Resistance Philosophies and Afrodiasporic Links in the 1920s: Dutch Caribbean Maritime Travels Meets New York City

• In Event: Global Cross Flows: Theory and History

Description for Program

This presentation explores the resistance philosophy of Phelippi Benito “Felix” Chakuto (1891-1967), an Afro Dutch Caribbean Curaçaoan harbor worker from the early 1900s. He was one of the first to lead working class Black voices for the marginalized poor in the early 1900s, and is considered the father of labor unions on the Dutch island of Curaçao. He played a key role in the strike that resulted in the first collective labor agreement in the history of Curaçao in 1922. Findings show that his life trajectory included maritime travels to New York City in 1917 and 1919, where he was able to see first-hand how multiple popular social movements operated during the time—the Pan African Movement, the Harlem Renaissance Movement, and the community activist, labor, and other independent movements. This presentation suggests that Chakuto’s resistance ideologies were, in part, shaped by his oceanic maritime travels to New York City. This presentation will introduce the correlated links between Chakuto’s resistance philosophy and those in New York City in the 1920s.

Author

• Florencia Cornet