St. William Grant
Encyclopedia
William Wellington Wellwood Grant (1894 - 1977-08-27) was a Jamaican labour activist. He was known as "St. William Grant", "St." presumably meaning "Sergeant" in reference to his military or UNIA service.
He is regarded as the person who started the struggle of the working class
in Jamaica. Understanding that as an uneducated black
man he would never win the respect of the Colonial Government, he entrusted Alexander Bustamante
with the responsibility of taking the struggles of the working class to the next level.
. He attended St Phillips Church School in St Andrew and West Branch Elementary School in Kingston
. As a young man he became a dockworker in Kingston. With the advent of World War I
he stowed away on a British troop ship, subsequently joining the Eleventh British West India Regiment.
After the war he returned briefly to Jamaica before emigrating to New York in 1920. There he worked as a cook in restaurants while involved with the Tiger division of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League
(UNIA).
himself for "misrepresenting the aims and objectives of the organisation".
Remaining in Jamaica, Grant continued both to earn his living as a cook and participate in activism, this time as a labour leader.
In May 1938 the dockworkers of the United Fruit Company
were on strike. Bustamante and Grant were known as orators promoting and directing the strike. Both were arrested on 24 May, and remanded in custody by a police inspector. While Bustamante submitted to arrest, St. William Grant protested and was badly beaten. Both were charged with inciting unlawful assembly and obstructing the police, were refused bail and as a form of humiliation were stripped down to their underwear. The events led to further strikes and riots, until Bustamante and Grant were freed by a court on 28 May.
According to Dr Orville Taylor, a senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies
, "had it not been for St. William Grant, history might not have known Bustamante".
Grant had a falling out with Bustamante and never became part of the Jamaica Labour Party
. In 1947 he contested the West Kingston division for the People's National Party
in the first Municipal (KSAC) elections after adult suffrage and was beaten by more than 2 to 1. He never resurfaced in any other political contest. However, in 1950 Bustamante recommended that Grant be appointed watchman at the central Housing Authority (later the Ministry of Housing) in which post he remained until his death.
is named in honour of William Grant. It was previously called Victoria Park in honour of Queen Victoria of England, being renamed shortly after Grant's death.
Statues in the park include Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
, Norman Manley
, Alexander Bustamante
, Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe
and Edward Jordan, the first black Mayor of the City of Kingston (1854-1866).
He is regarded as the person who started the struggle of the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
in Jamaica. Understanding that as an uneducated black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
man he would never win the respect of the Colonial Government, he entrusted Alexander Bustamante
Alexander Bustamante
Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante GBE, National Hero of Jamaica was a Jamaican politician and labour leader....
with the responsibility of taking the struggles of the working class to the next level.
Early life
Grant was born at Brandon Hill in rural St AndrewSaint Andrew Parish, Jamaica
Saint Andrew is a parish, situated in the southeast of Jamaica in the county of Surrey. It lies north, west and east of Kingston, and stretches into the Blue Mountains and at the 2001 census had the highest population of all the parishes in Jamaica. The Right Excellent George William Gordon Saint...
. He attended St Phillips Church School in St Andrew and West Branch Elementary School in Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
. As a young man he became a dockworker in Kingston. With the advent of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he stowed away on a British troop ship, subsequently joining the Eleventh British West India Regiment.
After the war he returned briefly to Jamaica before emigrating to New York in 1920. There he worked as a cook in restaurants while involved with the Tiger division of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League
Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League
The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League is a black nationalist fraternal organization founded by Marcus Garvey. The organization enjoyed its greatest strength in the 1990s, prior to Garvey's deportation from the United States of America, after which its...
(UNIA).
Activism
In 1934 he served as a delegate to the UNIA convention in Jamaica where he was expelled from UNIA by Marcus GarveyMarcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
himself for "misrepresenting the aims and objectives of the organisation".
Remaining in Jamaica, Grant continued both to earn his living as a cook and participate in activism, this time as a labour leader.
In May 1938 the dockworkers of the United Fruit Company
United Fruit Company
It had a deep and long-lasting impact on the economic and political development of several Latin American countries. Critics often accused it of exploitative neocolonialism and described it as the archetypal example of the influence of a multinational corporation on the internal politics of the...
were on strike. Bustamante and Grant were known as orators promoting and directing the strike. Both were arrested on 24 May, and remanded in custody by a police inspector. While Bustamante submitted to arrest, St. William Grant protested and was badly beaten. Both were charged with inciting unlawful assembly and obstructing the police, were refused bail and as a form of humiliation were stripped down to their underwear. The events led to further strikes and riots, until Bustamante and Grant were freed by a court on 28 May.
According to Dr Orville Taylor, a senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
, "had it not been for St. William Grant, history might not have known Bustamante".
Grant had a falling out with Bustamante and never became part of the Jamaica Labour Party
Jamaica Labour Party
The Jamaica Labour Party is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party. Despite its name, the JLP is a centre-right, conservative party.-Background:...
. In 1947 he contested the West Kingston division for the People's National Party
People's National Party
The People's National Party is a social democratic and social liberal Jamaican political party, founded by Norman Manley in 1938. It is the oldest political party in the Anglophone Caribbean and one of the main two political parties in Jamaica. Out of the two major parties, it is considered more...
in the first Municipal (KSAC) elections after adult suffrage and was beaten by more than 2 to 1. He never resurfaced in any other political contest. However, in 1950 Bustamante recommended that Grant be appointed watchman at the central Housing Authority (later the Ministry of Housing) in which post he remained until his death.
Honours
Grant was awarded the Order of Distinction on National Heroes Day, 1974. Following this, the UNIA organised a special tribute for him on 1974-12-21. He was given a state funeral on 1977-09-05.St. William Grant Park
The St. William Grant Park in the centre of downtown Kingston, JamaicaKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
is named in honour of William Grant. It was previously called Victoria Park in honour of Queen Victoria of England, being renamed shortly after Grant's death.
Statues in the park include Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, Norman Manley
Norman Manley
Norman Washington Manley MM QC National Hero of Jamaica , was a Jamaican statesman. A Rhodes Scholar, Manley became one of Jamaica's leading lawyers in the 1920s...
, Alexander Bustamante
Alexander Bustamante
Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante GBE, National Hero of Jamaica was a Jamaican politician and labour leader....
, Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe
Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe
Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe, Bt, KCB, PC , known as Sir Charles Metcalfe, Bt between 1822 and 1845, was a British colonial administrator...
and Edward Jordan, the first black Mayor of the City of Kingston (1854-1866).
External links
- Aerial view of St. William Grant Park.
- Photos: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/history/images/grant.jpg http://www.jamaicalabourparty.com/home/files/images/JLP_Achievements-_The_Labour_Leader.jpg (Grant is 2nd from left).
- Grant is mentioned at Google Books in Jamaican Volunteers in the First World War: Race, Masculinity and the Development of National Consciousness, Richard Smith, Manchester University Press, 2004-09-16, ISBN 978-0719069857.
- Grant is mentioned in Labour Rebellions of the 1930s in the British Caribbean Region Colonies, Richard Hart, Socialist History Society, 2002, ISBN 0953774236
