1
Dudley J. Thompson O.J. Q.C.
H I 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111_111ff1111
SARAFINA • Vantage Point 44 Portview Rd # 8 • P.O. Box 2989 Kingston 8 Jamaica West Indies
• Telephone (876) 969-9671 • Fax (876) 969-1042 • e-mail dudjt@cwjamaica.com
Book Launch
This Picture illustrates a century of the rich Legacy of
Black History largely concealed by those who try to make
us believe we are inferior people.
It contains a collection of our men and women whose
lives and in some cases their martyrdom emblazoned the
Paths of Black Victories of our struggles from SLAVERY
towards SUCCESS.
It came about some years ago when Barrie and I
conversed in his studio at Orange Park as I watched him
paint and told him some of my own personal experiences in
early life and in Africa with all but two of the heroes so
2
brilliantly brought to life on this canvas. Barrie said
"Dudley why don't you write a book about these men you
worked with. It is the living history and our people do not
know about it. You owe it to our children." We struck up a
bargain. "Barrie if you will paint the picture I will compose
the book with a short biography of their lives"It is proposed
to present a copy of this book along with one of Barrington
Watsons painting of the PanAfricanists to every school in
Jamaica.
I have been blessed by a long life and the good fortune
to have lived with these men and people like our Peter
Abrahams.Barry has produced a Masterpiece of History in
bringing these selected characters to life in a way that only
a conscious Black Artist of International Excellence could
do.
All Black People should view that painting WITH
THEIR CHILDREN from wherever they are. It is a
pilgrimage from the Past to the Present
It encapsulates
The Eloquence of Frederick Douglas..a slave turned
Abolitionist and Ambassador for the USA.IT IS IN THIS
BOOK
The Bravery of Harriet Tubman the slave who risked
her life several times to rescue over 10,000 slaves to
freedom by the underground railway who confronted by a
man who could not stand the hardship in the walk to
freedom and wanted to retum,drew the pistol from her belt
and said "One step backward and you are a dead man.' He
continued his walk to freedom.ITS ALL IN THIS BOOK.
The Martyrdom of Martin Luther King Jr who had a
Dream of Freedom ,and Patrice Lumumba who in his last
4
days in a lonely cell before he was assassinated wrote
"Neither brutality nor torture nor cruelty will ever bring me
to ask for mercy for I prefer to die with my head unbowed
my faith unshakeable and with profound trust trust in the
destiny of my own country, rather than live under
subjection and disregarding sacred principles. History will
one day have its say but it will be the history which will be
taught in the countries freed from imperialism and its
puppets. Africa will write her own history and it will be a
glorious and dignified history." THIS IS YOUR
HISTORY,
The erudition and activism of Dr W.E.B.Dubois one
of the founders of the Pan African Movement, the Crisis
and the N.A.A.C.P.He was probably the most prolific
writer on Black matters.He is in this book'
5
The Explosive Black Internationalism of Jamaica's
MARCUS GARVEYHe established theU.N.I.A. and the
leaders he inspired those who in turn inspired. millions.
The black star in Ghana's flag today is Nkrumah's tribute to
our Marcus Garvey,the man who inspired him.
The principled stand and world achievement despite
unjust oppression of Paul Robeson ,Here I Stand , and
Mohammed Ali,the greatest who defied the Court's
injustice. They are in the book
Malcolm X who as a child saw his father killed and
his home burnt to the ground by the Ku Klux Klan,His
story is here..
The Universal Stature of Nelson MANDELA whose
personal example, as well as his political vision makes him
the outstanding icon of this century.
ALL THIS AND MORE is in this book Aside from
the delightful portrayal of REALITY in Barrington
Watson's illustration it is something you will cherish in
your homes from generation to generation like a family
Bible..
Buy it Now,Read it and pass it on to your children. It
is your true and living history. It is the way Pan Africanists
have passed the torch and pursued our Struggle for Dignity,
Equality and Justice through the years.
