By Dr Frank McField

Each day our country becomes more segregated along ethnic, race and class lines. To a small number of us, it is clear that the majority feels compelled to bury their heads in the sand, while monetary success becomes the sole measurement of our society’s Christian values. Those with an education in the disciplines of study, valued and exploitable by the civil service and the financial sectors, are being used as token examples of our country’s educational and economic achievements.

Nevertheless, Cayman’s success today, like a hundred and fifty years ago, is still based on a policy of exclusion of a large segment of uneducated and semi-skilled Caymanians, who are now battling Wednesday and Friday nights to belong to a group willing to accept them, by showing respect.

It is my view that race/ class segregation has long been a characteristic of Caymanian society; however, our modern economic and educational development has intensified social exclusion and ghettoisation. As young Willie in Time Longer Dan Rope (1979) told his sister Eveline: “Mama say that if we don’t get a good education Caymans won’t belong to us anymore, and we be force to live like Indians on reservations.” These reservations Willie feared now exist; they may not be physical but they sure are socio-cultural realities that you can walk into most nights of the week. Therefore, please forgive me for unearthing some historical facts that point to the legacy which fuels the fire.

As far back as the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834, there was a concern that something should be done to educate the children of those people who had been slaves. New schools were accordingly started throughout the British Caribbean. These were sometimes called “Mico Charity Schools” because they were supported by funds from the Mico Charity in London.

Two Mico Charity schools were started in Grand Cayman -- one in Bodden Town and one in George Town. The first was started by a Mr Andrew Malcolm, who arrived in July 1838. He opened a school in Bodden Town on November 29, with twenty-three children. Within six months the enrollment had grown to ninety-seven, because fees were dropped. Those enrolled included children from all backgrounds. Mr Malcolm found the physical conditions, especially the mosquitoes, very difficult but he stayed on the islands two years. But he also encountered opposition from some of those who had owned slaves, who criticised him for identifying too much with the needs and conditions of the ex-slaves and refusing to segregate the children in school.

In July 1840, fearing that he might soon be leaving the island, a small group of parents brought a petition to Mr Malcolm, which he immediately sent to England. The second petition was written in September 1840. By now Malcolm had actually left Grand Cayman and these petitioners were asking the Mico Charity authorities to encourage him to return. Some eighty people from Bodden Town signed this petition. Since many of them could not actually write, the names are accompanied by a mark or “X”, which represents their signature.

Both petitions were transcribed by the National Archives for easy reading. However, the punctuation and spelling of the originals have been kept to convey a sense of how they were actually written. These petitions give us insight into the prejudices and concerns of the various kinds of people who lived on Grand Cayman, at a time when the total population was less than two thousand.

Petition #1
To the Honourable Directors of the MIco Charity London
We the Black and Brown people in or B-Town beg leave to return our sinceer thanks for your great kindness, in sending amongst us our beloved teacher Mr. Malcolm, whom we shall ever pray for, was it not for your Honourable Charity and the attention, we would have been this day, as we were 6 years back, but thanks be unto God whom knows the secrets of all harts-that we our poor little ones have benefitted much, he is a good and great man, he does not only teach our Children, but attends the sick and preaches to us twice every Sabbath, we are sorry that he has a great many enemies but They are not among our class, he is persecuted by a greater part of the whites, but with out a cause, and we are afraid that his troubles and prercutions will drive him off the Island, and we humbly intreat your Honourable board to use your influence to keep him amongst us-and your Humble petitioners will Every pray; John X Webster, John A X Coniour, William X Mills, Joseph Grand, Wanky X Johnson, Charles Steward, James X Welcom, Syrus Green, Thomas X Flash, Anthony X Wood, Robbort X Carter, Robert X McField, Joseph X Solomon, John Edwards X Nelson, Benjamin X Bruxmark, William Garner, James M X Coniour, Wm. S. X Webster, John X Pollydor, George X Wood, Cristy X Bodden.
P. S. They Would have been many more put their names to this but being from home prevented them.
B. Town Grd. Caymanas, July 8th. 1840

Petition # 2
Bodden Town Grand Cayman Islands September 28, 1940
We back [black] & brown people in bodden Town we have takeing the liberty of sending our compliments to the Mico trustees at home of your attention of sending Mr. Andrew malcom among us for his attention is so great among us that we cannot do with out him in teaching our children and preaching the word of god that we canot do with out him he is a Docter and going about from plaice to place doing all the good that he can and we have no other but him now he is going to Leave us That we perish we beg the favour of the Trustees to send him back again for with out him return we all perish we giveing him. 6 months. to go and come Again we Leave it to you the trustees to send him back as Quick as possible we is got land to furnish him in, John Webster X mark, Robert X McField, Joseph X Grant, Bejamin Brooks, Thomas X McLaughlin, George X Walton, Simon X Miles, John E X Nelson, Thomas X Welcom, Joseph X Solomon, Thomas X Flashe, Robert X Walton, Conal X James, Thomas X Connour, Edward X Barns, John A X Connour, Hazard Joshua X Connour, Charls X Steward, Patrick X Levy, William W X Webster, Joseph X Powel, John X Brown,James X Wittisen, Thomas X Celly, Rich X Paul, James X West, Aantoney X Wood, James X Pederick, Joseph D X Welcom, William X Berry, Nead (?) X Glover, Robbert X Carter, William B X Tatem, John X Greenlow, Hameltton X Bodden, Anthony X Benlis, Polder X Levy, Benjamin X Minsit, David X James, William X Thomas, Henry X Dan, Gibe X Diten (?), John X Poldor, Sirist X Wood, William X S Webster, John X McField, William X Bodden, James X Mico, Hazard X Allin, James D X Steward, Lorin X Liney (?), Thomas X McDowel, Damon X Elite, Thomas X Terry, James X Dublin, Christiful X Bodden, Sameuell X Howard, Rogger W X Dudee, Quashy X Darcous, Jarretth X Conley, William X James, John B X Tatum, Thomas X Connor, Joseph X Rankin, James X Webster, Benjamin D X Conner, James X Welcom, William X Mills, William X Colling, William X Suthorn(?), John D X Bodden, Sirist X
Green, Joseph X Conner, Wankey X Johnson, Thomas X McFealid, Luesvis X Johnson, Simon X Howard.

Many of these last names have disappeared and I suspect we lost quite a few families to the Bay Islands during and in the aftermath of the 1840s when so many Caymanians began to settle the Bay Islands of Honduras. Those that continue to suggest that there was no slavery in Cayman, and even if there was, it was gentler and did not stratify our society along race and class lines, are terribly mistaken. And it would have been more useful had we had our race debate many years ago, before covert racial and class prejudices eroded our educational and societal reward systems, to the point where many of our youth are exclude and ghettoised. I hope that we have the courage to take a hard look at ourselves, not in a condemning manner, but with the view that if we don’t know our past we won’t have a future.