Dominicans are celebrating the life, times, and legacies of former PM Roosevelt Douglas – at the 20th anniversary of his sudden demise on October 1, 2000. Popularly known as “Rosie”, Douglas became the fifth prime minister of Dominica in February 2000 but died eight months later in office – he was found unresponsive and dead in his Portsmouth residence.
Thousands of Dominicans praise Rosie Douglas as a foremost politician, distinguished patriot, human rights activist, pan-Africanist, and visionary leader who struggled for the economic and political emancipation of the Dominica nation. His son, former magistrate and attorney-at-law Tiyani Behanzin, said the current national leaders have a lot to learn from the life and legacies of his deceased father.
The Dominica Reparations Committee (DRC) commemorated the achievements of Roosevelt Douglas by organizing a panel discussion on October 1, 2020 – on the 20th anniversary of his death – to explore the life and times of the man and to highlight lessons that could be learnt from his active existence.
“Some of the areas to be dealt with include myth and reality, initiatives and strategies in opposition, black power era, local and international, his role in independence struggle the formation of the popular independence committees,” said Dr. Damien Dublin, President of the DRC. “His works and achievements are well documented and referenced.”
Roosevelt Bernard Douglas was born on October 25, 1941, to a businessman and coconut farmer father who also happened to be a conservative politician, Robert Douglas. He attended university in Canada where he visited Indian reserves in Quebec and black communities in Nova Scotia. He saw the poor conditions in which blacks and Indians were living, and later sat in on lectures delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael among others.
Douglas was deeply impacted by their lectures and what he had seen across the country that he started a movement and activism to improve the conditions of students and people in Canada. He ultimately returned home to Dominica and joined politics. He contested and won the election on the DLP platform and then established a coalition government with the DFP before assuming office as the prime minister of Dominica on February 3, 2000.
Following his death after just eight months in office, Dominicans have been celebrating Rosie Douglas’ life and legacies every year on the anniversary of his death.
This article is copyright © 2020 DOM767
