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Institute of Jamaica Commemorates 1938 Frome Riots


The hard fought struggles of labourers who died in the 1938 Frome Riots were commemorated at the Frome Sugar Factory in Westmoreland, at a ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2008. A collaborative effort of the Institute of Jamaica and the Sugar Company of Jamaica, the occasion saw the unveiling of six (6) Story Boards installed by Frome Sugar Estate and researched and designed by the IOJ, which provide details of the riot and the growth of trade unionism in Jamaica. The storyboards were unveiled by students of Frome Preparatory School, Frome Technical High School and Townhead Primary School.

Prof. Verene Shepherd, Chairman of the Jamaican National Bicentenary Committee and Professor of Social History, University of the West Indies, who delivered the main address, pointed to the urgent need for cultural agencies to collaborate in creating an integrated heritage calendar to commemorate signal events in our Jamaican and Caribbean heritage. While lauding current efforts to observe significant occurrences or events such as Emancipation Day, Independence Day and Heroes Day, among others, Shepherd remains convinced that there are still critical gaps that demand immediate attention.

She said that such a calendar should be more representative of Jamaica’s motto, “Out of Many, One People” and endorsed by all, regardless of ethic background; as we attempt to promote understanding and appreciation for the efforts of our people. Such an integrated calendar, Shepherd stated, should also include dates that were previously commemorated by the Jamaica National Bicentenary Committee throughout the past year, as they sought to mark the anniversary of the passage of the Act for the Abolition of the Transatlantic Trade in Africans in 1807. These dates, she emphasized, should include Haiti’s Independence on the 1st of January and the role played by Boukman Dutty, a rebel leader of Jamaican descent, February 17 when the George, the last slave ship to have docked in Jamaica arrived, March 25, when the Act to abolish Slave trading in the British colonies was passed, May 2, to honour the memory of the victims of the Frome riots and Indian Arrival Day on May 9.

Mr. Wycliffe Matthews and Mr. Vincent Morrison of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and the National Workers’ Union also participated in the ceremony. Matthews lauded the work of the Trade Union movement for their sterling effort in fighting for the rights of the labour force and reiterated the importance of educating the nation’s children about this occurrence, which though tragic, gave rise to the implementation of labour laws and policies to ensure the health and safety of workers. “Today is a historic occasion. Workers in 1938 were packed in houses with no fresh water, no sanitary convenience. They had to work unregulated hours without overtime and vacation leave,” he stated.

Mr. Matthias Brown, son of a 1938 Frome Estate Employee, gave details of the Frome riots as relayed by his late father, while Mr. Frank Gordon of the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank gave first hand report of his experiences in the Kingston riots that occurred simultaneously with that of Frome.

Floral tributes by Mr. Paul Wilson, Deputy Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar and Dr. Richard Harrison, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Sugar Company of Jamaica, were laid at the base of a monument dedicated to Labour Leader Alexander Bustamante and the workers of the Frome riot.