Elma Francois (14 October 1897 – 1944) was an Africentric
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
political activist
A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...
who, on 14 October 1987, was declared as a " national heroine of
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
".Gilkes, Corey "Elma Francois 1897–1944" TriniView.com, 3 November 2002. She had been described as one of the "vociferous Africentric activists" in the
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
of
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
and in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
region. She was known for her pro-trade union, anti-war and anti-colonial work.
Biography
Early life
Born in 1897, Elma Francois acquired her primary education (up to "5th Standard") while working as a cotton picker with her mother, for which the typical pay was just 12–14 cents per day. Even at a young age Francois was an activist for the betterment of her people. She tried to organise the fellow labourers at the Mt. Bentick factory for better working conditions and was fired for doing so.
Personal life
She bore a son, named Conrad, in 1917, whom she had to leave in the care of her own mother when she needed to migrate to Trinidad and Tobago for better opportunities.
Later, Francois was brokenhearted after her son Conrad joined the army to fight in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. She opposed the involvement of black people in solidarity with the British Crown because of the racial discrimination against them and her belief that the Allies had allowed
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
to rise as a counter to
Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
West India Regiment
The West India Regiments (WIR) were infantry units of the British Army recruited from and normally stationed in the British colonies of the Caribbean between 1795 and 1927. In 1888 the two West India Regiments then in existence were reduced t ...
and a sympathizer of the racism and tough conditions faced by the working class of Trinidad. The Workingman's Association was renamed the Trinidad Labour Party in 1934, becoming the country's first political party.Nohlen, D. (2005), ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p. 628, .
Their ambition was to reform the colony's system from within through a series of gradual improvements for workers.
Francois began to clash with Cipriani, who favoured non-confrontational action and often suffered a conflict of interest due to his privileged position as a landowner and a member of the Catholic French Creole class. Francois preferred direct action through the workers rather than the employers. She believed
International Workers' Day
International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...
should be declared a public holiday, to celebrate workers rights.
Negro Welfare Cultural and Social Association
Francois met Jim Headly as she gave a speech on African Heritage in Woodford Square. Together they were the co-founding members of the so-called Negro Welfare Cultural and Social Association (NWCSA). The association was Marxist oriented and committed to the empowerment of people of African descent, but also had Indian and Chinese members. Francois held the position of Organising Secretary and the NWSCA sought to include both men and women within executive positions.
The NWSCA helped organise hunger marches for sugar workers rights in 1934 and supported
Tubal Uriah Butler
Tubal Uriah "Buzz" Butler (21 January 1897 – 20 February 1977), was a Grenadian-born Spiritual Baptist preacher and labour leader in Trinidad and Tobago. He is best known for leading a series of labour riots between 19 June and 6 July 1937 and f ...
's 1935 Hunger March. The NWCSA spurred on the national response against the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, leading to many dockworkers refusing to unload Italian ships. They also helped form the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union and the Federated Workers Trade Union.
Butler party and arrest
Francois became involved with the
Butler Party The British Empire Citizens' and Workers' Home Rule Party, also known as the Butler Home Rule Party and more commonly as the Butler Party, Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p628 were a series of political pa ...
, which overtook the Trinidad Workingman's Association (TWA) as the main voice of the islands' workers, which won three of the eighteen seats in the 1946 elections, whereas TWA won none. She participated in the "Butler Riots" of 1937, which began in the oilfields as a protest of working conditions, wages, racism and exploitation. The police attempted to harass and infiltrate the NWSCA party meetings in support of the oil workers.
After being captured by the police, Francois was tried for sedition, becoming the first woman in the history of Trinidad and Tobago to be tried for such. After defending herself, Francois was eventually found not guilty of the crime.