Elma Francois (14 October 1897 – 17 April 1944) was an Africentric

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

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 ...

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, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

".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 is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

and in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

region. She was known for her pro-trade union, anti-war and anti-colonial work.

Biography

Early life

Born 14 October 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

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

to rise as a counter to

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

in the Soviet Union. Francois died in 1944.

Trinidad Workingman's Association

In Trinidad and Tobago, she worked as a domestic helper. There she joined the Trinidad Workingman's Association, which was led by Captain A. A. Cipriani, a former soldier of the

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. Their ambition was to reform the colony's system from within through a series of gradual improvements for workers. Nohlen, D. (2005), ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p. 628, . 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 called Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of Wage labour, labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every yea ...

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 ...

'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.

References

Women in Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines descent 1897 births 1944 deaths Activists against anti-Black racism Trinidad and Tobago trade unionists 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago women politicians 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago politicians Caribbean people of African descent {{Trinidad-bio-stub