Tribute to Kathleen Drayton

(continuation)

Kathleen Drayton initially emerged as a social and political activist during her student days at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, in the 1950's. Her many and powerful protests against the injustices of the colonial system ruling the West Indies at that time, brought down the wrath of the colonial administration on her and caused her to be the target of several acts of victimization.

Thus, in spite of the fact that she graduated at the top of her class, she was refused employment in Jamaica, and was eventually banned from entering Jamaica from 1954 to 1972.

Those early heady days of student protest catapulted Kathleen Drayton into a 50 year career which saw her serving as Secretary of the Movement For Colonial Freedom in Edingburgh, Scotland; teaching at the Kwame N’Krumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana; helping to establish the University of Guyana and lecturing at the Guyana’s Teachers Training College; and serving in many academic and pedagogical capacities at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies.

Through it all, Kathleen Drayton remained committed to her anti-imperialist, people centered political values - often at great expense to her personal interests and her professional career goals. 

For example, her constant public attacks on the dictatorial tendencies of the Forbes Burnham regime in Guyana led to her contract with the University not being renewed, forcing her to migrate to Barbados.

Kathleen Drayton was a native of Trinidad and Tobago, but of all the Caribbean territories, it was Barbados which benefitted most from her academic brilliance and social commitment. A short list of her contributions to Barbados would include pioneering and critical work on - the establishment of the ‘Post Graduate Diploma in Education Programme’ at Cave Hill; the running of the first CXC workshops for teachers of English Literature and the writing of several workbooks for English teachers; the establishment of the ‘Women and Development Studies’ teaching programme at the Cave Hill campus; many years of service on the planning committee of the UWI Centre for Gender and Development; and the establishment of the ‘Barbados Association of Retired Persons’(BARP).

Mrs. Drayton also made an immense contribution to the development of the Arts in Barbados through her work as President of Stage One Theatre Productions from 1985 to 2001, and the critical role she played in producing Caribbean plays and training youth in the disciplines of acting and playwriting.

Barbados also benefitted from her pioneering work on the National Committee on Ageing, including playing a central role in organizing the first two National Senior Games in 2002 and 2003.

 Our nation has truly, lost one of the most important ‘human engines’ of our national development. She will be sorely missed, and surely, will never be forgotten.

by DAVID A COMISSIONG, President

A Memory...

I first met Kathleen in 1990.  I had recently returned to Barbados and was having my fist solo show of paintings and prints which looked at issues of gender, race and class.  Because of Kathleen's work in Women, Gender and Development Studies, I called and asked her to speak about the work at the opening of my exhibition at the Barbados Museum & Historical Society.  At her request, I drove down to her office - at the time in a building close to the Archives, with my large paintings on paper rolled up in the back seat of the car.  I walked in to the building and unrolled them onto the floor for her to view.  This was the first time I met Kathleen, and the power dynamic could have been quite different.  She, after all, was highly respected in her field, and well known, whereas, I was just out of university and making the transition from student to professional visual artist.  Kathleen responded to the work, accepted the invitation and gave a thoughtful and insightful response on the opening night.  Her life is testimony to her commitment to the Caribbean and we in Barbados have been blessed to have her contribution and support.  My condolences to her family.  May she rest in peace. 

- Annalee Davis