Jamaican women are our strongest allies

Jamaican women's contributions to resistance during slavery and colonial rule were profound yet systematically erased from mainstream historical accounts. They were not mere bystanders but vital organizers and communicators who sustained underground networks. These women, often market women known as higgler, used their roles as traders to carry coded messages and intelligence between plantations and Maroon communities, harnessing their positions in society for subversive purposes. Many Jamaican women also worked as domestic servants, where they covertly overheard colonial plans and warned enslaved people of impending dangers. They leveraged spiritual practices like Myal and Obeah, creating networks that colonial authorities struggled to penetrate or understand. These spiritual and cultural systems became powerful organizing tools for resistance, acting as invisible lines of communication and solidarity. Despite their critical roles, colonial records portrayed these women anonymously and criminalized their resistance, reducing them to mere property or offenders without political agency. Yet, through painstaking historical work, researchers like Lucille Mathurin Mair have pieced together fragments of court records, punishment logs, and planter correspondence to reclaim these women's stories. This history reminds us that resistance was not led solely by men; women held the movement together and often operated in the shadows to facilitate rebellion. Notable rebellions such as Tacky's Rebellion, the Baptist War, and the Morant Bay Rebellion all had female participants who played essential roles. Recognizing these women's legacies is vital for a fuller understanding of Jamaican history and the strength of its people. Their courage and resilience continue to inspire, highlighting how marginalized voices can shape powerful movements even when deliberately erased from official archives.