SPEAKER_00: Hey, y'all.I'm Erin Haines.I'm the editor-at-large for The 19th News, a nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics, and policy.I'm also the host of a brand-new weekly podcast from The 19th News and Wonder Media Network called The Amendment.Each week, we're bringing you a conversation about gender, politics, and the unfinished work of American democracy.Our very first episode features my dear friend and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Nicole Hannah-Jones. It's out now, so please go listen and follow the show.On top of all of this, I'm your guest host for this month of Womanica.This Black History Month, we're talking about revolutionaries, the Black women who led struggles for liberation from violent governments, colonial rulers, and enslavers.These women had the courage to imagine radically different worlds, and they used their power to try and pull those worlds into view.
Today, we're talking about a woman who made it her mission to eradicate poverty, oppression, and inequality in Caribbean societies.Let's talk about Jacqueline Creft.Jacqueline Jackie Creft was born on November 28, 1946, in St.George's, Grenada.She was raised in Tivoli, a poor but radical and culturally rich community. As part of the middle class, the Kraft family was part of the elite minority.Political and social movements defined Jackie's early life.Grenada had begun pushing back against British colonialism.In 1949, a populist named Eric Geary started organizing.Over the course of a few years, he turned his labor union into a political party.
He mobilized masses of ordinary citizens and challenged the social order. Gary turned his supporters against those in the upper class by convincing them that the elites were the main oppressors.Although Jackie was in the upper echelon of society, she could see the injustice and inequality of poverty, and it infuriated her.As a little girl, she tried to fix this by taking things from her house and bringing them to the poor people in her community.She couldn't stand to see them suffer, especially as she flourished. Jackie excelled academically, which led to a scholarship to attend St.Joseph's Convent in Grenada's capital.She was grateful, but she was also outraged.There weren't enough secondary school scholarships for everyone who wanted to go but couldn't afford to.This experience ignited her passion for mass education and free secondary school education in Grenada.
Jackie worked as a secondary school teacher before continuing her studies in Canada, where she received a bachelor's degree in sociology and political science.While she was in North America, Jackie was inspired by the Black Power Movement and Civil Rights Movement.That time strengthened her belief in social equity and radicalism.It also encouraged her to embrace her Blackness by wearing her hair in a natural afro and dressing in African prints. When Jackie returned to Grenada in 1969, she taught English language and literature at the Grenada Boys Secondary School, which became a political hotbed.By this point, Eric Gehry had become a dictator, and his power was being challenged by a new socialist movement, led by a man named Maurice Bishop.Jackie believed in Bishop's ideas, and she also had a romantic relationship with him. They would later have a son together.At the boys' school, Jackie was instrumental in promoting progressive thinking to Grenada's youth.Many of these young men went on to join the revolution, and that made Jackie a respected member of the movement.
In 1978, Jackie traveled to Barbados to work with the Women in Development Unit at the University of the West Indies.She worked hard to promote the welfare of women and children throughout the Caribbean region.But when the Grenada Revolution broke out in 1979, Jackie was quick to return home.A coalition of organizations came together as the New Jewel Movement to peacefully oust Eric Geary on March 13, 1979. They replaced Gary's government with the People's Revolutionary Government, or PRG.Maurice Bishop became the new prime minister. In 1981, Jackie became the Minister of Education, one of the first female ministers in the PRG.Her mission was to educate all Grenadians with self-knowledge and self-confidence so that they felt empowered to fully participate in Grenada's development.To do this, Jackie had four action items. eliminate illiteracy, develop an education system designed for the people, build physical and institutional school infrastructure, and make education free at all levels.
She helped fight illiteracy through the Center for Popular Education, which taught reading and writing to adults.The majority of students were women. In her role, Jackie also helped support training for teachers across the nation and helped them obtain teaching certifications.Jackie's most significant accomplishment was creating a free secondary education system. As the revolution became more Marxist and Leninist, Jackie took a step back.Her priority was how the revolution affected women, children, and workers.Although she was drawn to the movement for nationalistic reasons, her focus was on social justice and transformation, not authoritarianism and dogmatism. The revolutionary government began falling apart as it was spread thin among too many projects and programs.It also suffered from an internal power struggle, pitting Maurice Bishop against his deputy prime minister, Bernard Cord.Maurice was placed under house arrest and Jackie, a loyal partner, went in with him.
On October 19, 1983, a large group of followers marched to Maurice and Jackie's home to break them out.They chanted, No Bishop, No Revo, and they marched on to a military headquarters called Fort Rupert.When Corps soldiers were instructed to recapture the fort, gunfire ensued.Shortly after, Jackie, Maurice, and five others were taken to the parade square and executed.Jackie was 37 years old. After that day, which became known as Bloody Wednesday, a military council took power.A few days later, U.S.forces invaded Grenada.Jackie Kreft's work with the revolutionary government left a legacy of social justice, youth empowerment, and education in Grenada. All month, we're talking about revolutionaries.
For more information, you can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Womanica Podcast.Special thanks to co-creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan for having me as a guest host.As always, we're taking a break for the weekend, so talk to you on Monday.
