Malcolm X placed the distinction of the house negro and the field negro in the perfect context in a speech he gave at Michigan State University on January 23rd 1963. The symbolism is evident in Caribbean politics. He said the following:
”So you have two types of Negro. The old type and the new type. Most of you know the old type. When you read about him in history during slavery he was called “Uncle Tom.” He was the house Negro. And during slavery you had two Negroes. You had the house Negro and the field Negro.
The house Negro usually lived close to his master. He dressed like his master. He wore his master’s second-hand clothes. He ate food that his master left on the table. And he lived in his master’s house–probably in the basement or the attic–but he still lived in the master’s house.
So whenever that house Negro identified himself, he always identified himself in the same sense that his master identified himself. When his master said, “We have good food,” the house Negro would say, “Yes, we have plenty of good food.” “We” have plenty of good food. When the master said that “we have a fine home here,” the house Negro said, “Yes, we have a fine home here.” When the master would be sick, the house Negro identified himself so much with his master he’d say, “What’s the matter boss, we sick?” His master’s pain was his pain. And it hurt him more for his master to be sick than for him to be sick himself. When the house started burning down, that type of Negro would fight harder to put the master’s house out than the master himself would.
But then you had another Negro out in the field. The house Negro was in the minority. The masses–the field Negroes were the masses. They were in the majority. When the master got sick, they prayed that he’d die. If his house caught on fire, they’d pray for a wind to come along and fan the breeze.
If someone came to the house Negro and said, “Let’s go, let’s separate,” naturally that Uncle Tom would say, “Go where? What could I do without boss? Where would I live? How would I dress? Who would look out for me?” That’s the house Negro. But if you went to the field Negro and said, “Let’s go, let’s separate,” he wouldn’t even ask you where or how. He’d say, “Yes, let’s go.” And that one ended right there.”
The politicians in the Caribbean have used the same principle to stay in power. Every 5 years they convince the house negro to vote for them so that they can stay in the ‘house’. So the people curse one another, and destroy friendships, because they do not want to leave the nice things that the master will share when he is in the ” House”. The field negro has to work hard, because there are no handouts, but sweat and tears to survive. Then as the wonder of a chameleon, one master is thrown out and the field negro now takes on the role of house negro because his master in now in the “House”.
The political systems have failed us in the Caribbean and as a people we need to embrace change. One former Minster of Government in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago described our two party system in this way;
‘’These two parties continue to prevent the development of our politics. They have no structures or culture to hold leadership accountable; fora for genuine analysis and fearless selfexamination; intellectual rigour to banish blindness; curriculum for a depth and nobility in the politics; syllabus for selflessness in leadership.
How can courage surface to question anything when you are branded… traitor to the tribe? The parties offer no meaningful politics and so even their own enlightened avoid direct engagement, treating them like a shameful past. The political swampland therefore denies the country the participation of its best.
Tragically, the parties hurt those who still love them most. Our political parties have been derailed by their leaders. After noble birth, they became mere machines, revved up for elections, but ‘morgues’ afterwards, footstools of maximum leadership, with no independence; never able to cry halt …years of glaring corruption.
So in addition to constitutional reform, we need transformation of our parties. And here too, tinkering will not do. Reformation is the requirement of our time. If not, this society will remain stagnating in its political swampland where it will decay to death whilst scum prevail.’’
I could not agree more with Ralph Maraj, that it is beyond constitutional reform, we need disruptive transformation of our political system.
JOHN PETERS – never was a house negro or a field negro, but remains a son of God.