Trinidad’s 1970s: Andrea Jacob’s Revolutionary Story

This week, Bookshelf shines its light on a powerful new memoir that provides an eyewitness account of one of T&T’s most significant historical moments—the Black Power Revolution.

This movement, which took place in 1970, saw thousands of Trinidadians, inspired by the global civil rights movements, rise up against the entrenched economic, racial, and social inequalities of the time. It was a transformative period that shook the nation, challenging the status quo and demanding radical changes to how power was distributed.

The revolution not only left a lasting mark on the political landscape of Trinidad but also deeply impacted the lives of the young generation who participated in or were influenced by the movement.

Andrea’s Journey: From Freedom Fighter to True Liberation chronicles the life of Andrea Jacob, a young woman who started her career as a teacher in a small village in south Trinidad during this era of upheaval.

Her story, however, soon took a different path as her desire for truth and justice led her to join the National United Freedom Fighters (NUFF)—a clandestine group waging a class struggle against capitalism and imperialism.

Through Jacob’s eyes, the reader is taken on a journey of revolution, resistance, and redemption. Her involvement in NUFF, her participation in the largest bank robbery in T&T’s history, her life on the run, and her eventual capture and imprisonment form the backbone of this compelling narrative. ‘

Yet, it is not just a story of conflict—it is also a story of personal transformation. Jacob’s journey ultimately led her to spiritual awakening, a career as a medical social worker, and a new-found sense of purpose.

In her own words, Jacob explains why she had to tell her story: “I needed to speak for myself. We all lived it differently, carried our own dreams and burdens. Others from NUFF might see it their way. But this is mine—the story of my journey, of the fire we all felt inside.”

She also wanted to honour those whose voices were lost: “I wrote this for those who never got the chance to speak. For the ones taken too soon who left without saying what needed to be said. I wanted to make the truth clear, to show the parts of history that so many have forgotten that time has tried to erase.”

Her hope for Andrea’s Journey is simple: “I hope this book sparks something in others—a need for truth, justice, and a deeper connection. That it moves people, as we were moved back then.” In this gripping excerpt, Jacobs recounts the moment of her capture—an end to her time on the run but also the start of a new phase of her journey.

Excerpt from Andrea’s Journey

“Stop!” “Get down!” “Don’t move, or we’ll shoot!” “Hands in the air!” “Shoot up the house!” These were the orders being barked by heavily armed policemen. After jumping five or six feet to the ground from a kitchen without steps, I had just landed.A few minutes earlier, at about five o’clock in the morning, I had been aroused from sleep atop a bunk bed in the front bedroom of the flats I had been occupying for the past few weeks by the sound of the engine of a heavy vehicle. Upon fully awakening, I realised that the vehicle had stopped in front of the house, the windows of which were almost level with the road. Since this was a strange occurrence at that time of the day, I sat up on the bed, pulled the curtain back slightly, and peeped outside.

I was horrified by the sight that I beheld. Less than thirty feet from where I was sitting was a bread van with a popular logo from which was emerging policemen armed to the teeth with self-loading rifles and submachine guns. I frantically got out of bed, simultaneously waking the other occupant of the room, who was asleep on the bottom bed of the double-decker, by calling his name and exclaiming, “Police!”

He got up and immediately took off like a bullet. I, on the other hand, desperately ran to a side window of the room, hoping to make my exit from there, only to discover that there was a line of similarly armed policemen along that side of the house.

My only recourse to avoid capture was to run for it through the kitchen door. After my unorthodox exit, I recognised that the house had been surrounded. I had jumped straight into the arms of the police. The van’s occupants were the last set of policemen getting into position.

Looking around, I felt, This is it! I had been finally captured after four months on the run, with a ten-thousand-dollar bounty on my head. As always, whereas the average person would be experiencing great fear, I was not. A great calm seemed to come over me.

I was scoping out my surroundings, still seeking a way of escape. I noticed the other occupant of the room was now in the custody of the police. Accepting that there was no escape this time, I complied, reluctantly raising my hands above my head while at the same time being ordered to get up slowly. I obeyed. All guns were then trained on me.

Advancing toward me was Mr Randolph Burroughs, the head of the then Flying Squad, a specially trained group of police officers whose apparent role and function was to bring us in dead or alive. He placed his arm around my shoulder and said, “Jay, you are better than Malick. He was always ten steps ahead of the police, while you were always one.”

Abdul Malick, aka Michael de Freitas, or Michael X as he was called, was a Trinidad and Tobago–born self-styled black revolutionary and civil rights activist of the 1960s who had recently been captured by the police after being sought for murder.

Holding me by the hand, he led me in the direction of the road while giving orders to “shoot up the place.” I began to plead with the police, explaining that there was a woman with a young baby in the house and that the other occupants were all innocent. They did not know my identity.

The police kept asking for Guy Harewood and Brian Jeffers, among others. Jasper and Jeff, as they were fondly called, were regarded as leaders of the organisation known as the National United Freedom Fighters (NUFF).

The police had had the house under surveillance and knew that there were visitors the day before but were unaware of their departure. After much pleading, I managed to persuade them.

My companion and I were then led to the street and made to face a wall with our hands held high up against it. Subsequently, we were placed in a vehicle. I reminded the police that they had disturbed my sleep and that I hadn’t had my breakfast yet.

They laughed, then got us biscuits and cheese and proceeded to the nearest police station, later taking us to the Criminal Investigation Department, Port of Spain. On arrival there, Chipo, the other occupant of the house, and I were separated. I was escorted to a room where I was offered a chair, on which I was told to sit.

Mr Burroughs then left the room after promising to return. In the solitude of that room, reality began to set in. How did I get to this place in my life? I asked myself. Is all this happening, or am I dreaming? It was the first time that I had gone beyond the front desk of a police station.

While seated alone in that room, I began to retrace the events of my life that had resulted in my then-present situation.

–End of excerpt

Andrea’s Journey is a story of revolution that resonates as acutely today as it did over 50 years ago as a crucial slice of the history of T&T.

Next week, Bookshelf will feature Dr Rhoda Reddock’s insightful analysis of Andrea’s Journey, which she delivered at the book’s launch with a compelling examination of this powerful memoir and its significance in understanding the revolutionary spirit and struggles of the 1970s in Trinidad.

Ira Mathur is a Guardian Media journalist and the winner of the 2023 OCM Bocas Prize for Non-Fiction for her memoir, Love The Dark Days. Website: www.irasroom.org

The post Trinidad’s 1970s: Andrea Jacob’s Revolutionary Story first appeared on CNC3.