Women's Rights Activist & pioneer becomes an ancestor

Ancestor CLOTIL WALCOTT
TRADE UNIONIST-Pioneer
Anti-Gender Discrimination Activist
Founder President- N.U.DE.
National Union of Domestic Employees
Former Member of the Ship Builders & Ship Workers Allied Union
Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Born: 1924
Crossed Over: November 2007

Awarded the Humming Bird Medal Silver by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago in 1983 for her sterling efforts- championing the rights of Women internationally. Mother Clotil was instrumental in the Struggle for Equal pay for women, Pay for unpaid work of Women in the home and recognition of Domestic Workers in Trinidad & Tobago.

In 1996, Trinidad & Tobago became the first country in the world to pass a law to measure and value unwaged work. This was the result of many years' campaigning by Clotil Walcott of the Wages for Housework Campaign.

It all began in 1974, when Trade Unionist Clotil Walcott (famed locally for her activism against gender discrimination) was approached by domestic workers for assistance with their plight of non-recognition or protection under existing labour laws.

Immediately, she took up their struggle and has championed their cause to this day. NUDE under Walcott's stewardship , took up the struggle for women working in shops, stores, groceries, fast-food outlets, as well as domestic workers all exposed to exploitation. For they are still unable to access the right to maternity's leave or regulated wages, holiday or basic rights afforded by law to other workers. For sadly, T&T's Industrial Relations Act, Chapter 88:01 fails to classify domestic employees as workers under law. This is an obvious oversight by politicians, legislators and an evident legacy of plantation (chattel slavery) society.

A street in the capital Port of Spain is named after Clotil Walcott. She was the mother of five children and thirteen grand children.

Ancestor Mother Clotil Walcott fought all her life for grassroots women who had been invisible, undervalued and cheated of their rights and benefits.

Founder of NUDE, Ancestor Clotil Walcott with her daughter Ida LeBlanc
(NUDE's current General Secretary ) in the street that bears her name.

I KNEW HER PERSONALLY

&

SHE UNSELFISHLY SUPPORTED MY CULTURAL LITERACY ACTIVITIES AND I HER ACTIVISM

CONDOLENCES TO HER FAMILY, FRIENDS & CO-WORKERS

MAY THE ANCESTORS BE PLEASED WITH HER EFFORTS

twenty bullets, a hair brush and mental illness galore

Ms. Denise Owens, mother of the victim says: "He was artistic. He tried to express himself," describing Khiel's love of basketball and music and his hobbies: drawing and writing poetry and short stories. "He needed a little counselling."

The victim is Trinidadian born 18 year old Khiel Coppin.

Now demonised in the media, "he has trouble with the law before; an out patient at a psychiatric unit.. and the list of woes goes on and on...

Meanwhile the Polic Officers cannot deny they knew he was unarmed... he was merely branishing a hair brush...

Khiel fell under a barrage of twenty shots from five officers acting "within department guidelines". The medical examiner at the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival reported bullets hit Khiel Coppin in his chest, hip, forearm, knee, thigh and ankle. The wounds to his left lung and intestines were fatal.

The police officers as required by law were later breathalysed and the results negative.

Thus another one bites the dust...

May I reiterate: In the absence of CULTURAL LITERACY, descendants of Chattel Slavery have had inaccurate psychosocial assessments as users of alien Mental Care systems. Clinicians persist in their ubiquitous application of Freudian and other theories that have no pertinence to the diverse experience of non Europeans. Further, these foreign theories are all EURO-CENTRIC, thus do not address the cultural sensitivities of patients in so-called mother countries, independent states or colonies.

May the ancestors embrace accepting
Khiel Coppin another victim of the system.

Patna village in Diego Martin, Trinidad celebrating Diwali