The University of the West Indies (UWI) followed that move with immediate dismissal of the Guyanese-born historian, professor, and activist. Dr. Rodney’s Caribbean version of black power was gaining popularity among UWI students, working-class people, and especially with Rastafarians. About 900 students, stunned by Rodney’s sudden banishment and firing, walked out of school and started marching. The crowd kept growing and flowing into the streets of Kingston, chanting “Black Power” until the next morning. Some burned buses and looted stores, triggering the police to respond with tear gas and multiple arrests.
Although the “Rodney Riot” might be forgotten by many, Dr. Rodney’s book, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, remains influential among Rastafarians. His critique of capitalism resonates with their chanting down of Babylon (see Revelation 18). Unfortunately, Rodney didn’t apply his analysis to communism and forewarn African nations of the debt colonialism some are suffering today. Perhaps a closer reading of Jamaica’s own Marcus Garvey could have helped correct that oversight. Twelve years after the riot, a car bomb ended Walter Rodney’s life in Georgetown, Guyana, on June 13, 1980.
The Rodney legacy lives on through his widow, Dr. Patricia Rodney. Patricia was four months pregnant as she waited in vain for her husband’s October return. When Walter lost his job, she lost her income and had to give birth while he was in exile. Patricia Rodney demonstrated the same drive for educational excellence and social equity as Walter by attaining an RN, MPH, and Ph.D. in Sociology and Adult Education.
Dr. Patricia Rodney taught at Morehouse School of Medicine for 15 years, practiced public health and adult education in several countries, and served as CEO of Partners in Health, Education, and Development (PHEAD), an international development consultancy organization. With her family’s help, Dr. Patricia Rodney leads the Walter Rodney Foundation, based in Atlanta, GA, and the years have only strengthened her resolve to seek reparative justice on behalf of her husband.
