Manhattan, NY: As March commemorates Women's History Month, 'Jahajee Sisters' plans to celebrate the legacy of their ancestors on March 31, a legacy built upon resistance and resilience.
They will also commemorate the Indo-Caribbean women of their time, including activists, organizers, and changemakers who continue to contribute to the legacy; one such woman being the braveheart Kowsilla.
Indo-Caribbeans are Caribbean people with roots in India or the Indian subcontinent. Brought by the British, the Dutch and the French during colonial times, Indo-Caribbeans are mostly descendants of the original indentured workers.
Kowsilla (also known as Alice) of Leonora, was killed on March 6, 1964, during the great Sugar Strike of 1964. Her body split in two when a sugar estate scab, Felix Ross, drove a tractor through her; the man was acquitted later.
A mother of four and the sole breadwinner of her family at the time, her struggle for her people has rarely been documented. An executive of the Leonora branch of the WPO and also a leader, she displayed the highest order of resistance for her belief in 'adequate wage for adequate work'. Ultimately, she paid her price.
The Co-directors of Jahajee Sisters- Simone Jhingoor and Suzanne Persard, have extended an invite to the people of Manhattan to their House Party+ Community Engagement Event, hosted in honor of the Women's History Month.
Event details:
Jahajee Sisters Celebrates the History of Indo-Caribbean Women
By: Simone Jhingoor & Suzanne Persard
Location: Manhattan
Date: March 31, 2016
Time: 7 PM
The event intends to discuss:
What continue to be the greatest issues impacting Indo-Caribbean women?
How do we organize successfully as an Indo-Caribbean community?
How do you envision sustainable, long-term change in the Indo-Caribbean community?
As Jahajee Sisters say: Kowsilla's courage is remembered, we refuse to let her memory disappear into a history that does not remember the legacy of Indo-Caribbean women. (Image source: cooliewomen.com)