Occupation: Sex worker, revolutionist, spy

Her story: Miss Henriette was a free mulatto woman born to a European father and African mother. She was a well-known hot gyal and sex worker in Port Au Prince, Haiti’s capital. She joined forces with Toussaint L’Ouverture, in his campaign for a free Haiti. With her beauty and unassuming charm she made use of her access to the French elite, military men and other dignitaries, to steal information, arms, gunpowder and more to give to the resistance movement. Rumour has it, she even lured lower field officers into the lair of the Haitian soldiers.

Eventually, the French began to realise what was happening and charged her with treachery. She was executed in 1802, 2 years before Haiti took back their independence.

Why I love her: Henriette could’ve had an easy life. Her skin tone meant she could easily have coasted through life wining-and-dining the European elites, but instead chose to support the revolutionist cause. That’s pretty cool!

Occupation: Poet, writer, griot, activist, comedian

Her story: Louise Bennett-Coverley, better known as Miss Lou, is a Jamaican national treasure. In 1945, she became the first Black student to London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, after being awarded a scholarship by the British Council. Whilst in London, she hosted radio shows for the BBC – Caribbean Carnival (1945–1946) and West Indian Night (1950). Upon her return to Jamaica she worked for the Jamaican Welfare Commission and taught folklore at UWI, but most notably she toured the country performing poetry and folklore. What set her apart from others was her insistence on including Patois in her work, and campaigning for it to become an official language of Jamaica. 

Miss Lou passed in 2006 and is buried in the National Heroes Park in her hometown, Kingston. Watch a performance here

Why I love her: I’m not a big poetry fan BUT I am a big Patois fan, and Miss Lou’s fight for its recognition as a bonafide language and not slang or dialect *eyeroll*. 

Occupation: Storyteller, PR maven, advocate for Caribbean history and culture

Her story: Hailing from the Twin Isles, Tenille is a media powerhouse. She is dedicated to promoting Caribbean culture and history throughout the region and beyond. Her work has been featured in British Vogue, ELLE US, Teen Vogue, Essence and many more award-winning publications.

Why I love her: Watching Tenille’s journey is truly inspiring, seeing her in spaces that Caribbean people and media outlets are often excluded from. And what is most inspiring is that she doesn’t gatekeep these spaces, she brings fellow Caribbean creators with her and paves the way for those coming up behind her. Most of all, she maintains her authenticity wherever she goes, no one could ever doubt that she is a child of the islands! 

Occupation: Fashion Designer, trendsetter

Her story: I want you all to know I trieddddddd to find out about Ms Ivy’s personal life but other than being Sheryl Lee Ralph’s mama, there’s not much to know unfortunately. But that’s okay because her contribution to Jamaican fashion makes up for it! Ms Ivy is most famous for designing and creating the Kareeba/Kariba suit in the 1970s. It was a formal suit that was created to maintain the professionalism needed for the political elite, but be better suited to the climate in Jamaica, as well as moving away from traditional European tailoring. The suit was made famous by Michael Manley, the then Prime Minister, and went on to be worn by men of that ilk around the world. However, the same notoriety given to it by Mr Manley was also the cause of its unfortunate demise as it inadvertently became associated with the political philosophy of Democratic Socialism, that some argued was a little close to communism.

Why I love her: Imagine your design being worn by the Prime Minister of your country, as well as other political elites around the world and MICHAEL JACKSON. Ms Ivy made a simple yet significant change to Jamaican fashion that will hopefully be remembered forever. 

Occupation: Calypsonian, social commentator, pioneer

Her story: Calypso Rose is one of Tobago’s greatest exports. She has been writing calypso since the tender age of 13, her first song Glass Thief was penned after she witnessed a man stealing the glasses off the face of a female vendor in the market. The song was written to expose and denounce sexual inequality – imagine that, at just 13! 

Throughout her ongoing career, Calypso Rose has achieved many amazing things. She was the first woman to win Calypso King (1963), became the first woman to win Road March (1977) with Gimme More Tempo and in 1978, the Calypso King award was renamed to Calypso Monarch in honour of her winning with I Thank Thee. She continues to write and release music, fighting for women’s equality and performs all over the world (hopefully she’ll be over here soon!)

Why I love her: Firstly, she’s so cute!! But most importantly, she’s inspiring. Calypso is a male-dominated genre, but it is impossible to talk about Calypso without mentioning Calypso Rose. She has stamped her name in the history books and her legacy will continue to live forever. Leave Me Alone (the original and MM remix)  is my favourite song by her, enjoy!

Occupation: Writer, scholar, activist, teacher

Her story: History often ‘forgets’ to include Black women’s contributions to movements and unfortunately Paulette is a victim of this. When you think of the Négritude movement, the names Aimé Césaire and Léopold Sédar Senghor are shouted about, but there were contributions from many women, including Paulette. 

Paulette was a teacher turned literature student. She and her sister were the first Black students to attend Sorbonne University and it was here that she really began to be aware of her ‘black consciousness’. During her studies translated various poems, writings and essays from Black authors in the U.S. Her work didn’t end there, she and her sister opened a literary salon with the aim of connecting people (mainly women) of the diaspora together. It was there she met Senghor and Césaire. After the rise and fall of her own magazine La Revue du Monde Noir, she then became the only female contributor to L’Étudiant Noir, Senghor’s magazine. 

Why I love her: She actively created safe spaces for Black women of the diaspora to come together. She also laid the foundations for Négritude, even if she doesn’t get the credit for it. 

Shayne (Slim) de-Landè 🇹🇹x 🇻🇪

Occupation: Multidisciplinary artist, griot, historian, Farmer

Her story: Shayne is a South London dwelling, Caribbean powerhouse. There are very few things she cannot do. Her dedication to preserving and promoting Caribbean history and advocating for women’s autonomy through her writing and art is admirable. She has written various essays on revolution and mas, educating the masses on stories that are sometimes forgotten. Her passion for the earth is demonstrated through her love of animals and toiling the land as a hotgyal farmer.  

Check out her work here

Why I love her: This one’s personal, there are many reasons why I love Shayne. She continues to inspire me with her intelligence, passion and beauty – inside and out, I wasn’t joking when I said she’s a hot gyal. There is no venture Shayne can go on that I won’t support wholeheartedly because that’s just the kind of response she evokes in you.