3:06AThere was a reason for that. Conservatism and white supremacy had ruled Barbados to the point where all the priests were white, mostly. Some of our teachers were white. Yes. Once you get to a certain tertiary level, a lot of the -- the fire chief was white, the police chief was white, you know, the reverend in the church was white. It was like, oh my God. I remember even, um, and this must have been leading me into Crop Over, there was a man called Harold Macmillan. I talk about this all the time. And he was giving a speech in front, uh, the mayor’s office, which is, you know, Mottley’s grandfather.
3:51AAnd the man using them same big words that we had heard about before, about on this auspicious occasion and You know, this and that and the third. And the children fainting, fainting because they’re hungry. So I walked home. And I didn’t live too far away. Chapman’s Lane, Emerton, you’re going home. I go into school the next day. There was a man called Cossie Lane who was my teacher. Of course, I call him Mr. Lane. Mr. Lane. Young man, tell me it’s not true that you disgraced our school, your neighborhood, your parents, your country by walking out on the British Prime Minister. I said, what you mean, sir?
4:48AWell, I was told that you just took it upon yourself without permission from any teacher or anybody like that to just walk and went on home in the middle of the Prime Minister’s speech? How dare you defy and, and disgrace and dishonor the British Crown like that? I said, sir, I didn’t like what he was saying. It doesn’t matter. Point is that He is the Queen’s representative, and you should respect him. As a matter of fact, write me 25 lines stating I must respect the British Crown and its representatives. If you don’t know how to spell the word representatives, I will help you with that.
5:33ASo I went home, and my Aunt Doris She used to sell exercise books and pencils and things. And I went and I told her a lie, that my mother told me to come and trash a book. A book? Well, she gave it to me. Although I proceeded to write 100 lines in this book, and the first time I ever heard the word insubordination in my life. I never expected stuck like glue to my brain. So Lane looked at me, um, young man, did I not give you 25 lines? I said, yes, sir. Why did you write 100? I said, sir, because as far as I’m concerned, it’s like I really care that about that man.
6:26AWhat? Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, you will now write 500 lines. So I can’t go now and tell Miss Forrest that my mother -- But anyway, I managed to get the books. Aunt Dora, thank them again. Anyway, and my mother put some lashes on me and tell me that I was rude and that I was this and that and that and how dare me and I should pray because, um, you know, I am -- that’s the Queen’s representative and I have to respect the Queen and that is the Lord’s anointed. I’ll never forget the words, that the Queen was the Lord’s anointed, and therefore I cannot in any way or fashion disgrace and disrespect the Queen’s representative.
7:11AAlthough it triggered something in me that you can’t believe. Hmm. From that day, I swore that I would always be against colonialism. I didn’t even know the word colonialism. I was against them white people ruling me. And then that’s all I saw in my head. As a barefootist. Mm-hmm. And I had a feeling that we have to have our own country all back then at 10 years old.
