Resisting Authoritarianism: Walter Rodney and the WPA 's Lessons From Guyana's Movement for Emancipation and Dignity

This paper evaluates the role of Walter Rodney and the Working People's Alliance (WPA) in resisting authoritarianism in Guyana. More specifically, it examines how the WPA cut across deep racial divides to form a solidarity movement in three critical instances: the 1974 mobilization in support of Arnold Rampersaud; the 1977 sugar strike; and the 1979 civil rebellion after the arrest of Walter Rodney in July of that year. Investigating these three instances (i.e., the tactics, actors, and mechanisms used to bridge the gap between Indo and Afro Guyanese and increase the living conditions of the Guyanese people) illuminates the importance of Guyana in the legacy of the global civil rights movement. Historical and archival analysis, including anonymized semi‐structured oral history interviews I conducted with survivors of the Burnham era, were utilized in this theoretical undertaking. I show that Walter Rodney's work with the WPA did not perish after his assassination in 1980, but rather was used by feminists like Andaiye and the Women and Development Unit to create a solidarity movement around women's reproductive health. Examining the Guyanese context is essential to grasp the contributions of the West Indies in the struggle for fuller participation free of colonial interference.