Keenan Falconer reviews “Democracy’s Foot Soldiers: World War I and the Politics of Empire in the Greater Caribbean” by Dr. Reena N. Goldthree. The book details the history of the Black West Indians soldiers who fought for the British Empire during World War I and their transnational campaign for equality

Other Digs For Your To-Read List

Digs
The Moving Word
The Yaad
The Moving Word
The Yaad

In ‘The Moving Word’, Dr. Leslie James explores the interdigitated sinews bringing together journalism, social revolution, cultural development and thought leadership through the promotion of Black political ideals in the lead-up to Independence movements across West Africa and the Caribbean.

The Yaad
A House for Miss Pauline
The Yaad
A House for Miss Pauline
The Yaad

Keenan Falconer reviews the CARICON Prize for Fiction awarded novel, A House for Miss Pauline written by Diana McCaulay. The novel tells the story of a 99-year-old Rastafari woman reckoning with her past

The Yaad
Fractal Repair: Queer Histories of Modern Jamaica
The Yaad
Fractal Repair: Queer Histories of Modern Jamaica
The Yaad

Dr. Matthew Chin investigates queerness in Jamaica from early colonial occupation to the present, critically responding to the island’s global reputation for extreme homophobia and anti-queer violence.

The Yaad
Foreign Policy and Dependency: The Case of Jamaica, 1972-89
The Yaad
Foreign Policy and Dependency: The Case of Jamaica, 1972-89
The Yaad

This passage looks at how former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Michael Manley, went against US Secretary of State, Dr. Henry Kissinger, and supported Cuba’s decision to send troops to Angola.

The Yaad

By the end of a tense, politically charged 1976, one incident would shock Jamaica when, for the very first time in its history, a political candidate was violently targeted - forever changing the island’s society. To learn more, check out this episode of our Lest We Forget history podcast

More From Our History Podcast

Lest We Forget
Mike’s, Home of the Famous Nyamburgers
Mike’s, Home of the Famous Nyamburgers

The story of Mike’s - one of the most popular fast food establishments in the early 1970’s Jamaican, which helped lay the blueprint of the island’s fast food industry today. 

Jamaica’s Arrest Warrant For Sade Adu
Jamaica’s Arrest Warrant For Sade Adu

In 1997, the long standing allegations of bribery levied against Jamaican traffic police went global, when the accusation came from one of music’s most influential vocalists - Sade Adu

The 1979 Union Island Uprising
The 1979 Union Island Uprising

Just two months after St. Vincent and the Grenadines achieved independence, a group of residents on Union Island staged a rebellion to air out their grievances against the years of neglect by the government.

Reclaiming the Legacy of Francis Williams
Reclaiming the Legacy of Francis Williams

In a special episode written by Dr. Fara Dabhoiwala, professor of history at Princeton University, we tell the story of Francis Williams, a formerly enslaved Black Jamaican who was among the leading intellectuals of the 1700s.

On this episode of our Checkmate Political Podcast, host Cliff and Keenan, are joined by Ronaldinho, to discuss Jamaica's 2026-2027 budget debate; and the effectiveness of these plans in the wake of the Hurricane Melissa's destruction of the island.

In this Tenants’ article, Davey makes the case that D’Angelo’s legacy and influence is not confined to the borders of the U.S., as his discography drew upon the unique cultures that exist within the Black diaspora – the Caribbean included

More Tenants’ Article

Tenants
Trolling for Democracy: A Slippery Slope
JamaicanLabrat
Trolling for Democracy: A Slippery Slope
JamaicanLabrat

… a concerning trend has been arising, where the party messaging deteriorates into personal insults and the campaign material is replaced with inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments.

JamaicanLabrat
History is Not a Given
Clifford James
History is Not a Given
Clifford James

When we say “history is a given,” we imply it has been accounted for that it is settled - but history is not background music. It is not neutral; it’s not even equally inherited.

Clifford James
Global Health is Still Colonial; It’s Time to Change That.
Jenée Farrell
Global Health is Still Colonial; It’s Time to Change That.
Jenée Farrell

The international order that governs health keeps developing nations locked in cycles of dependency—borrowing, waiting, and hoping for support that is often tied to the politics of the moment.

Jenée Farrell
From Rhyging to Mangione: The Anti-Hero’s Reign
Tedecia Bromfield
From Rhyging to Mangione: The Anti-Hero’s Reign
Tedecia Bromfield

Luigi Mangione and Ivanhoe Martin, though separated by time, geography and context, embody the archetype of the anti-hero in strikingly similar ways.

Tedecia Bromfield

Step into the world of HERO with our Q&A featuring director Frances-Anne Solomon, as she reflects on the vision, responsibility, and passion behind telling the extraordinary story of Mr. Ulric Cross