Nearly 400 years ago, Britain began the colonial terror they waged in the Caribbean, including the island of Barbados. But now, it’s out with the queen! The country just made an incredibly bold move.
Barbados has officially cut ties with the British monarchy. It became an independent republic – a move in part inspired by the Black Lives Matter uprisings in the United States.
Queen Elizabeth II is no longer the head of state in Barbados! Instead, the leaders of this Black nation will be BLACK women!
Sandra Mason is Barbados’ first president, and Prime Minister Mia Mottley leads the parliament. And beyond celebrations including Bajan singer Rihanna, they’ve got big plans for the future.
Together, they’re already planning to rewrite the constitution, build a slavery museum, and call for reparations from the royal family – much of whose wealth came at the expense of the enslavement of Black people in the Caribbean ane elsewhere. We can learn a lot from Barbados’ fight for liberation.
Barbados shedding its colonial past acts as a mirror for all Black communities globally. We don’t need white colonial powers to prosper! We can invest in our communities and build the futures we want for ourselves – independently!