Samuel Jackman Prescod

Samuel Jackman Prescod (Known as "Prescod")

Journalist, Reformer, First Afro-Barbadian Member of the House of Assembly, National Hero

Born 1806-01-01

Saint Michael, Barbados

Passed Away 1871-09-26 Bridgetown, Barbados

Lifespan 65 years old

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Notice / Correction

"The rights of the laborer are as sacred as the property of the wealthiest plantation owner."

Archival Overview

Pioneering nineteenth-century Barbadian journalist and National Hero who became the first person of African descent elected to the Barbados Parliament, winning voting rights for non-white citizens.

Biographical Record

Samuel Jackman Prescod was born in Saint Michael in 1806, the son of a free woman of color and a wealthy white planter. Determined to challenge the racial apartheid of the post-emancipation Caribbean, Prescod founded and edited the fiery reform newspaper The Liberal, relentlessly exposing planter oppression and low agricultural wages.

Prescod successfully organized the non-white middle and working classes to lower the restrictive property franchise. In June 1843, following the Franchise Act, he made history as the first Black person elected to the Barbados House of Assembly, where he founded the Liberal Party and championed legal representation for destitute laborers.

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Rest in Peace Forever remembered and cherished Your legacy lives on in all of us With deep gratitude for your life and light

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

St. Mary's Churchyard
Bridgetown, Barbados

                         GPS: 13.1008, -59.6186                    

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