The dream of a Black utopia

Post Reports

The Washington Post

Daily News, Politics, News

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🗓️ 30 July 2021

⏱️ ? minutes

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Summary

In 1983, the U.S. invaded the small Caribbean nation of Grenada. Forty years later, many Americans have no idea why — or that it happened at all. Today, in collaboration with “Throughline,” we tell a story of revolution, conquest, and dreams of a Black utopia.

For host Martine Powers, this historical deep-dive has a personal connection. Growing up in a Caribbean American family offered a different perspective on the 1983 invasion — a moment that isn’t just about President Ronald Reagan or Cold War machinations. Instead, this era in Grenada’s history is also the story of people and ideas that became symbols of Black freedom around the world — and a direct inspiration for Black Americans.

“This was a Black country with people making their own success and failure,” says Dessima Williams, Grenada’s former ambassador to the U.S. “We didn't have White people over us. And I think that itself was revolutionary at the psychic level.”

This story was produced in collaboration with “Throughline,” a podcast about history from National Public Radio. Here are a few other episodes that you’ll want to check out: “Palestine,” about the region’s history of settlements and displacement; “Five Fingers Crush The Land,” on the history and culture of China’s Uyghur people; and the unexpectedly dark story of American imperialism, in “Reframing History: Bananas.”

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Martin.
0:03.8	So for the last few months, I've had the chance to work on this story.
0:08.4	It's a story that I have a little bit of a personal connection to, which I will explain
0:11.7	in a bit.
0:12.7	But it's about the 1983 US invasion of Grenada in the Caribbean.
0:17.3	It's a moment in history that not enough people know about.
0:20.5	I didn't always know a lot about it.
0:22.8	But as we've been working on this story for the last few months, it feels more relevant
0:26.6	than ever, given what happened with the US pulling out of Afghanistan, given what
0:30.8	happened in Haiti, and the role that the US has played there, and even given our current
0:35.9	moment of racial reckoning and thinking about the stories from Black History that we haven't
0:41.3	been told.
0:42.7	So I've been working on the story with the podcast Thru Line.
0:45.4	I am a huge fan of the show.
0:47.8	It's a podcast about history.
0:49.8	And they tell stories that are sound rich and musical.
0:52.9	So that is what you'll hear today.
0:55.1	This story aired on Thru Line this week, and today we are airing it on post reports.
0:59.4	We're going to play the whole thing in its entirety.
1:02.6	So with all that said, thanks for listening, and here we go.
1:31.0	The United States Foreign Affairs has invaded Grenadier with helicopter gunship.
1:36.4	Our arms forces are engaging them in fairs and battles.
	...

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