THE HOUSE NEGRO AND THE FIELD NEGRO IN CARIBBEAN POLITICS Malcolm X placed the distinction of the house negro and the field negro in the perfect context in a speech he gave at Michigan State University on January 23rd 1963. The symbolism is evident in Caribbean politics. He said the following: So you have two types of Negro. The old type and the new type. Most of you know the old type. When you read about him in history during slavery he was called Uncle Tom. He was the house Negro. And during slavery you had two Negroes. You had the house Negro and the field Negro. The house Negro usually lived close to his master. He dressed like his master. He wore his masters second-hand clothes. He ate food that his master left on the table. And he lived in his masters house--probably in the basement or the attic--but he still lived in the masters house. So whenever that house Negro identified himself, he always identified himself in the same sense that his master identified himself. When his master said, We have good food, the house Negro would say, Yes, we have plenty of good food. We have plenty of good food. When the master said that we have a fine home here, the house Negro said, Yes, we have a fine home here. When the master would be sick, the house Negro identified himself so much with his master hed say, Whats the matter boss, we sick? His masters pain was his pain. And it hurt him more for his master to be sick than for him to be sick himself. When the house started burning down, that type of Negro would fight harder to put the masters house out than the master himself would. But then you had another Negro out in the field. The house Negro was in the minority. The masses--the field Negroes were the masses. They were in the majority. When the master got sick, they prayed that hed die. If his house caught on fire, theyd pray for a wind to come along and fan the breeze. If someone came to the house Negro and said, Lets go, lets separate, naturally that Uncle Tom would say, Go where? What could I do without boss? Where would I live? How would I dress? Who would look out for me? Thats the house Negro. But if you went to the field Negro and said, Lets go, lets separate, he wouldnt even ask you where or how. Hed say, Yes, lets go. And that one ended right there. The politicians in the Caribbean have used the same principle to stay in power. Every 5 years they convince the house negro to vote for them so that they can stay in the house. So the people curse one another, and destroy friendships, because they do not want to leave the nice things that the master will share when he is in the House. The field negro has to work hard, because there are no handouts, but sweat and tears to survive. Then as the wonder of a chameleon, one master is thrown out and the field negro now takes on the role of house negro because his master in now in the House. JOHN PETERS - never was a house negro or a field negro, but remains a son of God.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 22:47:08 +0000
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