Brother Oscar Allen remembered

Editor: Among the many activities to commemorate Emancipation Month is an annual memorial lecture put on by the UWI Open Campus in honour of one of our foremost patriots of the post World War II era, Bro. Oscar Allen of Diamond Village.

Thanks to the UWI for keeping the memory of this outstanding brother and comrade alive, for we are too prone in this modern age to forget the contributions of people like Oscar, better known fondly as “Bro. A”.

In paying homage to this nation-builder and man of the people, here are a few paragraphs of a tribute I wrote to him in August 2017, one week after his death.

“There are so many aspects to his life that we can spend all year discussing them, but if there is anything that is a constant feature is his central emphasis on ‘the people’. Almost every statement that he uttered or wrote, every proclamation, seemed to contain the word ‘people’. There was ‘People’s Parliament’, ‘People’s Budget’, ‘People’s Constitution’, even as the people of his beloved Diamond Village would remember, the ‘People’s Suppliers’, a village-based cooperative of the 70s. That was a vivid demonstration of his philosophy and outlook on life.

“…I would like to offer some brief perspectives on Oscar’s life and times. First, his commitment and insistence on what he called the People’s sector, today more commonly known as the civil society movement. Oscar toiled long and hard through all the frustrations, with youth groups, community groups, church groups, community groups, women’s groups, political action groups, always trying to build cooperation and unity.

“Then there is his work in building the foundations of the farmers movement here, out of which was to emerge the National Farmers Union as a vehicle for advancing the causes of the farmers and rural folk.

“Above all, in keeping with his level of black consciousness and anti-imperialism, Oscar was a committed regionalist…..On and we could go, but I can only pause to ask, with some trepidation, where are the budding Oscars of today? How are we to ensure that his legacy continues, that the unfinished tasks are undertaken, and the challenges met? That would be our most fitting tribute to the life of this outstanding Vincentian patriot”.

Renwick Rose