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"""An extraordinary emblematic flag""",,"I visited Barbados on a teacher professional development trip in 2018. My assigned research topic for the trip was Bussa’s 1816 slave rebellion. Within three days in April of that year, the rebellion had spread to most of the southern half of the island.
Slavery in Barbados was addressed in a limited way by tour guides and historians on the island. There were not accounts from the slaves to detail their life experience. During this trip, I viewed the rebellion as evidence that slaves were not satisfied with the conditions of their lives and wanted their freedom. In a roundabout on one of the highways in the country, there stands a statue of Bussa- hands raised, fists clenched, chains broken. However, there is no diary entry from Bussa, just accounts from the British of the importance of putting down the rebellion. We can only make assumptions about Bussa’s objectives, but we are missing his words.
In an account written in a private letter on Tuesday, April 16th, the slaves were described as carrying “an extraordinary emblematic flag.” British sketches of the flag, now housed in the National Archives in London, are the only record of the goals of the slaves. They were striving for the freedoms that had been denied to them. They wanted to marry and have access to the privileges of the planters. But they did not want to overthrow the British Crown. They wanted to be British citizens.
This flag is the voice of Bussa and his followers. Slaves were often kept illiterate in order to limit their access to the tools and ideas to agitate for freedom. In this way, their voices are lost. Without those voices, it is possible for historians and individuals to imagine what slaves would have thought or said. But those imaginations do not allow for the complexity of human thought and experience. We are missing these people and we will never truly know their lives. It is unique to have evidence of what Bussa really thought. It contributes to the recognition and understanding of the humanity of Bussa and his followers. ",,,,,"Emily Longenecker, 34, High School Teacher, Virginia ",,,,,,an-extraordinary-emblematic-flag,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andrew Mink of the National Humanities Center","Barbados,Bussa's Rebellion (1816),History,Memory,Slavery,Teachers & Teaching",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/193/MFQ1_112_-_An_Extraordinary_emblematical_flag_-_Bussa_Rebellion_Banner_April_1816.jpg,"Still Image","Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute",1,0
"“Personal freedom was therefore not existent.”",,"The title of my moment comes from a quote on page 55 of Watson and Potter's book, Low-Cost Housing in Barbados: Evolution or Social Revolution?
My humanities moment occurred in the Bajan archives while being able to view the original document that freed the enslaved people of the island. I simply sat down in the corner of the room and cried. I felt moved to share this discovery with my son. Although we are privileged to be removed from this kind of historical trauma, it was an important experience to consider its effects on the lives of real people. Knowing how hard it is to come into such documents in our country, understanding the importance of this document and being thankful that my child understands to a degree how significant this experience will forever be for me both humbled and overwhelmed me.
Due to geographic constraints, the option to flee beyond the island’s borders even after emancipation was practically impossible. It even seemed as if their freedom was merely symbolic due to the chattel system which allowed the once-enslaved persons to build small homes on the land of their former imprisoners for labor. The idea of freedom was born on that day. However, much like in so many parts of the world where there is still a struggle between the races and the haves/have nots, personal freedom was still not existent for these people. They still had to be very cognizant of all of their actions to ensure food and shelter for their families. Fear of having to move their home or simply not having a place to move their home helped perpetuate the system of a white dominated society for many more years past the initial emancipation.
",,"Low-Cost Housing in Barbados: Evolution or Social Revolution?",,"June 21, 2018","Lisa Roop Belcher",,,,,,personal-freedom-was-therefore-not-existent,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andy Mink","Barbados,Emancipation Act of 1834 (Barbados),History,Low-Cost Housing in Barbados: Evolution or Social Revolution?,Potter, Robert,Slavery,Watson, Mark",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/189/archives.jpg,Text,"Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute",1,0
"Fish and Place in Barbados ",,"This mid-20th century oil painting, titled “Fishermen Mending Nets” by the artist Charles Poyer, depicts an elderly man repairing fishing nets by hand with tools located in a basket. The young boy watches with intrigue and appears ready to learn. This customary activity is occurring by the beach, imparting a sense of calm and peace to the painting.
As a social studies teacher traveling in Barbados, I was struck by the complicated relationship Barbadians have with their history. One of our tour guides stated that Bardadians “don’t value our built environment and history as much as they should.” School children, she explained, are required to take few history classes. Plantation tour guides also noted the difficulty in discussing race relations and the challenge of presenting the horrors of slavery with the island’s current image as a sunny, carefree tourist destination. In fact, this painting can be viewed as a microcosm for the representation of race on the island. Many emancipated slaves turned to fishing to escape working on sugar cane plantations. Yet the artist Charles Poyer decided not to depict a black man sharing fishing skills with a black boy, but rather a white man and white boy. This painting raises interesting questions about the transmission of knowledge and race on an island dominated by people of African ancestry.
Despite reluctance and challenges in presenting a nuanced narrative of the island’s history, Barbadians still have pride in their country’s culture. Fishing in Barbados is viewed as a sign of self-sufficiency and an integral part of their identity. The man in the painting is not only imparting a specific skill set to the boy, but also sharing values like the importance of thrift and hard work. Today fishing towns like Oistins deck their street with neon images of fish and locals urge tourists to try the national dish of flying fish and cou cou. Their pride in this dish shows their reverence for the island’s African ancestry, as cou cou was a common meal for slaves. Other important places like Independence Arch in Bridgetown feature the flying fish on its pillars. Thus, fish continue to be embedded in the art and cultural landscape of the island, and remains integral to the country’s identity.
",,"The oil painting Fishermen Mending Nets by Charles Poyer",,6-19-18,"Frances Coffey, High School Teacher",,,,,,fish-and-place-in-barbados,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andy Mink ","Barbados,Culture,Fishing,History,Paintings,Poyer, Charles,Race,Slavery,Teachers & Teaching",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/188/Fishing_Net.jpg,Text,"Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute",1,0
"George Washington and the Movement of Enslaved Persons to Barbados",,"Before travelling to the George Washington House in Bridgetown, Barbados, I thought what most Americans think about George Washington: he was a strong, moral, and noble leader who is the epitome of what it means to be a patriot and an American. While visiting his former home in Barbados, where he lived for two months in 1751, I realized how important the movement--both voluntary and involuntary--of people to this island shapes the nation’s and region’s history with one of the darkest conceptions of all time.
At the George Washington House, many exhibits and tour excerpts discussed how Washington, nineteen years old at the time, moved to Barbados partly to find a more comfortable living environment for his ailing brother. However, Washington was also looking for a way to rise above his modest status in society. Washington had ambitions of belonging to the social elite and used his time in Barbados to network and learn ways in which he could improve his status socially and financially. While the tour was informative and did well to address Washington’s successes and personal character (the quality of which is often praised in history books and popular culture), the tour and museum both failed to address the issue of slavery and its role during Washington’s time in the island.
Agriculture was a money-making machine in the eighteenth century, and Washington inherited and maintained arable land in both Barbados and Virginia. The result of this was an increase in social and financial standing, the dream he had been working to fulfill. But he did not accomplish this on his own. Washington’s financial growth, his beautiful plantation house, and his rise as a member of the social elite are all directly linked to the enslaved persons who labored over his fields. And Washington was not alone in this, neither in the Colonies or island nations like Barbados. Hundreds of plantations owners across the new world relied on enslaved labor to produce. As a result, millions of enslaved Africans were bought and sold to be overworked, tortured, and killed.
While I was at the George Washington house, I saw a small display about the use of enslaved labor on the plantation. The display’s artifacts consisted mostly of informational readings, but it also had a set of mannequin’s representing an enslaved man and child as well as a display case of chains, shackles, and tools for punishment. By the time I reached this small corner of the exhibit, I had been observing and exploring the property for nearly two hours. This was the first reference I saw that discussed the use of enslaved people on the plantation. Based on other historical records, we know that the plantation economy of the Colonies and Barbados were dependent on slave labor, so I couldn't help but wonder why there was no mention or recognition that this household’s status and legacy is based almost entirely on one of the darkest institutions humanity has ever created. ",,,,"June 2018","Kristen Fallon, 25, English Teacher",,,,,,george-washington-and-the-movement-of-enslaved-persons-to-barbados,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andy Mink","Barbados,Colonialism,History,Slavery,Teachers & Teaching,Washington, George",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/185/IMG_1306.JPG,Text,"Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute",1,0
"The Burden of Sugar",,"Visiting a sugar mill on the coast of Barbados, I wondered how far humans are willing to go for the everyday resources I take for granted. What are we willing to do to the environment or other human beings for sugar, salt, and electricity? In this image, you see the only wind-powered sugar mill still operational on Barbados from the 17th and 18th centuries. These sugar mills once existed by the dozen across the island of Barbados, acting as the technological backbone of the lucrative sugar industry. I focused in on the backside of the windmill because this is where you can see the reasonably advanced technology behind a brutal enterprise. On the tour, our guide pointed to the long wooden rod and noted that six to eight female slaves would have to lift and move this rod until the windmill was most efficiently moving in the wind. Weighing hundreds of pounds, I wondered if a more technologically advanced mechanism would have removed this burden… and if the development of technology would have eventually eliminated the need for slave labor altogether. But in this moment, I thought of Eli Whitney and his cotton gin. Invented with the hope of reducing the demand for slave labor, the cotton gin only made harvesting cotton more urgent. With sugar as one of the main staples in my American diet, I can only imagine that the demand for sugar has increased in recent years. Though my hope is that there is no place in the world today where the life expectancy of a laborer is only three years like that on these plantations… I do feel the need to consider who bears the burden of the resources that support my life. Does technology reduce the burden or simply shift the burden somewhere else? Did the development of the sugar mill reduce the cruelty of the slave trade or make the task more urgent? How far are we willing to go for our resources in modern society?",,,,"June 2018","Patricia Garvey, 23, Earth Science and Astronomy teacher",,,,,,the-burden-of-sugar,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andy Mink","Barbados,Slavery,Sugar Production,Teachers & Teaching,Technology",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/184/Windmill_Picture_[back].jpg,"Still Image","Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute",1,0
"The Emancipation Act of 1834 and our Shared Freedom Story",,"“To be honest, I’m glad my family didn’t go to America. We ended slavery 30 years earlier. What were YOU guys thinking?”
Our Bajan tour guide of St. Nicholas Abbey told us this as we walked through the sugarcane plantation house. She chuckled, and we along with her, albeit awkwardly. She was right, too; the day before, our research group got to actually leaf through the Emancipation Act of 1834, the physical document that started the process of freedom in Barbados. THE original document! We all casually crowded around the pages and touched them with are bare hands. Compare that with the Declaration of Independence, which literally had a whole movie made about how impossible it would be to steal that document.
The concepts of freedom and liberation are remarkable, almost overwhelming to think about. As such I, along with many others, anchor these to our own experiences. I interact with freedom and liberation in an uniquely American way; I talk about the First Amendment with my US History students, and we discuss the Emancipation Proclamation as a seminal moment in the American story. However, sometimes this lens leads me to think that freedom itself is uniquely American. When I hear the word freedom, and mind immediately jumps to the Stars and Stripes. This, of course, is ridiculous. We didn’t invent freedom; in fact, we were pretty late to the party.
The communities we grew up in shape our worldview. Often, they give us a nearsightedness with regards to monumental events and processes. There are freedom stories from all over the world; it is our job, as global citizens, to learn and grow from them. Therefore, we can better understand and appreciate how each of our communities’ narratives fits within a far greater, and far richer, story.
",,"The Emancipation Act of 1834",,"June 2018","Chris Cantone, 24, US History and World History I teacher at Albemarle High School in Albemarle County, Virginia",,,,,,the-emancipation-act-of-1834-and-our-shared-freedom-story,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andy Mink","Barbados,Emancipation Act of 1834 (Barbados),Emancipation Proclamation (United States),History,Liberation,Slavery,Teachers & Teaching,U.S. History",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/191/Emancipation_Barbados.jpeg,Text,"Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute",1,0
"The Liberation of Our Past",,"The Barbados Museum and Historical Society is located in a former military prison. Its original purpose of control through force and containment is clear and obvious when I entered the present-day museum. Cannons flank the entrance, a symbol of calculated and brutal violence. The façade is imposing, an intimidating tall arch way designed not to invite but to deter entrance. However, today it is a place of education, a site of liberation for the thousands of stories of people and events in the island’s past. That past for Barbados is incredibly complex. Built on coldly calculated and horrific brutality of agricultural production and subsequent cultural diffusion, the island today grapples with economic, political, and social successes, challenges, and the myriad of geographic factors that influence their narrative to the present day.
Education is critical to Barbadians history and culture. Education was restricted from enslaved Africans, planters viewing an education as catalyst for rebellion. Upon becoming a sovereign nation, Barbados made a social and political commitment to education. Across the island, the pride and commitment to education is obvious. It is the theme that many social-historians touch on as a key marker for its rise in development relative to other island countries that make up the Caribbean. Barbadian planters feared the liberating force of education, Barbadians themselves intertwined economic and political independence with education, and today, many Barbadians put high value on education’s ability to promote the freedom of job opportunity and prosperity on or outside of the island.
This literal former prison’s repurposing into a historic museum was itself a catalyst to understanding Barbados, but also the challenge of the humanities as people grapple with their own past, present, and the connections between them. As people, we look to past individuals and stories and attempt to reutilize or repurpose them to educate, improve, or respond to contemporary and future challenges. This museum, and its reutilization of the prison as a place of confinement to that of freedom is symbolic of that process. Barbados’ past is brutal and complex and, rather than imprisoning that narrative, we must learn and use those real and human truths to promote a better future.
",,,,"June 2018 ","John Skelton, 30, Teacher, Virginia",,,,,,the-liberation-of-our-past,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andy Mink","Architecture,Barbados,Education,Geography,History,Museums,Prisons,Teachers & Teaching,Violence",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/192/Barbados_Museum.jpg,Text,"Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute",1,0
"The Pledge of Barbados",,"Standing on Chamberlain Bridge and looking at Independence Arch, I began reading the Barbadian Pledge. Instantly my brain goes to each school morning when students stand and say the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. Both symbolize a promise of loyalty to a nation represented by a flag, but why do humans feel the need to align to a specific political entity and profess this allegiance to others? I have come to the conclusion that it is a mixture of pride, identity, and competition. Barbados and the United States achieved independence from Great Britain, and the pledge shows the pride in being a separate nation. It was a way for citizens to define themselves different from the previous identity connected to Europe. Even though neither pledge was written or established in the immediate time after independence, both wanted to create an identity that links the people of their nation within a very connected world.
Humans are also innately competitive, and whenever there is a competition one team/nation links themselves to symbols. Both the flag design and pledge of Barbados were even created as part of competitions. Pride and identity represented in the pledge and flag carry over to the numerous international competitions such as the Olympics and the World Cup. The emotion seen at sporting events of the 21st century are intense. Some may see this competition as divisive among people, but I feel the pride for a nation shown through say the pledge or waving a flag as a human trait carried throughout the world. There is disagreement over when to say a pledge or if a person should say the pledge at all, but this belief in choosing an identity to be proud of is one shared by humankind.
",,"The Pledge of Barbados",,"June 18, 2018","Elizabeth Mulcahy, Social Studies Teacher",,,,,,the-pledge-of-barbados,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andy Mink","Barbados,Chamberlain Bridge,Citizenship,Colonialism,History,Nationalism,Teachers & Teaching",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/190/barbados_flag.png,Text,"Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute",1,0
"Transformation of an Island",,"My source of inspiration came from a lecture on paintings and images of slave society presented at the Barbados National Museum. The painting by Issac Sailmaker entitled ""Island of Barbados"" visually depicts the transformation of the island's geography due to the creation of sugar plantations in 1694. Sugar not only transformed the physical landscape of this mostly uninhabited land, but also would impact the social, political, and economic institutions that were created as a result. This painting symbolizes the totality of sugar on this small island and sets the stage for the ensuing nickname, ""Britain's crowned jewel."" One of the reasons I was drawn to this painting for inspiration is due to my own experiences on the island over the last week of learning and exploring. Driving through the different parishes and seeing how the landscape differs in various regions is a stark contrast to this image from 1694 showing mostly port cities and the beginning of European transformation on the interior to create space for large scale sugar farming. When looking at maps from the 18th and 19th centuries, the island of Barbados is transformed even more due to the profits and demand for sugar in a new global economy. This image is a snapshot of an island in transition, but lacks the conflict and division sugar production will create in the future. The profits from sugar will create a hierarchy between plantation owners and those working the fields and mills as slaves. Although this image depicts the beginning of British influence and domination over the island of Barbados, the narrative will continue to evolve as sugar projection reaches an all-time high and the thirst for profit will result in the dehumanization of an entire group of people.","Isaac Sailmaker","The painting Island of Barbados by Isaac Sailmaker",,"June 19, 2018","Caroline Bare, 38, Social Studies teacher ",,,,,,transformation-of-an-island,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andy Mink","Barbados,Colonialism,Exploitation,Island of Barbados,Sailmaker, Isaac,Slavery,Sugar Production,Teachers & Teaching",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/183/Sugarcane.jpg,Text,"Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute",1,0
"Water Is Life: Thousands Have Lived Without Love, Not One Without Water",,"I remember visiting the Washington House in Barbados this past summer on a Virginia Geographic Alliance travel grant and being marveled at the dripping stones on the residence. The use of the limestone vessels as filters was introduced by the Spanish. In the period when drip stones were in regular use, no supply of chlorinated water was available. Centuries later, Barbados is still plagued by water concerns. As one of the Caribbean’s most popular destinations was struck at the height of tourism season. A sewage leak, which the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) called a “crisis” was sweeping across the parts of the island’s popular south coast.
Water is life! I recall reading the newspaper headlines during my weeklong visit of the health alerts. I connected the moment to my very own. Just before departing for my travels, I endured a water main break in my home and made me realize how I often take for granted water. Freshwater is necessary for the surviving of all living organism on Earth. More specifically, how at this particular juncture, the solution for improvements of water quality in Barbados ( and many other countries) is still prevalent.
",,,,"June 21, 2018 ","Lisa Coates, PhD and Teacher Leader ",,,,,,water-is-life,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andy Mink","Barbados,Colonialism,Technology,Water Filtration",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/186/Fountain.jpg,Text,"Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute",1,0