St Mary man walks to Kingston in 30lb chain – Wants Tacky to be named national hero
Today, Derrick ‘Black X’ Robinson will set out on an almost 37-mile (59 kilometres) walk from the St Mary Parish Library to the Emancipation Park in New Kingston, with 30 pounds of chain around his neck.
The journey, which will take him approximately 13.5 hours to complete, will see him pass through places such as Bailey’s Vale, Highgate and Esher, where slave rebellions would have taken place, then on to the Junction main road, en route to his destination.
“The significance about the attire is about the 30-pound chain round mi neck. It is a resemblance of the slavery chain, each time we would do something with a symbolic gesture,” said Robinson, who some persons even refer to as ‘Tacky’.
For an 11th straight year, he is going on this pilgrimage in a bid to get Tacky, who led the Easter Rebellion in 1760, recognised as national hero, sometimes opting to complete the travel barefooted.
“Mi walk barefoot fi the better part of eight years, when it reach like around Black History Month. Around this time when it is Emancipation, Heritage Month, wi usually go barefoot to keep the significance to remember the Tacky story,” he told THE STAR.
Having walked to places such as Negril and Kingston without shoes, he said that four years ago he received several bruises to his feet.
“One a di time mi did haffi abort a walk because mi did barefoot and mi did haffi go real, real far, and some blister did come up. And instead of just mek it run its natural course, mi perform an emergency surgery and it stop mi,” said the man, who sang with the Carib-Folk singers for several years.
But Robinson explained that his past injury did not influence his decision to don footwear this time around.
“We moving from rebellion to administration, so we go through the rebellion and the struggles of the rebellion. Now we up to portray the responsibility of administration because Tacky was about governance. So, as we begin to position wiself to support and address things in governance, we look di part,” he said.
He added that he is ‘super confident’ that Tacky will be named the next national hero.
Good Luck to him..but 8 years you doing this and nothing. Big up yourself cuz me woulda just fugeddabouit…
REVOLT OF CHIEF TACKY
By Alma Norman Tacky the chieftain, decided to fight. “I finish with being a slave.” The morning sun rose clear and bright On him and his followers brave (His hundreds of followers brave) So cunningly he laid his plan So fierce his courage shone That up and down Jamaica land Men made his cause their own (They made his cause their own) But one, faint-hearted, slipped away Upon that fateful morn And many died on that sad day For soldiers had been warned (Militia men were warned) Oh sad it is to have to tell But some the challenge spurned Once more like slaves their spirits fell To bondage they returned (To bondage they returned) But Coramantyne Tacky fought “As long as I have breath No man shall boast that I was caught.” A bullet caused his death (Davy’s bullet caused his death) A bitter bullet laid him low No man knows where he lies So sing a mournful song and low Beneath Jamaica skies (For in this soil he lies)
OOOPs pressed the wrong button, so I LIKED it 4 times to make up for that OOps.
Metters, see what was said “one faint hearted slipped away….) ALWAYS a traitor in our midst. Brave man you were but were Tacky but will our present crop of Politircksans see it fit?s
Metty is there any way to reverse a dislike or can you please remove them? Please n tonks
Maybe he would have better luck starting a petition that allows other Jamaicans to express their support for his cause. For eight years he has been making this pilgrimage and I’m only just hearing of him through social media so the next logical step would be to start an online petition So Jamaicans at home and abroad could sign up.
I remember this story from school days. I still recite it today in my head.