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I’se a Man
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Political Awakening and the 1942 Riot in the Bahamas (with Virgil Henry Storr)
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The Journal of Caribbean History, 41 (1 & 2) 2008. Paper presented at the 30th Annual Conference of the Society for Caribbean Studies, The National Archives, Kew, UK, July 2006.
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Abstract
When Americans began building their World War II bases in Nassau, the Bahamians they hired expected the high wage rates that usually accompanied foreign contracts. Unfortunately, the Bahamian government had negotiated much lower rates than were expected. Green, with his cry “I’se a man,” captured the indignation that many of his co-workers felt. After attempts to address the wage issue by collective bargaining failed, two thousand laborers gathered at the building site chanting “we want more money.” Their cries fell on deaf ears and police officers were called in to disperse the group. But, the police only succeeded in agitating the protestors. Eventually, armed with sticks and clubs, the leaderless crowd marched to where they would be heard. They marched to Bay Street, the stage for some of the most significant events in the Bahamas’ history and a social space that has continually been at the center of cultural, economic and political life in the country. Two days of rioting ensued.
Although the riot was triggered by a labor dispute, it has been described as the first sign of a popular movement in the Bahamas. And, some have described the riot as a tremor along the fault line that divided the rich white Bahamians who owned businesses on Bay Street and the poor blacks who worked as laborers and lived in the poorer neighborhoods “over-the-hill.” This paper is an effort to retell the story of the riot, focusing on its significance as the first sign of political awakening in the country’s black community.
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nona martin
Department of History and Art History, George Mason University
Robinson B 359, 4400 University Drive, MSN 3G1
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
nmartina@gmu.edu
Last Updated: June 2010
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