Black History Month Leadership Heroes. My Caribbean uncle encouraged me to discover the journalist within me! My Black Caribbean great-uncle, Sir Joseph Nathaniel France, changed people’s lives.
As a Northern working-class female of colour, my youthful desire to be a journalist was met with dismissive laughter. My teachers said: “Journalism isn’t for people like you!” The white noise of interference drowned out my dreams; but my mindset was unlocked and my hopes freed when I met my inspirational great-uncle, Sir Joseph Nathaniel France.
From humble origins, he rose to become a newspaper editor, union activist and General Secretary, politician and government minister for the Caribbean islands of St Kitts and Nevis. He was instrumental in the rise of trade unions, knighted for his services, and even had a hospital named after him.
When my mum took me to the Caribbean to meet my relatives, this tall, elegant, elderly man – with our family’s tiny eyes and tightly-curled hair – already stood as a giant amongst men. Learning his story only confirmed my immense pride.
Since the 1930s, my Uncle Joe, Sir Joseph Nathaniel France – was active in St. Kitts Workers’ League, agitating to improve workers’ conditions and get the working class to organise. He actively campaigned for voting rights, resolved industrial conflicts and was a peacemaker in the fatal Buckley’s Riot.
As the first General Secretary of St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union, using his skills in negotiation and conciliation, he remained in that post until his death in 1997.
After working on The Union Messenger as a printer, then a reporter, he became Editor in 1944. He was also editor of the Workers’ Weekly, and on The Labour Spokesman’s Editorial Board.
He was elected to the National Assembly (Legislative Council) in nine general elections (1946-1984), passing landmark laws securing wage-protection and public acquisition of the sugar lands. He became Minister for Social Services (education, health and social affairs) and a new hospital was named after him, honouring his invaluable services to health.
When I shyly shared my shattered childhood dream of writing, my Caribbean uncle told me, “Of course, you can – look at me! I’m a journalist.”
Seeing someone who had followed his passions to make the world a better place for others was transformative. I needed to see someone who looked like me say: “Yes, you can.” He lit a fire in my heart and drove me to succeed. He cut out the white noise of negativity and attuned me to my passion for writing and societal justice.
I was fortunate enough to work for editors who mentored and nurtured me as a young journalist: in my teens, I was Northern Reporter for the Caribbean and Asian Times and I achieved the English Women’s Award for Service to the Media and Journalism for raising important social issues and reporting injustices in my work as a journalist. I am a women’s magazine editor and leader today.
My uncle fought for justice, as do I. His encouragement sustained me and still inspires me today. Back home, he is celebrated every September as part of the island’s National Heroes Day. His legacy continues.