Woodie Blackman
Encyclopedia
Francis Woodbine Blackman (21 September 1922 – 6 July 2010) was a Caribbean author, former secretary of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, a member of the Dalkeith Methodist Church, and a retired consultant of the Canadian Training Aid Programme.
He first held appointments as science teacher at Boys’ Foundation School, St. Vincent Grammar School, and St. Kitts Grammar School. He was then appointed Principal of Montserrat Secondary School, and then returned to St. Kitts as Headmaster of the St. Kitts Grammar School.
His cousins, Marjorie, Luther and Errol Wiltshire were as close as siblings. There are so many other names from this period of his life who played and continue to play parts in the family's lives. A very dear and precious part of his time then was eighteen years spent in St Kitts and Montserrat. He had been d in the St. Kitts Methodist Church.
He married Cynthia Inniss, and served as a local preacher since 1955 and was a Circuit Stewarr in the Methodist Church.
(UWI Cave Hill Campus, Barbados) in 1966, just three years after the establishment in Barbados of The College of Arts and Sciences at UWI and this was during the tenure of Principal, Sir Sidney Martin. He worked in collaboration with resident tutors in the OECS territories
to increase the flow of information on academic programmes from UWI to prospective students, arranged and facilitated visits of colleagues from the islands, gave public lectures, interviewed prospective candidates, and successfully sought to bring the University closer to its constituents.
(CIDA). He started writing articles and letters for and to the newspaper and proceeded to add to the records of the Methodist Church through his documentation of much of the activity in Barbados and other parts of the Caribbean Circuit. He seemed to have a particular attraction to a Barbados National Heroine to be, a member of the Methodist Church, Sarah Ann Gill
. He wrote a biography of Dame Nita Barrow and when he started waning was occupied with the records of one of working Barbados' leaders, Clennell Wickham
.
His funeral was held at the Bethel Methodist Church ., and he is buried at the family plot in the churchyard of St. Barnabas Anglican church in St. Barnabas Road, St. Michael, Barbados.
. Authored the books Dame Nita: Caribbean Woman, World Citizen and Methodism: 200 Years In Barbados and a booklet on national heroine Ann Gill
, revered for her defense of Methodism in Barbados in the early 19th century.
Caribbean literature
Early life
His parents, James T. Blackman and his mother Etta (née Wiltshire), lived at "Albany", Two Mile Hill in St. Michael. He attended the Roebuck Moravian Boys’ School and then Harrison College which he left in 6B (sixth form) to go into teaching.He first held appointments as science teacher at Boys’ Foundation School, St. Vincent Grammar School, and St. Kitts Grammar School. He was then appointed Principal of Montserrat Secondary School, and then returned to St. Kitts as Headmaster of the St. Kitts Grammar School.
His cousins, Marjorie, Luther and Errol Wiltshire were as close as siblings. There are so many other names from this period of his life who played and continue to play parts in the family's lives. A very dear and precious part of his time then was eighteen years spent in St Kitts and Montserrat. He had been d in the St. Kitts Methodist Church.
He married Cynthia Inniss, and served as a local preacher since 1955 and was a Circuit Stewarr in the Methodist Church.
The UWI Years
He worked in the sugar industry in St Kitts until 1966. He then took the post of Secretary at College of Arts and Sciences of the University of the West IndiesUniversity 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,...
(UWI Cave Hill Campus, Barbados) in 1966, just three years after the establishment in Barbados of The College of Arts and Sciences at UWI and this was during the tenure of Principal, Sir Sidney Martin. He worked in collaboration with resident tutors in the OECS territories
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States , created in 1981, is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance between countries and dependencies in the Eastern Caribbean...
to increase the flow of information on academic programmes from UWI to prospective students, arranged and facilitated visits of colleagues from the islands, gave public lectures, interviewed prospective candidates, and successfully sought to bring the University closer to its constituents.
Later years
Upon leaving the University, he spent time as director of the Barbados Advocate, and worked with Canadian International Development AgencyCanadian International Development Agency
The Canadian International Development Agency was formed in 1968 by the Canadian government. CIDA administers foreign aid programs in developing countries, and operates in partnership with other Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors as well as other international organizations...
(CIDA). He started writing articles and letters for and to the newspaper and proceeded to add to the records of the Methodist Church through his documentation of much of the activity in Barbados and other parts of the Caribbean Circuit. He seemed to have a particular attraction to a Barbados National Heroine to be, a member of the Methodist Church, Sarah Ann Gill
Sarah Ann Gill
Sarah Ann Gill was a social and religious leader in Barbados during the era of slavery. By an act of Parliament in 1998, she was named as one of the ten National Heroes of Barbados.-Biography:...
. He wrote a biography of Dame Nita Barrow and when he started waning was occupied with the records of one of working Barbados' leaders, Clennell Wickham
Clennell Wickham
Clennell Wilsden Wickham was a radical West Indian journalist, editor of The Herald newspaper and champion of black, working class causes against the white planter oligarchy in colonial Barbados during the inter-war period, leading to the social unrest that triggered the Riots of July 26,...
.
His funeral was held at the Bethel Methodist Church ., and he is buried at the family plot in the churchyard of St. Barnabas Anglican church in St. Barnabas Road, St. Michael, Barbados.
Writer
He is best known as a writer for his work in the religious history genre and more particularly Methodist religion in BarbadosReligion in Barbados
According to the 2000 official census, more than 95 percent of the population of Barbados is considered Christian, although persons may not be active in any particular denomination. The Anglican Church constitutes the largest religious group, with 70,000 members; an estimated 67 percent are active...
. Authored the books Dame Nita: Caribbean Woman, World Citizen and Methodism: 200 Years In Barbados and a booklet on national heroine Ann Gill
Sarah Ann Gill
Sarah Ann Gill was a social and religious leader in Barbados during the era of slavery. By an act of Parliament in 1998, she was named as one of the ten National Heroes of Barbados.-Biography:...
, revered for her defense of Methodism in Barbados in the early 19th century.
Citations
- Lambert, D., White Creole culture, politics and identity during the age of abolition (2005)
- Donnelly, D., Retrieving charisms for the twenty-first century (1999) p114
- Byfield, J., Gendering the African Diaspora: Women, Culture, and Historical (2010) p185
- Oduyoye M. A., Introducing African women's theology (2001) p113
- Brathwaite, J. A., Women and the law: a bibliographical survey of legal and... (1999) p178
- O'Neal, E., From the field to the legislature: a history of women in the ... (2001) p61
- Barriteau, E., Stronger, surer, bolder: Ruth Nita Barrow: social change and ... (2001) p214
- Greenidge, M., Holetown, Barbados: settlement revisited and other accounts (2004)
See also
History of the CaribbeanHistory of the Caribbean
The history of the Caribbean reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the European powers since the 15th century. In the 20th century the Caribbean was again important during World War II, in decolonization wave in the post-war period, and in the tension between...
Caribbean literature