Black Lives Matter: A Caribbean Perspective

FIUTS is proud to share the international advocacy work of our students and alumni as they stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. This week, hear from Ruqayyah Scott, an alumna of the Youth Ambassadors Program with the Caribbean, sharing her experience as an activist in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago.

Ruqayyah at the Caribbean Regional Youth Council’s 6th Caribbean Youth Leaders Summit in Trinidad

Hello, My name is Ruqayyah Scott and I am from the beautiful Twin Island of Trinidad and Tobago. At the beginning of my Youth Ambassadors journey in 2017 I was a young, hopeful & ambitious girl determined to succeed and persistent on seeking opportunities to impact change around the world. I was eager to connect and network with people and organizations from all walks of life across geography, cultures and languages. Luckily enough I was granted the opportunity to be hosted by FIUTS, an organization that strives for diversity, advocacy and youth development in every which way.

Today I’m fierce, more confident and ready to ignite positive change in the world. For the past 3-5 years I have been engaging in multiple activism projects as I craft my own journey to activism and advocacy. From working extensively in the Model United Nations, writing for the Commonwealth Youth Council and Holding the Presidency of the Economics Society of the University of the West Indies, I was able to use my voice and platform to speak out about injustices that I observe in my country and region. Trinidad and Tobago have been grappling with issues of their own. Most recently, we have experienced a refugee crisis with the advent of large scale Venezuelan migration, economic downfall creating negative ripple effects, and a surge of consciousness with respect to gender and race as with the recent Black Lives Matter movement.

As a bi-racial woman I have always understood the nuances of race and race relations. Black oppression has been a phenomenon for far too long and perhaps I can say that I am happy that rather late than never we are uprising against the hegemony in ways that include allies from the non-black community which I view as a victory. The Black Lives Matter movement, although started in the USA, has had so much impact globally including in the Caribbean, where there is a large population of black people and in some cases a black majority. Through experiencing racism and learning from the experiences of others, I’ve grown to realize that though the experiences are different in the Caribbean from those in the USA, the goal of the movement is still the same.

In the Caribbean people of colour, specifically black people, are subjected to various inequalities and which intensify as we move lower down the income bracket. From access to quality education, access to public sector and private sector jobs, the inability to access affordable home ownership, police brutality accompanied by a lagging justice system, we too experience a great deal of structural inequalities. The Caribbean has a history of revolution where great leaders have revolted against inequality in a fight for justice which I have seen amongst people especially amongst youth. When the horrific murder of George Floyd occurred, many Trinbagonians stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and staged a peaceful protest in front of the US Embassy in Port of Spain, Trinidad which was attended by many young persons. Subsequent to that, weeks later there were protests and gatherings organized to remove the controversial Christopher Columbus statue from our capital city which again was attended by many young persons.

Ruqayyah as the Minister of Finance at CWiL (Caribbean Women in Leadership) Young Women in Leadership Parliamentary Sitting – The First all-female Parliamentary sitting in the Caribbean Region (Hilton Hotel- Trinidad). Photo credit: Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago

Through witnessing what I would describe as a social awakening of a people, I gained perspective and knowledge on just how every issue affects all of us in so many ways. I have come to realize that our problems are subsets of a larger issue, a much wider picture that we often shy away from talking about and that is our economic landscape, policies and democratic processes. These are the tools that govern and allow societies to operate in ways which we witness today. I believe that change starts at the top and if we don’t fix what is going on at the top, we can never truly have the society that we want. Protected by hegemonic ideals, lust for wealth accumulation and the disregard for human life is what I seek to fight every day of my life. Activism is not an easy journey, and being an advocate for social causes at times can be mentally, physically and emotionally taxing. It is not an easy lifestyle at all. Activism requires you to be sensitive and perceptive of your environment and it requires you to engage in constant research about almost everything no matter what part of the world that is in turmoil. It is not an easy journey, but it is one that brings me great satisfaction, to know that I am able to contribute to a peaceful world with my every action.

Participants in the 2017 Youth Ambassadors Program with the Caribbean in Seattle - Ruqayyah is in the front, far right

My Youth Ambassadors experience was life changing to say the least. It ignited a spark inside of me that I knew I had but was afraid to show the world. It was because of youth ambassadors that my faith in activism grew and it was because of the transformational training provided by FIUTS which ensured that I had the courage to maintain the life I’ve chosen to lead. Today I’ve stood in the National Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago debating gender responsive budgeting, today I serve as Vice Chair of the Caribbean Women in Leadership Trinidad and Tobago National Chapter executive board and I have been granted the opportunity to chair a cohort of 300 Youth Ambassadors from around the globe through the Future Focus Empowerment Institute International. I am grateful for the opportunities to continue advocating for human rights in ways that the change I am afforded to influence is sustained and that the life I build for myself is one that I can be proud of.

Thank you, Youth Ambassadors, for giving me the courage to lead and thank you FIUTS for igniting that hopeful girl into a powerful and confident young woman.

Ruqayyah Scott is currently an undergraduate student at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad, pursuing a BSc Major in Economics and a Minor in Environmental Economics.

The Youth Leadership Program with the Caribbean is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government, administered by FIUTS (Foundation for International Understanding Through Students) from 2015-2018 through a partnership with World Learning.

Guest posts on the FIUTS blog represent the experiences and views of individual writers. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FIUTS or any organizations or institutions affiliated with our programs.

Read other posts in our Black Lives Matter series