newspaper. In 1937 he was elected as treasurer of the Jamaica Workers' Union (JWU), which had been founded by labour activist Allan G.S. Coombs. During the 1938 labour rebellion, he quickly became identified as the spokesman for striking workers, who were mostly of African and mixed-race descent. Coombs' JWU became the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) after the revolt, and Bustamante became known as "The Chief". In 1940, he was imprisoned on charges of subversive activities. The widespread anti-colonial activism finally resulted in Parliament's granting universal suffrage in 1944 to Jamaica. Released from prison in 1943, Bustamente founded the Jamaica Labour Party the same year. Previously he had belonged to the People's National Party (founded in 1938 by his cousin Norman Manley). Bustamante's party won 22 of 32 seats in the first House of Representatives elected by universal suffrage. He became the unofficial government leader, representing his party as Minister for Communications, until the position of Chief Minister was created in 1953. He held this position until the JLP was defeated in 1955. In 1947 and 1948, he was elected as mayor of Kingston. In 1952 he was arrestted by the American authorities while he was on official business in Puerto Rico. Though initially a supporter of the Federation of the West Indies, during the 1950s, Bustamente gradually opposed the union. He agitated for Jamaica to become independent of Great Britain. He said that the JLP would not contest a by-election to the federal parliament. His rival and cousin, Premier Norman Manley, called a referendum on the issue in 1961; Jamaicans voted for the nation's withdrawal from the Federation. After Jamaica was granted independence in 1962, Bustamante served as the first Prime Minister until 1967. In 1965, after suffering a stroke, he withdrew from active participation in public life, and the true power was held by his deputy, Donald Sangster.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Bustamante

Norman Manley

'Norman Washington Manley MM, QC, National Hero of Jamaica (4 July 1893 – 2 September 1969), was a Jamaican statesman. A Rhodes Scholar, Manley became one of Jamaica's leading lawyers in the 1920s. Manley was an advocate of universal suffrage, which was granted by the British colonial government to the colony in 1944. Together with Osmond Fairclough, the brothers Frank and Ken Hill, Hedley P. Jacobs and others in 1938 he founded the People's National Party which later was tied to the Trade Union Congress and even later the National Workers Union. He led the PNP in every election from 1944 to 1967.[citation needed] Their efforts resulted in the New Constitution of 1944, granting full adult suffrage. Manley served as the colony's Chief Minister from 1955 to 1959, and as Premier from 1959 to 1962. He was a proponent of self-government but was persuaded to join nine other British colonies in the Caribbean territories in a Federation of the West Indies but called a referendum on the issue in 1961. Voters chose to have Jamaica withdraw from the union. He then opted to call a general election even though his five-year mandate was barely half way through.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Manley

Dr Aston Wesley Powell

"THE late Honourable Dr Aston Wesley Powell was the inspirational and ever vigilant founder of the EXED Group of Schools which comprises of the Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary levels, and the first and largest Community College in Jamaica, Excelsior Community College. Dr Powell was a product of Campbell Town in Kingston, Jamaica. He did not start out as the strong leader we knew him to be before his passing in 1996, but was more of a time-waster and school absentee during his Calabar Elementary School days. Many of those days were spent missing his classes while enjoying many cricket games with his friends. His life changed dramatically when his father, who was a graduate of Mico Teachers' College, returned to Jamaica after working in Cuba. After some time, Powell was ready to continue his education. Sadly, by the time he was fit to re-enter school, Powell, being 15-years-old, was too old and was refused entrance to Calabar High School. This fuelled him to start his own school for people who were too old and who were unable to afford admission to secondary schools at the standard age of 11. Dr Powell founded Excelsior on January 19, 1931 with five students on the verandah of his parents' house in Campbell Town. By the 1970s the school had grown to almost 2,000 students and was then situated on Mountain View Avenue. The institution gained government grant-in-aid status when it was acquired by the Jamaica District of the Methodist Church in 1950." http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/teenage/we-are-heroes---dr-aston-wesley-powell_8062749

George Headley

'George Alphonso Headley OD (30 May 1909 – 30 November 1983) was a West Indian cricketer who played 22 Test matches, mostly before the Second World War. Considered one of the best batsmen to play for West Indies and one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Headley also represented Jamaica and played professional club cricket in England. West Indies had a weak cricket team through most of Headley's playing career; as their one world-class player, he carried a heavy responsibility and the side depended on his batting. He batted at number three, scoring 2,190 runs in Tests at an average of 60.83, and 9,921 runs in all first-class matches at an average of 69.86. He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1934. Headley was born in Panama but raised in Jamaica where he quickly established a cricketing reputation as a batsman. He soon gained his place in the Jamaican cricket team, and narrowly missed selection for the West Indies tour of England in 1928. He made his Test debut in 1930, against England in Barbados, and was instantly successful. Further successes followed in series against Australia and in three more against England, as Headley dominated the West Indian batting of the period. Following his tour of England in 1933, Headley signed as a professional at Haslingden in the Lancashire League, where he played until the outbreak of war in 1939. The war interrupted Headley's career; although he returned to Tests in 1948 he was hampered by injuries and did not achieve his previous levels of success. Even so, he was chosen as West Indies captain in 1948 against England, the first black player to be appointed to the position, although a combination of injuries and politics meant he only led his team for one Test match. He did not play Tests between 1949 and 1953, but resumed his career in English league cricket, first in Lancashire and later in the Birmingham League. His playing career ended in 1954 on his return to Jamaica, after a public subscription paid his fare from England. After retiring as a player, Headley was employed as a cricket coach by the Jamaican government until 1962. He lived until 1983; his son Ron and his grandson Dean each played Test match cricket, for West Indies and England respectively.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Headley

Allan Rae

"Allan Rae, who died on February 27 aged 82 in his native Kingston after a long illness, was one of the vanishing breed of West Indies Test players who regarded their transition into administration as an undeniable duty. His productive, if brief, Test career as a solid left-handed opening batsman, dependable enough to average 46.18 in his 15 Tests, and his far longer involvement in management that saw him rise to the presidency of the West Indies Cricket Board of Control between 1981 and 1988, coincided with golden eras of West Indies cricket. Yet his administrative roles spanned two of the most contentious issues of the day - the intrusions of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket in the late 1970s and apartheid-era South Africa in the 1980s. In spite of such challenges, West Indies were never stronger than during his presidency." http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/player/52801.html

Cudjoe

'The escaped slaves of Jamaica had one big advantage over slaves in many other places, that the geography of the island provided them with areas where they could hide and live with much less fear of discovery. The original Maroons were freed or runaway Spanish slaves, whose name is thought to come from the Spanish word cimarrón, meaning wild or untamed. Over time two main areas of Maroon settlement developed, the Trelawney Maroons lived in an area around Maroon Town and Accompong in the Cockpit country, and the Windward Maroons lived on the northern slopes of the Blue Mountains. The territory occupied by the Maroons was ideally suited to guerrilla warfare, although that name for the technique would not be used until the time of the Peninsular War at the end of the 18th century. Led by an extremely able commander called Cudjoe, with his brothers Accompong and Johnny in the West, and sub-chiefs Quao and Cuffee in the East, the Maroons avoided open fights preferring ambush. Camouflaged from head to foot in leaves, surprise and their accurate shooting often brought them quick victory after which they would melt back into the woods to prepare another attack. Various armed attempts to subdue them were made by British troops and in 1734 a Captain Stoddart led a party that attacked and destroyed Nanny Town in the Blue Mountains. The town was never resettled and even now is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of those who died. Nanny the Maroon chieftainess after whom the place was named is now a National Hero of Jamaica. Although the Maroons had suffered severely under this attack many escaped, some to build a new village further inland and others removed to the Cockpit area of Trelawney. Maroon raids increased and so did the fear of the colonists that they would encourage a mass uprising of slaves on the plantations, where they now outnumbered white settlers by about 14 to 1. The Jamaican Assembly voted money for a large-scale campaign and the Maroons found themselves in a desperate situation, however the government did not realise this and, eager to end the fighting, they sent Colonel James Guthrie with a detachment of militia, and Lieutenant Francis Sadler with a party of soldiers, to seek out Cudjoe and offer him favourable terms for a peace.`The negotiators exchanged hats as a sign of friendship, as depicted above, and the treaty was agreed on 1 March 1739 beneath a large cotton tree, afterwards known as Cudjoe’s Tree. Under the settlement Cudjoe and his followers were all to be free, and any slaves who had joined them were given the choice of remaining with the Maroons or returning to their masters. It would be interesting to know if any did, somehow I doubt it! A land grant was made to the Maroons of 1500 acres in Trelawney, where they would have hunting rights and it was agreed “That they shall have liberty to plant the said lands with coffee, cocoa, ginger, tobacco, and cotton, and to breed cattle, hogs, goats, or any other flock, and dispose of the produce or increase of the said commodities to the inhabitants of this island”. In addition Cudjoe and his followers were to assist the British in pursuing any remaining rebels and in the case of foreign invasion they would assist the British against the invader and in return would receive their protection. The Maroons agreed not to harbour runaway slaves but to return them for a reward of ten shillings per slave. Cudjoe himself was given the right to dispense justice within his community and the succession was assured, naming Accompong, Johnny, Quao and Cuffee, and after their deaths such leaders as might be appointed by the Governor. The Maroons were required to build and maintain a road to Trelawney Town, and four white persons were to be nominated to live with the Maroons in order to facilitate communication with the government.' http://aparcelofribbons.co.uk/2011/11/the-maroon-war-settlement-of-1739/

Nanny of the Maroons

"Nanny was a leader of the Maroons at the beginning of the 18th century. She was known by both the Maroons and the British settlers as an outstanding military leader who became, in her lifetime and after, a symbol of unity and strength for her people during times of crisis. She was particularly important to them in the fierce fight with the British, during the First Maroon War from 1720 to 1739. Although she has been immortalised in songs and legends, certain facts about Nanny (or “Granny Nanny”, as she was affectionately known) have also been documented. Both legends and documents refer to her as having exceptional leadership qualities. She was a small, wiry woman with piercing eyes. Her influence over the Maroons was so strong, that it seemed to be supernatural and was said to be connected to her powers of obeah. She was particularly skilled in organising the guerilla warfare carried out by the Eastern Maroons to keep away the British troops who attempted to penetrate the mountains to overpower them. Her cleverness in planning guerilla warfare confused the British and their accounts of the fights reflect the surprise and fear which the Maroon traps caused among them. Besides inspiring her people to ward off the troops, Nanny was also a type of chieftainess or wise woman of the village, who passed down legends and encouraged the continuation of customs, music and songs, that had come with the people from Africa, and which instilled in them confidence and pride. Her spirit of freedom was so great that in 1739, when Quao signed the second Treaty (the first was signed bv Cudjoe for the Leeward Maroons a few months earlier) with the British, it is reported that Nanny was very angry and in disagreement with the principle of peace with the British, which she knew meant another form of subjugation." http://jis.gov.jm/heroes/nanny-of-the-maroons/

George William Gordon

'As a member of the House of Assembly, Gordon acquired a reputation as a critic of the colonial government, especially Governor Edward John Eyre, in the mid-1860s. He maintained a correspondence with English evangelical critics of colonial policy. He also established his own Native Baptist church, where Paul Bogle was a deacon. Unbeknownst to all at the time of the events, in May 1865 Gordon had attempted to purchase an ex-Confederate schooner with a view to ferrying arms and ammunition from the United States of America. In October 1865, following the Morant Bay Rebellion led by Bogle, Gordon was taken from Kingston, where martial law was not in force, to Morant Bay, where it was. He was tried for high treason by court martial, without due process of law, sentenced to death and executed on 23 October. Gordon's death and the brutality of Eyre's suppression of the revolt made the affair a cause célèbre in Britain. John Stuart Mill and other liberals sought unsuccessfully to have Eyre (and others) prosecuted, and when those attempts failed, to bring civil proceedings against him.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_William_Gordon

Paul Bogle

'Paul Bogle (1822 – 24 October 1865) was a Jamaican Baptist deacon and is a National Hero of Jamaica. He was a leader of the 1865 Morant Bay Protesters, who agitated for justice and fair treatment for all the people in Jamaica. After leading the Morant Bay rebellion, Bogle was captured and hanged on 24 October 1865 in the Morant Bay Court House by the British authorities. Bogle had become a friend of landowner and politician and fellow Baptist George William Gordon, who was instrumental in Bogle being appointed deacon of Stony Gut Baptist Church in 1864. In August 1865, Gordon attacked the British governor, Edward John Eyre, for sanctioning "everything done by the higher class to the oppression of the negroes". Bogle concentrated his activity on improving the conditions of the poor. As awareness of social injustices and people's grievances grew, Bogle led a group of small farmers 45 miles to Spanish Town where they hoped to discuss their grievances with Governor Eyre, but they were denied an audience. This left the people of Stony Gut with a lack of confidence and trust in the Government, and Bogle’s supporters grew in number.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bogle

Isaac Barrant

'Do you remember Isaac Barrant? His appointment as minister of agriculture and lands in 1950 was surely the embodiment of Garvey's message that "people of African descent have a responsibility to define their own place in the world and the realisation that this is possible". Barrant was born in 1907 in Bath, St Thomas. He was forced to leave school early owing to the death of his father. He started his career as a labourer on parochial roads in St Thomas. It was also said that he was a truck sideman, whether true or untrue. He also worked as a linesman on a sugar estate and eventually a banana dealer for the United Fruit Company. With limited education, his only criterion for recognition, according to journalist Vivian Durham, was a profound faith in the common man and a devotion to the cause of helping to lift poor people out of the clutches of their degrading existence; this during the early part of the 20th century. For his trade union militancy, his strength of character, and his humble roots, Bustamante chose him to run for the Eastern St Thomas constituency in 1944 against a background of the pride and prejudices of the reactionaries of the day. His grass roots connection whipped up support for the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and the Jamaica Labour Party, and he beat the colonial stigma to become a member of the House of Representatives and then, shock after shock across the society, a government minister -- appointed by Bustamante in 1950.' http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/Isaac-Barrant-would-have-made-Marcus-Garvey-proud_19121832

T.P. Lecky

"Jamaica Hope, Jamaica Red, Jamaica Brahman, and Jamaica Black are a few phrases that should come to mind when you hear the name TP Lecky. Born Thomas Lecky in 1904, the brilliant Jamaican scientist revolutionised the Jamaican Dairy Industry through is love for animal husbandry. Dr Lecky spent his childhood days on a small family farm in the hills of Portland. After completing elementary school, he went on to attend the Jamaica School of Agriculture at Hope, where he developed a passion for agricultural science. His academic career later took him to the McGill University and the University of Toronto in Canada. In 1925, Dr Lecky returned to Jamaica to work at Hope where at the time, there was an issue with the cattle -- a mix of early Spanish and British imports from India. They were resistant to the tick fever disease and could pull the weight of the carts, but they were lacking as producers of milk and quality beef. As a result, it was necessary to produce a new breed of cattle that could produce sufficient amounts of milk and a high standard of beef for consumption; in addition to their strength and immunity to the tick fever. This was necessary to support the livelihood of the Jamaican farmer and his family." http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/Thomas-P-Lecky_8044348

Dutty Boukman

'Dutty Boukman (Boukman Dutty) (died November 1791) was a slave in Haiti who was one of the most visible early leaders of the Haitian Revolution. According to some contemporary accounts, Boukman may have conducted a religious ceremony in which a freedom covenant was affirmed; this ceremony would have been a catalyst to the slave uprising that marked the beginning of the Haitian Revolution. Dutty Boukman may have been a self-educated slave perhaps born on the island of Jamaica. Some sources indicate that he was later sold by his British master to a French plantation owner after he attempted to teach other Jamaican slaves to read, who put him to work as a commandeur (slave driver) and, later, a coach driver. His French name came from his English nickname, "Book Man," which some scholars, despite accounts suggesting that he was a Vodou houngan, have interpreted as meaning that he may have been Muslim, since in many Muslim regions the term "man of the book" is a synonym for an adherent of the Islamic faith. One scholar suggests that it is likely that Boukman "was a Jamaican Muslim who had a Quran, and that he got his nickname from this." Other scholars suggest that Boukman may have practiced a syncretic blend of traditional African religion and a form of Christianity.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutty_Boukman

Herb McKenley

'The Hon. Herbert Henry "Herb" McKenley OM (July 10, 1922 – November 26, 2007) was a Jamaican sprint runner. He competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics in six events in total, and won one gold and three silver medals. Born in Pleasant Valley, Clarendon, Jamaica, Herb McKenley enrolled at the University of Illinois and won the NCAA championships in 220 yd (200 m) and 440 yd (400 m) in 1946 and 1947. He was also the AAU champion in the 440-yard dash in 1945, 1947 and 1948, and was also the head of the list of world best times in 100 m (10.3), 200 m (20.4) and 400 m (46.2) in 1947. He is the only person to ever have achieved this feat. Just before the 1948 London Olympics, McKenley ran the new world record in 440 yd (400 m) of 46.0, a record he broke again a month later, clocking 45.9. But at the Olympics itself, McKenley finished only second in 400 m, behind teammate Arthur Wint and was fourth in 200 m. He probably lost a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay when Wint pulled his muscle in the final. He is the only person to have made the final in all three sprinting events, the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m in the Olympics.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_McKenley

Rose Leon

"Outspoken Jamaican politician who always put people first Rose Leon, who has been murdered in her home in Jamaica at the age of 85, was a businesswoman and former politician. Her career spanned colonial and independent Jamaica; outspoken on the hustings, she was a political personality who inspired many women to enter politics. Affectionately known as Madame Leon, she first made her name as a beautician, succeeding in business at a time in Jamaica when very few women were involved in commerce. Her political career began in the late 1940s, when the Jamaica Labour party and the People's National party, which would grow to dominate Jamaican politics, were both in their infancy. Jamaica's first elections under universal adult suffrage had been held in 1944." https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/aug/23/guardianobituaries1