April 28 – National Heroes Day in Barbados

nPostednon April 28, 2015

n
n
n

n
n Inn1998 this holiday was created by Parliamentary Act to celebrate tennnational heroes.
n

Onenof them was a slave!

nBussa was born free in Africa and was capturednand taken to the Caribbean island of Barbados, which was a Britishncolony. He may have been a “ranger” on a plantation; he plannednand led the first large-scale slave rebellion in the British WestnIndies.

nAlthoughnBussa’s Rebellion was put down by better-armed British forces, andnBussa himself was killed, the influence of this rebellion was great.nSlavery was ended in Barbados – actually, all of the British WestnIndies – in 1834, just 18 years after the rebellion.

Anothernof the ten Barbadian heroes was Sarah Ann Gill, whose mother wasnblack and whose father was white. During Gills’ life during the firstnhalf of the 19^th Century, Barbadian society was verynracist, and so Gill’s mixed-race ancestry was seen as a taint her. She marriednanother mixed-race Barbadian.

nGillnembraced the Methodist faith, and when the plantation owners in Barbados oustednthe Methodist missionaries, Gill offered her home as a church. Shenfaced physical abuse and death threats and thus won her status ofnbeing a national hero.

nSamuelnPrescod, too, was the child of a black mother and white father. Hengrew up to become the first person of African descent to be electednto Barbados’s Parliament (in 1843).

nAnothernhero, Charles O’Neal, was a medical doctor who had a high position innBarbadian society. He went against the racism of that society,nhowever, and dedicated his life to helping people in poverty. Henworked for improved working conditions and women’s rights, fornexample, and he fought for free education ad dental care for kids.

Barbados is a beautiful island nation.

nInhave already written about Errol Barrow, who led Barbados tonindependence and also worked to make progressive reforms.n

nClement Payne and Huge Springer were pioneers in unionization ofnworkers in the Caribbean, and Frank Walcott also worked in the labornmovement and served as an ambassador to the United Nations. Walcottnwas also famous for being an excellent cricket umpire…

nWhich bringsnus to our ninth national hero, Sir Garfield Sobers, who is considerednby many to be cricket’s greatest all-rounder.

Barbados is a small island located near the eastern (righthand) area of the map.

nOurntenth hero is Grantley Adams. He was a politician. He was thenpresident of the Barbados Workers’ Union before he started hisnpolitical career; he worked for a more democratic government and fornmore rights for the average Barbadian and especially for the poor.

nTodaynis Adams’s birthday. I’m not sure how his birthday was selected as anthe date to celebrate all ten heroes…

n
n

nCricket

n
n

Bynthe way, Adams also played cricket. He played just one match ofnfirst-class cricket for Barbados, in the 1925-1926 season, as anwicket-keeper.

n
n

nCricketnis a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players each.

n
n

nItnis played by 120 millions players around the world, making it thenworld’s second most popular sport. Because it was first played innEngland (in the 1500s, or possibly even earlier), cricket isnespecially popular in the United Kingdom and in countries that werenonce part of the British Empire, such as India, Southern Africa, thenWest Indies (like Barbados!), and Australia.

n
n

nBynthe way, if you are wondering, football (in the U.S., it’s callednsoccer) is the most popular sport in the world.

n
n

nAlsonon this date: