[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE COUNTRIES OF THE CARIBBEAN ON THE OCCASION OF THE 166TH 
             ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR EMANCIPATION FROM SLAVERY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2004

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in one accord with all the 
former British colonies in the Caribbean to celebrate the 166th 
anniversary of Emancipation Day, August 1, 1838.
  In doing so, I wish to not simply recount the histories of the 
islands in the Caribbean, for I could hardly do justice to their 
diverse and compelling paths to freedom. Instead, I would like to 
commemorate the great day of Emancipation with a narrative of cunning, 
resolve, and triumph, a story that in many ways symbolizes the history 
of all the former British colonies which were granted freedom on that 
great August day.
  Early in the 18th century the British brought a young lady to 
Jamaica's shores to work as a slave. Like the Caribbean countries 
themselves, her roots were African. Her name was likely a strong 
Ashanti one since she hailed from that great African kingdom, but upon 
arriving she was stripped of her given nomenclature and was known to 
her fellow slaves simply as ``Nanny.''
  Slavery persisted in the Caribbean until 1834 and then in the name of 
``apprenticeship'' until 1838, but it did not persist with ``Granny 
Nanny of the Maroons'', as she is known today. Soon after her arrival 
she displayed the world-renown Caribbean penchant for cutting her own 
path, and escaped from her master's plantation with her five brothers. 
Granny Nanny then traveled around the countryside organizing free 
Africans in the towns of St. James, St. Elizabeth, and Portland. She 
eventually established Nanny Town and based the community's governance 
on the Ashanti society.
  Like the Caribbean countries, Nanny was small and wiry, but also like 
these countries, she was singularly focused in her pursuit of self-
determination. The vast British military presence on the island 
launched numerous attacks on Nanny and her comrades, hoping to force 
them back into slavery, but for nearly two decades Nanny, the 
acknowledged and greatly respected leader of an army of at least 800 
maroons, withstood their aggressions. She placed guards at look-out 
points, sent spies to live among the slaves in British plantations, and 
ordered her fighters to dress like trees and bushes, so that when the 
British entered these human ``forests'' they would be overwhelmed by 
Nanny's forces.
  In 1737 the British offered Nanny a truce: the maroons would be given 
land and rights as free men, but only if they promised to help capture 
and return runaway slaves, assist the Government in putting down 
revolts, and cease their wars with the British. Their only other 
alternative would be to continue in their campaign against the massive 
British military, pitting 800 men against what was, at that time, the 
strongest army in the world.
  Nanny refused their offer.
  And still, these Caribbean countries refuse. Thus, I feel that the 
story of Granny Nanny is in many ways the story of Barbados, Nevis, 
Bahamas, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, 
Saint Vincent, Grenada, and Saint Lucia.
  For centuries, the people of these countries refused to accept 
British colonialism, stubbornly resisting the British from hideaways in 
cities, mountains, and forests. In 1838 they were finally freed from 
slavery's grasp, but they have not become complacent. Although 
confronted by pressing economic and social issues, they remain defiant, 
refusing to be defined by their problems and continuing to make 
important strides to attract investment, maintain good governance, and 
work for equity across all segments the population.
  Today I remember Caribbean Emancipation Day by saluting Granny Nanny 
of the Maroons, the hero who perhaps most typifies the spirit of these 
great nations. It is my hope that we in the United States, with our 
economic policies and diplomatic relations, continue to support the 
efforts of these Caribbean countries as they move confidently and 
prosperously into the 21st Century.

                          ____________________