Stirring Up Trouble/Fighting Down Oppression: Nanny of the Maroons' Enduring Legacy to the Caribbean Diaspora (original) (raw)

Presentation at the 6th Annual Maroon Conference, Charles Town, Jamaica

Stirring up Trouble/Fighting down Oppression: Nanny’s Enduring Legacy to the Diaspora

Warrior Woman, Ashanti Woman, Black Woman Free,
She snatched freedom to her bosom and claimed it for me.[Bridges to Memory, 2007]
Nanny of the Maroons stirred up trouble in the colonies to fight down oppression and pave the way to emancipate her people. The legend of Nanny is a powerful force in the creative imagination and identity of Caribbean people; an allegory of the possible course of actions the disenfranchised can pursue in handling turbulent challenges. Nanny interrupted the hegemonic construct of power in the colony of Jamaica in ways that accelerated the dismantling of colonialism, pushed towards the end of slavery in the region, and fanned the winds of change across the Americas. These winds continue to blow strong today across the globe to reach into the classrooms where children of color lag behind their white counterparts in academic achievement. These winds float beneath my wings and buoy me up in the commitment to teach for social justice and equity. These winds fan the cheeks of those who are disenfranchised and yearn for equal rights and justice. The story of Nanny’s indomitable will, her efforts and success in carving out an alternative society in Nanny Town and her perseverance in fighting the British to earn the identity of a thorn in their side, speak to the will of any marginalized or disenfranchised people who are determined to confront adversity and assert their rights

Fedelia Graand-Galon -Suriname Ambassador

Presentation at the 6th Annual Maroon Conference, Charles Town, Jamaica

Colonel Frank Lumsden, Chief of the Charles Town Maroons with Dr. Marva McClean & Dr. Marcus Waters
In extending my contribution to the growing discourse on maroonage, I cast a critical gaze on Nanny’s achievements and the significance of her location as a role model in 21st 21^{\text {st }} century society; a society still in the throes of fighting down oppression and disrupting the patterns of neo-colonialism. I hope that through these stories of resistance and empowerment, creativity and resilience, audiences can find courage and purpose in the portrayal of this magnificent woman whose story points to the unending battle for social justice and equity, reminding us of our own role as caretakers of the past and agents of change.

Professors for Social Justice: Maroon Conference Presenters
Drs. Marcia Douglas, Marva McClean, Marcus Waters, Angela Robinson, Fran Botkin, Paul Youngquist & Anne Bouie

I am empowered to be a witness to the historical and cultural legacy of the Maroon community and hold myself accountable to write about the Maroons’ agency in disrupting the discourse of metanarratives about people of color as mere victims of colonialism.

Marva McClean, 6th 6^{\text {th }} Annual Maroon Conference, Charles Town Jamaica June 2014