There All Along

Women of Trinidad & Tobago Black Power

“There All Along” tells the story of the women involved in the 1970 Black Power Revolution in Trinidad and Tobago. In 1970 there was a black power revolution; which primarily began as a response to a number of various parties being unhappy with conditions of darker skinned people in Trinidad and Tobago. Although Trinidad had gained independence eight years prior most people were unhappy about the amount of foreign interests (U.S. Canadian, British, etc.) still running industry in the country. This in turn lead to many discriminatory practices against people of darker skin, mainly of African and Indian descent. This film follows the story of three of these women who were major leaders and activists during the revolution. They share the story of what drew them to the movement, their involvement, the cost of their involvement to their personal lives, and the impact of the movement on them as individuals in Trinbagonian society. The film also includes the commentary of men who observed these women as leaders as well as women from subsequent generations who were impacted by the movement. 

The first event marking the revolution was in February of 1970 where students from the University of the West Indies joined in an international day of solidarity for their peers at Sir George Williams University in Montreal Canada. The previous year in 1969 the students were involved in a mass sit-in which ended in the fire of the computer center at the University and which is often times referred to as the Sir George Williams affair. Students at the university were responding to being treated in a discriminatory fashion by a white professor. These were black students many of whom were from the Caribbean, 12 of whom were Trinidadian. At the end of the affair the students were imprisoned and placed on trial. So in 1970 in Trinidad their fellow students decided to March and protest against the Canadian interests in the country. 

From that first march in February until April 1970 mass demonstrations, a state of emergency the detaining of the leaders of the black power movement and an army mutiny took place. There are very few accounts of the revolution published or produced. All of these accounts highlight the contributions of the men to the movement. The women are sometimes acknowledged but are by and large missing from the main narrative. 

This film seeks to challenge the existing narrative by acknowledging the role of women in the 1970 Black Power Revolution. It is important to know that the Black Power Movement made major changes in Trinidadian society as it pertains to blackness and social justice. Themes covered in this documentary will be women’s empowerment, black power in a Caribbean context, black beauty and social activism. The viewer should walk away with a greater understanding of this time in Trinidadian history as well as with an understanding of the importance of women’s roles not just in this movement but in the larger Pan-African contexts of social movements.  I know that this will be accomplished because at the beginning of this journey, I was not aware of the Black Power Revolution, the same can be said for many Trinbagonians. Being the sole producer, director, and camera person on this project gave me a first-hand understanding of my history not just as a Trinbagonian but as a Black woman. “There All Along” is a tool of empowerment for that intersectional identity of being a Black Woman.