捆绑SM社区

鈥淎 Geneticist by Vocation, A Poet by Avocation鈥�: An Introduction to Dr. Barbara Jones

December 2024

Building from research pursued at 捆绑SM社区 in Montreal, we are pleased to present one of the first portraits of Dr. Barbara Althea Jones鈥攁 Trinidadian-born plant geneticist, poet, activist, and multimedia artist who taught at 捆绑SM社区 in the late 1960s.¹ Although Jones鈥� work has been mentioned in a few articles on writers from the Caribbean and on Black politics in Montreal of the 1960s, to date, very little has been written on her work. On her C.V., Jones described herself as a 鈥済eneticist by vocation, a poet by avocation.鈥�² In light of our findings, we aim to reverse this implied hierarchy and place the accent on both her poetry and her adjacent work in performance and political commentary, acknowledging the frequent flow-through of her science-inspired thought to her poetry and neighbouring work. Jones was the first woman from the Caribbean to earn a Ph.D. in plant genetics.³ She published her first collection of poetry only two years later. In Montreal, Jones performed her poetry in Africa in the Caribbean at the Saidye Bronfman Centre, Up Tight at Revue Theatre, and 鈥淎frican Dream Song鈥� at Montreal's Museum of Fine Arts.⁴ She traveled in many of the same circles as Black activists in Montreal鈥攁ttending the Caribbean Conference Committee鈥檚 annual convention and the Congress of Black Writers. In addition to engaging in such events, Jones often spoke as a panelist on anti-Black racism. Jones鈥� poetry collection, Among the Potatoes, is available through the 捆绑SM社区 Library and the .

Jones was born in Trinidad on September 17th, 1936.⁵ She was one of seven daughters and four sons. Although Jones鈥� professional life would eventually lead to a career in science, she demonstrated a propensity for the arts from a young age. Her father, Israel Jones, was a headmaster and her mother, Elaine Endora Jones, was a pianist.⁶ More than fifty years after her death, we document and share Jones鈥� contributions in hope that her work as an artist will gain the recognition that it deserves.

Among the Potatoes, 8

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鈥淎cademia鈥�: Life as a Student

The first woman to graduate from the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture鈥攏ow known as the University of West Indies鈥攊n St. Augustine, Jones completed her Bachelor of Science in 1960.⁷ After earning a government scholarship in Trinidad, she moved to Ithaca, New York to pursue graduate studies at Cornell University. There, Jones completed a master鈥檚 degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics, followed by a Ph.D. in Plant Genetics and Physiology. As a master鈥檚 student, Jones researched a species of potatoes native to South America. Often referred to as Solanum vernei, this species had become a topic of interest in scientific communities because it contained a chlorophyll mutant that was resistant to the golden nematode鈥攁 pest that threatened the growth of the plant.⁸ Jones endeavored to understand how the chlorophyll mutant was inherited and what its effects were on the plant. After completing her master鈥檚 thesis, Jones鈥� research was published in the American Potato Journal, and this became the focus of her Ph.D. dissertation.⁹

Among the Potatoes, 57

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鈥淭ropic Phase鈥�: Returning to Trinidad

After earning a Ph.D. from Cornell University, Jones returned to Trinidad in 1965. This would be her first time living in Trinidad since the country gained its independence from Britain. While back in Trinidad, Jones worked as a research director for an experimental agricultural project in Trincity.¹⁰ She also became an involved member of the local community through her work as an activist and poet. As an activist, she wrote critical speeches and newspaper articles against government policy in Trinidad and, as a poet, she became the founder of Le Caf茅, a local literary group.¹¹ In June of 1966, Jones performed a reading of her poetry at the Basement Theatre, home to the Trinidad Theatre Workshop鈥攖he longest-running theatre workshop in the Caribbean.¹² While in Trinidad, she also published poetry in Voices, a literary journal edited by Clifford Sealy.¹³ After one year, however, Jones made the difficult decision to leave Trinidad for Montreal.

Among the Potatoes, 50

Moving to Montreal

In an interview for The Montreal Star, Jones reflects on her decision to leave Trinidad. She says, 鈥淚 left after a year because I didn鈥檛 like the political situation.鈥�¹⁴ Although Trinidad and Tobago had gained independence from Britain five years earlier, Jones says, 鈥渢here is still too much of a colonial atmosphere.鈥�¹⁵ Jones felt that the country was not doing enough to encourage Trinidadian experts to remain in Trinidad where, she argues, they were needed far more than in more developed countries.¹⁶ Jones concludes, 鈥淚 did what I could for a year, but then I gave up and came here.鈥�¹⁷ While Jones frames her decision to leave Trinidad as a moment of defeat, Lloyd Best鈥檚 commentary in his review of Africa in the Caribbean offers another perspective. Best writes that the performance incidentally lent 鈥渁 greater credence to the view that the act of leaving the West Indies, so far from implying disengagement, is often a peculiar way of [showing] commitment.鈥�¹⁸ However persuasive Best鈥檚 statement, it is true that although Jones chose to leave Trinidad, she would continue to share her experience as a Trinidadian with those around her, while remaining actively engaged with her home country through her research, performance, activism, and poetry.

鈥淎 Geneticist by Vocation鈥�: Research as a Plant Geneticist

Phrases in Jones鈥� university notes suggest a connection between her interest in the growth of Solanum vernei and her expanding race-consciousness. Much like Solanum vernei, struggling to grow outside of its natural environment, Caribbean immigrants faced many challenges in Montreal during the sixties. But Jones鈥� association between plant genetics and race began to appear even before she earned her Ph.D. 鈥淩aces may be defined as mendelian,鈥� writes Jones on a loose paper among exam review notes from her time at Cornell University.¹⁹ At times, Jones鈥� interest in potatoes and, specifically, the chlorophyll content of these plants, reflects her concerns with race dynamics鈥攆or instance, the ways that melanin, rather than chlorophyll, affects the pigment of one鈥檚 skin. One of her poems in Among the Potatoes, entitled 鈥淭he World,鈥� draws directly on such imagery:

the world is black and white and green

full of potato plants it seems

full of black faces all are mine

full of white faces all are thine

full of potato plants it seems

the world is black and white and green²⁰

Jones鈥� work as a scientist opens her artistic craft to a whole new poetic idiom. Mendel鈥檚 law of segregation reads much differently in the context of the Black activism that Jones increasingly explores in her later poetry.

In the summer of 1968, Jones expanded her field of interest to pursue research on Drosophila melanogaster (the common fruit fly) at the University of California as a guest of the Department of Genetics.²¹ Although Jones differentiates between her work as a scientist and as a poet when she describes herself as a 鈥済eneticist by vocation, a poet by avocation,鈥� by including both practices in the same sentence on a professional resume, Jones suggests that for her, the two fields remained vitally interconnected. The title of a 1967 article published in The Montreal Star, 鈥�,鈥� further indicates that Jones鈥� life as a researcher was never entirely separate from her life as an artist and as a poet. Jones was not divided by these three professions, but rather she 鈥渃ombined鈥� the apparently disparate practices of art and science.

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From the top of notes on Biochemistry written in one of Jones鈥� journals from Cornell University, dated November-January, 1962 (捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 2, Folder 66).

Teaching Career

In a letter to Jones, one of her students writes, 鈥淭hank you for being an exciting professor in this university of not so exciting professors.鈥�²² Another student recalls roughly five decades later that Jones was 鈥渙ne of the only professors you could really talk to.鈥�²³ Both comments suggest that for many students, Jones stood out as a professor. One clear signal from Jones鈥� work is that she was as passionate about teaching as she was about learning. Over her four years in Montreal, she held several teaching positions at different institutions. Shortly after her arrival, she took up a position as a special lecturer at Marianopolis College. Jones then went on to teach in the Department of Genetics at 捆绑SM社区 and Sir George Williams (now Concordia) University until she was promoted to Assistant Professor of Genetics at 捆绑SM社区 in the fall of 1968.²⁴ Jones also delivered guest lectures, including one in December of 1968 on 鈥淭he Role of the Black Woman in Canadian Society鈥� for the Women鈥檚 Institute of Jewish Studies in Montreal.²⁵

鈥淎 Poet by Avocation鈥�: Jones鈥� Poetry

Jones published her first collection of poetry in 1967, entitled Among the Potatoes: A Collection of Modern Verse. Drawing together poetry from her time as a student at Cornell University and her life in Trinidad, Jones organized her collection into four parts: 鈥淭he Real and the Unreal,鈥� 鈥淟ove and Nothing,鈥� 鈥淭ropic Phase,鈥� and 鈥淐ampus and Nature.鈥� At the time of her death, Jones's CV materials indicate that she had five more texts in process, including Mango Season, Apples for the Children, and Up Tight. Jones also published her poetry in Voices (1965 and 1966), New World Quarterly (1966), Viewpoints (1968) and in the first edition of the Trinidad and Tobago Association Journal (1966).

Voices, a literary journal edited by Clifford Sealy听 1964-1966, published at least two of Jones鈥� poems during its short but impactful time as a literary magazine based out of Trinidad.²⁶ In 1973, Voices was preceded by The New Voices, edited by Anson Gonzalez. That year, The New Voices featured a poem that Jones was preparing to publish at the time of her death entitled 鈥淓scapist鈥檚 Dream.鈥�


Front cover of The New Voices, Vol. 2, No. 3, March 1973. Although the title page pictured here reads 鈥淰oices,鈥� this issue was published in 1973 under 鈥淭he New Voices.鈥�

In October, 1966, the Barbados independence issue of New World Quarterly published Jones鈥� poem, 鈥�.鈥� According to author and historian David Austin, New World Quarterly remains one of the leading journals to come out of the Caribbean.²⁷ An offshoot of the New World group, New World Quarterly was founded by Lloyd Best in 1963. George Lamming edited the Barbados independence issue with the help of the Caribbean Conference Committee.²⁸ Just one year later, Jones included 鈥淲est India鈥� in her publication of Among the Potatoes and, in 1996, M.J. Fenwick anthologized the poem in Sisters of Caliban: Contemporary Women Poets of the Caribbean.²⁹

Another of Jones鈥� poems, 鈥淧ollution 鈥�67,鈥� appeared in Viewpoints, Canadian Jewish Quarterly in the fall of 1968. In this poem, Jones鈥� interest in science, art, and activism intersect. Beginning her poem with the lyric of a Black female speaker who describes washing her clothes in a river, Jones develops a conversation between her speaker and the river. Through their dialogue, Jones explores parallels between human鈥檚 exploitation of nature and the exploitation of Black communities. Although the poem is heavy with sadness, it concludes with a shift towards hope as the poem鈥檚 lyricism mediates a kind of reconciliation.

In the first Trinidad and Tobago Association Journal, published in 1966, Jones鈥� poetry is woven through the pages like a guiding thread. The magazine begins with Jones鈥� poem 鈥淩ealism,鈥� also published in Among the Potatoes. Three more poems鈥斺�淒awn,鈥� 鈥淭he Poet,鈥� and 鈥淯ntitled鈥濃�攁re interspersed between short literary texts and announcements for cultural events. Lorris Elliott, who would later become a professor in the Department of English at 捆绑SM社区, edited the magazine. At the time of publication, however, Jones was the only contributor with a Ph.D., and the only woman to write for the magazine.

Shortly after publishing Among the Potatoes, Jones reflects on the poetry that she had written as a student: 鈥淚 notice quite a difference in the poetry I write today and the poetry I first wrote. The Victorian in me was very evident in the first things. Now, after five years in North America, I鈥檓 much more modern in my approach.鈥�³⁰ While this shift is difficult for readers to observe, since so much of Jones鈥� later writing is not available to the public today, Jones鈥� later work, featured in performances such as Up Tight and Africa in the Caribbean, suggest a significant turn in her poetic idiom. Jones mentions that much of her poetry is written in dialect: 鈥淚 find dialects very beautiful and something which is often neglected.鈥�³¹ Jones also says her poetry is often concerned with 鈥渒eeping alive with old time customs which are rapidly dying out in the West Indies.鈥� For Jones, poetry became a way to manipulate time鈥攏ot to memorialize the Caribbean of past years, but rather to keep it alive. This is arguably most evident in the poetry that she wrote for the stage.

From Page to Performance

In Montreal, Jones began to seriously explore the possibilities of performance art. In the fall of 1966, Jones performed her poetry alongside a number of artists as part of a variety show at Revue Theatre.³² Nearly one year later, she gave another poetry reading at Revue Theatre.³³ Reporter Beverly Mitchell mentions this performance in The Montreal Star where she writes that the addition of music and op-art 鈥渨ill add dimension to the performance.鈥�³⁴ This signals the increasing multidimensionality of Jones鈥� work. In October of that same year, Jones performed her poetry at 鈥攁 well known spot for members of the arts scene in Montreal.³⁵ 1968, however, would mark the year of Jones鈥� most documented performances including Africa in the Caribbean, Up Tight, and 鈥淎frican Dream Song.鈥� Through these performances, Jones became significantly involved in the vibrant, growing scene of Black theatre in Montreal during the sixties.

鈥淭o Voice a Protest and a Hope鈥�: Africa in the Caribbean at the Saidye Bronfman Centre

On April 28, 1968, at the Saidye Bronfman Centre in Montreal, Jones performed an original poem, 鈥淐hant of the Blacks,鈥� as part of Africa in the Caribbean.³⁶ Aiming to capture the history of colonialism in the Caribbean, from the practice of slavery to contemporary manifestations of neocolonialism, this performance featured a combination of folk music, chorus, and percussion in addition to a variety of dance forms such as the beledaire, the bongo, the kalinda, and the shango.³⁷ The show鈥檚 variety in genre and medium would have reflected the diversity within the Caribbean. Jeff Henry, previously a dancer for the Little Carib (later known as the Trinidad Theatre Workshop) and future co-founder of the Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal, devised and directed this performance.³⁸

However, instead of writing a script for the performance, Henry explains:

I felt that the best way of creating this history was to let the storytellers - in true Caribbean custom - have their way, to bring together poets, folklorists, musicians, singers and dancers and let them portray the many facets that went into the making of the Caribbean.³⁹

All sixteen of the cast members were Caribbean Canadians living in Montreal. One of the cast members, Marilyn McConnie, says in an interview anticipating the first performance of the show that 鈥溾�楾he Chant of the Blacks鈥� by Dr. Barbara Jones鈥� is expected to be one of the highlights of the production.鈥�⁴⁰As Lloyd Best describes in his account of the performance in New World Quarterly, Jones鈥� recitation of 鈥淭he Chant of the Blacks鈥� was accompanied by a small choir.⁴¹ Best argues that 鈥淸n]othing could have better demonstrated the possibilities of this medium of theatrical expression than Miss Barbara Jones鈥� performance of her own verse in the rousing pi猫ce de resistance.鈥�⁴² Both McConnie and Best鈥檚 accounts of Africa in the Caribbean position Jones鈥� poem as the epicentre of the performance.

One reviewer of the performance said that it successfully aimed 鈥渢o voice a protest and a hope.鈥�⁴³ Not only did Africa in the Caribbean protest against the past, but the performance also offered a hopeful nod towards the future, anticipating the foundation of the first professional Black theatre company in Canada: , still active in Montreal today.⁴⁴ Eight years after Africa in the Caribbean first appeared on stage, Henry reproduced the performance with another cast in Toronto. The program for the Toronto performance is available through .

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鈥淯p Tight, Damn Right鈥�: Up Tight performed at Revue Theatre⁴⁵

In the fall of 1968, Jones showcased Up Tight, a performance named after one of Jones鈥� newer poetic works. Directed by Arleigh Peterson, the founder of Revue Theatre, Up Tight included singer Marilyn McConnie and dancer Cynthia Hendrickson. Up Tight appeared on stage at the Revue Theatre on October 10th and ran for three consecutive evenings. These dates coincide almost exactly with the dates of the Congress of Black Writers at 捆绑SM社区, which ran from October 11th to 14th. It is not surprising, then, that an article in The Gazette suggests that one of the themes of Up Tight would be 鈥淎 Black Woman Speaks Out.鈥� This anticipates the title of Jones鈥� article summarizing the Congress of Black Writers for the 捆绑SM社区 Reporter the following month. Africa in the Caribbean and Up Tight signal a remarkable transition in Jones鈥� poetry towards increasingly political subject matter.

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Prof. Barbara Jones, playing a string instrument at a music and poetry evening, Revue Theatre; 捆绑SM社区 News, vol. 50, no. 1, January 1969, p.16

鈥淎 Black Woman Speaks Out鈥�: Jones鈥� Activism

In Fear of a Black Nation, David Austin argues that Montreal of the sixties was a particularly important site for Black activism. While activist groups protested for various causes, such as the war in Vietnam and Apartheid in South Africa, Quebec saw the rise of the Quiet Revolution. At a time of such heightened political awareness, Austin traces the history of Black activist events in Montreal from the 1968 Congress of Black Writers at 捆绑SM社区 to the occupation at Sir George Williams University, only three months later. Austin writes:

That moment in Montreal was neither fleeting nor by chance. Rather it was part of a larger complex of events and developments that sent ripples across Canada and through the United States, Britain and the Caribbean.⁴⁶

In the midst of a period that Austin describes as 鈥渁 hotbed of radical ideas,鈥� Jones became an outspoken activist for Black communities in Montreal.⁴⁷ Through her association with Black activist groups, such as the Caribbean Conference Committee (CCC) and the Trinidad and Tobago Association (TTA), Jones often spoke out against anti-Black racism and the aftereffects of colonialism.

In the fall of 1967, Jones was a panelist for a conference organized by the CCC under the title of 鈥淲est Indian in Exile鈥� at Sir George Williams University.⁴⁸ Established in 1965, the CCC organized annual conferences on topics concerning the Caribbean.⁴⁹ Jones spoke on the conference鈥檚 first panel alongside Dolly Wills, Carl Taylor, and William Collins. Other noteworthy panelists at the conference included Austin Clarke, Richard B. Moore, Lloyd Best, and Alfonso Roberts.⁵⁰ In 1968, the CCC would widen the focus of their annual conference from Caribbean subjects to subjects pertaining to all local communities within the Black diaspora.⁵¹ Although the program does not list Jones as a contributor to the event, an article in The Montreal Star from October of that year suggests that she played a role in organizing this expanded version of the conference.⁵² Jones鈥� name does, however, appear on the program under a drama workshop, where she read her poetry alongside Marilyn McConnie and Clarence Bayne.⁵³

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鈥淎 Song for Children,鈥� 捆绑SM社区 Reporter, 4 November 1968, p. 8.

Only five days after the end of this expanded version of the CCC鈥檚 annual conference, 捆绑SM社区 hosted the Congress of Black Writers. David Austin describes the congress as 鈥渙ne of the most important gatherings of international Black radical and nationalist figures of the time.鈥�⁵⁴ Following the three-day event, Jones wrote a front-page piece that detailed what had taken place at the congress for the 捆绑SM社区 Reporter. Yvonne Greer, a student at the time, said of the congress:

For me it was an eyeopener. It was all political, but then there were a lot of artists 鈥� all kinds of artists 鈥� painters, musicians; poetry was definitely the word of the day, and everyone became a poet 鈥� reading and writing liberation poetry.⁵⁵

In the same issue of the 捆绑SM社区 Reporter that features 鈥淎 Black Woman Speaks Out,鈥� Jones also published an excerpt of her poetry, 鈥淪ong for Children.鈥�⁵⁶ In this poem, the speaker finds hope in an audience of young readers鈥攁lthough 鈥渢he world is dying,鈥� the children are called upon to 鈥渟ave鈥� it. In the context of the Congress of Black Writers, Jones鈥� acknowledgement of the hope that young people鈥斺�渕y children鈥濃�攃ould offer their community is significant. The congress was a gathering, first and foremost, of young people. Students from Sir George Williams University and 捆绑SM社区 were the primary organizers of this event.

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捆绑SM社区 Daily, October 11, 1968, p. 3.

One month after the congress, Jones was involved in a four-day teach-in sponsored by the Hillel Student Society and the Debating Union at 捆绑SM社区.⁵⁷ On the last day of the teach-in, Dr. Jones joined Dr. Arvarh Strickland, Flloyd McKissick, and Hosea Williams on a panel to discuss 鈥淏lack Revolution: where do we go from here?鈥�⁵⁸ The title of this panel recalls Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community by Martin Luther King, published just before his assassination the previous year.⁵⁹

An article in the 捆绑SM社区 Daily covering the teach-in, places Jones鈥� words at the fore: 鈥淚ts [sic] common knowledge that James 捆绑SM社区 kept slaves. So did the rich French. Both Indian and Black slaves.鈥�⁶⁰ By drawing attention to the institution itself, Jones encourages her audience to recognize their own complicity in racism. Jones shifts the discussion from the international lens of the Congress of Black Writers to local manifestations of racism鈥攏ot just at 捆绑SM社区, but in Canada at large.⁶¹ Offering a brief account of her personal encounters with racism when looking for an apartment in Montreal, Jones concludes, 鈥淎nd you think you don鈥檛 have racism in Canada. I鈥檒l tell you brother, Canada is just an English U.S.A.鈥�⁶² After five years of studies at Cornell University and a summer researching out of the University of Berkeley, Jones had spent enough time in both countries to draw her own informed conclusions about the racist practices in both North American countries. Jones would soon write in the 捆绑SM社区 News, 鈥淐anada is a vital part of this continent and as such she cannot sit back with smugness and hypocrisy and look at her neighbor in the south.鈥�⁶³



鈥淭each-In: Racism.鈥� 捆绑SM社区 Daily, 15 November 1968 p. 8.

Writing

Invested in discussing Black issues, Jones wrote two articles about anti-Black racism in 1968-1969. The first piece was entitled 鈥�,鈥� published in the 捆绑SM社区 Reporter just after the CCC鈥檚 conference at Sir George Williams University and the Congress of Black Writers at 捆绑SM社区. David Austin credits Jones鈥� article with the only detailed account of the congress.⁶⁴ Only two months later, another article by Jones, was published in the January 1969 issue of the alumni magazine, the 捆绑SM社区 News. It would have taken energy and perseverance for Jones to balance her research and teaching, in addition to her artistic and activist work鈥攅specially considering that her work as an activist appears to have gone largely unnoticed. Jones鈥� identity as a dark-skinned Black Caribbean immigrant would have presented challenges of integration, not only into white 捆绑SM社区 and Montreal, but also within the pre-established community of Montreal鈥檚 Black Canadians. While Jones鈥� intersectional identity may have meant that her work was often overlooked, it also meant that she was well positioned to question conformist narratives of history鈥攁pproaching race issues with the lens of a Black woman who was also a Caribbean immigrant.

In 鈥淎 Black Woman Speaks Out,鈥� Jones covers both the CCC鈥檚 conference and the Congress of Black Writers. In both accounts, Jones writes from the perspective of an attending member who is present, but outside of the dialogue taking place. While Jones鈥� articles often refer to the 鈥淸B]lack man in Canada,鈥� women remain conspicuously absent from the discourse. Although this mode of writing suggests the critical distance of a reporter, it is also possible that Jones employs this tone to register not only the absence of women's involvement in the congress, but also a larger absence of women at the forefront of Black activism.⁶⁵

Conclusion

For a newly independent country, artists serve as nation-builders鈥攖hey define the contours of the land and illustrate the ways of their people as they cut out an identity by which other nations will see them. However, in the program for the 1967 CCC鈥檚 annual event, C.L.R. James argues that many Caribbean artists are prevented from creating their art within their countries of origin and must do so from abroad.⁶⁶ While Barbara Jones was unable to stay in Trinidad, she was one of many artists who contributed to the nation's growth from afar. Her untimely death, at the age of thirty-two, abruptly ended a flourishing artistic career. With the promise of five works in progress at her death and the potential she demonstrated as a performing artist near the end of her life, it is evident that Jones had more to share. Stanley Reid鈥檚 memorial poem for Barbara Jones, published in The Caribbean Quarterly, demonstrates that while Jones鈥� work may not have reached a wide public, many that encountered her poetry felt its influence in profound and lasting ways. As Reid illustrates in his poem, 鈥淚n Memoria,鈥� Jones鈥� distance from her country of origin, and 鈥渇rom Black voices,鈥� would have presented challenges that many in the Caribbean diaspora must face. This shared experience speaks to the impact of Jones' work on those of Caribbean descent both locally and abroad. Reid writes:

In a far off land where

Death chose to end

Your torture, yes, in

A land far away from

Black voices, you remember,

Yes, black voices, there can be no anger.⁶⁷

By addressing Jones as 鈥測ou,鈥� Reid establishes familiarity. While he points to the challenges Caribbean poets encounter in remaining connected to their communities and fellow Caribbean poets, his use of the second person suggests that poetry may offer a way to facilitate dialogues between Caribbean poets from across the diaspora.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For this portrait, we have primarily consulted the Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Fonds MG 1047. When drawing on material from the fonds, we have listed the relevant box and folder number in the endnotes.

Notes

1. See 鈥淧oet, Artist and Scientist, She Is All Three Combined," The Montreal Star, June 21, 1967, p. 37; 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 1, Folder 1, 1970.

2. 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 1, File 1, 1970.

3. 鈥淥bituary,鈥� The Montreal Star, June 4, 1969, p. 88.

4. Curriculum Vitae, 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 1, Folder 1, 1970 and confirmed through the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

5. Ibid.

6. From a conversation with Jones鈥� niece, Joy Onyejiako.

7. From notes on Plant Science and Population Genetics at Cornell University; 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 1, Folder 3, 1963.

8. See The Inheritance of Pigments in Solanum Vernei for Jones鈥� M.A. thesis.

9. See 鈥淭he behavior of a chlorophyll mutant in Solanum vernei鈥� in the American Potato Journal 40, pp. 109鈥�114, 1963.

10. 鈥淧oet, Artist and Scientist, She Is All Three Combined,鈥� The Montreal Star, June 21, 1967, p. 37.

11. 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 1, Folder 1.

12. See Ira Mathur鈥檚 鈥淲riting Back: The irresistible rise of Trinidadian authors,鈥� 2023.

13. See Alison Donnell鈥檚 Twentieth-Century Caribbean Literature, 2006, p. 20.

14. As quoted in 鈥淧oet, Artist and Scientist, She Is All Three Combined,鈥� The Montreal Star, June 21, 1967, p. 37.

15. Ibid.

16. Ibid.

17. Ibid.

18. See Lloyd Best鈥檚 鈥淔rom Slavery to Slavery,鈥� New World Quarterly, 1968.

19. From notes on Plant Science and Population Genetics at Cornell University; 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 2, Folder 57, 1963.

20. From Among the Potatoes: A Collection of Modern Verse, 1967, p. 26.

21. From correspondences between December 1967 and July 1968, 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 1, Folder 25, 1967-1968.

22. Administrative materials, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 3, Folder 96, 1968-69.

23. From a conversation with Dr. Eric Shragge, a retired Associate Professor at Concordia and Principal of the School of Community and Public Affairs, Concordia, and prior to that, Associate Professor, School of Social Work at 捆绑SM社区. Dr. Shragge is also co-founder of the Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal.

24. See 鈥淪taff Changes,鈥� 捆绑SM社区 Reporter, November 4, 1968, p. 2.

25. Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives, Shaar Hashomayim collection, P12/12, Bulletins, Box 11: 1955-1973, Congregation Shaar Hashomayim Bulletin, Vol. 43, 1968-1969.

26. See Alison Donnell, Twentieth-Century Caribbean Literature, 2006, p. 20; 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 1, Folder 1.

27. From an interview with David Austin; also mentioned in Fear of a Black Nation, p. 74.

28. Fear of a Black Nation, p. 74; for the digital journal, see .

29. Fenwick, M. J., Sisters of Caliban: Contemporary Women Poets of the Caribbean: A Multilingual Anthology. 1st ed, Azul Editions, 1996, pp. 178-80.

30. As quoted in 鈥淧oet, Artist and Scientist, She Is All Three Combined,鈥� The Montreal Star, June 21, 1967, p. 37.

31. Ibid.

32. Black Theatre Programs from 1966-1976, Concordia University Library, Special Collections and Archives, Black Studies Center Fonds, F035, Box 031, folder 14.

33. See advertisements in the June 22 and 23, Montreal Gazette.

34. 鈥淧oet, Artist and Scientist, She Is All Three Combined,鈥� The Montreal Star, June 21, 1967, p. 37.

35. From Jones鈥� Curriculum Vitae, 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 1, Folder 1 and 捆绑SM社区 Reporter, October 13, 1967, p. 6.

36. From Jeff Henry鈥檚 account of the performance, ten years after its showing in Montreal, 鈥淎frica in the Caribbean,鈥� University of Toronto, 1976.

37. Ibid.

38. See Derek Walcott鈥檚 The Journeyman Years, p. 182.

39. Jeff Henry, 鈥淎frica in the Caribbean,鈥� University of Toronto, 1976.

40. 鈥淗opes to bridge gap between folk and classical music,鈥� The Montreal Star, April 25, 1968, p. 57.

41. See Lloyd Best, 鈥漇lavery to Slavery,鈥� New World Journal, 1968.

42. Ibid.

43. From Zelda Heller鈥檚 article, 鈥淛eff Henry Leads A Colourful Show,鈥� The Montreal Gazette, 29 April 1968, p. 43.

44. See Jeff Henry鈥檚 鈥淏lack Theatre in Montreal and Toronto in the Sixties: The Struggle for Recognition,鈥� Canadian Theatre Review, p. 118.

45. 鈥淯p Tight, Damn Right鈥� is a direct quotation from Jones鈥� performance, featured in an article in The Montreal Gazette, October 11, 1968, p. 15.

46. David Austin, Fear of a Black Nation, p. 2.

47. David Austin, Fear of a Black Nation, p. 5.

48. 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 1, Folder 1, 1970.

49. David Austin, Fear of a Black Nation, pp. 5-6.

50. From booklets on conferences and symposiums between 1967-1985, Concordia University Library, Special Collection and Archives, Alfie Roberts and Patricia Cambridge Collection Fonds, CO25, Box 044, folder 47.

51. David Austin, Fear of a Black Nation, p. 98.

52. See Susan Purcell鈥檚 鈥淭o defeat bigotry she finds here,鈥� The Montreal Star, October 2, 1968, p. 55.

53. From a leaflet published by the Caribbean Conference Committee describing the fourth annual conference, 捆绑SM社区 Archives, Roy States Black History Collection, MSG 1342, Series G, Item 025, 1968.

54. David Austin, Fear of a Black Nation, p. 3.

55. As quoted in David Austin, Fear of a Black Nation, p. 157.

56. For Jones鈥� poem, 鈥淪ong for Children,鈥� see 捆绑SM社区 Reporter, November 4, 1968, p. 8.

57. 捆绑SM社区 Daily, November 15, 1968 pp. 3 and 7.

58. 捆绑SM社区 Daily, November 15, 1968, p. 7.

59. King, Martin Luther. Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, 鈥淲here Do We Go From Here?,鈥� 2010, pp. 182-221.

60. 鈥淎t 捆绑SM社区 teach-in: Montreal Charged With Racism,鈥� The Montreal Star, November 22, 1968, p. 9.

61. See Paul C H茅bert鈥檚 鈥溾�楢 Microcosm of the General Struggle鈥�: Black Thought and Activism in Montreal," 1960-1969,鈥� p. 240.

62. Ibid.

63. From Barbara Jones鈥� 鈥淭he Black Man in a White Society,鈥� 捆绑SM社区 News, January, 1969, pp. 14-17.

64. See interview with David Austin, 鈥溾�楾he Black Lives Matter Movement has its Roots in this Historical Moment鈥� David Austin on his Book Exploring the 1968 Congress of Black Writers,鈥� 2018.

65. David Austin, Fear of a Black Nation, pp. 121-122.

66. From a program on the 1967 Caribbean Conference Committee, Concordia Special Collections, Alfie Roberts and Patricia Cambridge Collection Fonds, C025, Box 044, Folder 47.

67. An excerpt from Stanley Reid鈥檚 poem, 鈥淚n Memoria.鈥� Caribbean Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 4, 1972, p. 74.

Works Cited

Images

Among the Potatoes: A Collection of Modern Verse. E-book, Arthur H. Stockwell Limited, Ilfracombe Devon, 1967. Internet Archive, .

Jones, Barbara. 鈥淎 Black Woman Speaks Out.鈥� 捆绑SM社区 Daily, November 4 1968, pp. 1+. Internet Archive, .

鈥�. 鈥淎 Song for Children.鈥� 捆绑SM社区 Reporter, 4 November 1968, p. 8.

鈥�. 鈥淭he black man in a white society.鈥� 捆绑SM社区 News, vol. 50, January 1969, pp. 14-17. Internet Archive, .

Gazette Photo Service. 鈥淚n the Spotlight.鈥� The Montreal Gazette, 25 April 1968, p. 57.

Leishman, Allan. 鈥淪inger from Trinidad.鈥� The Montreal Star, 25 April 1968, p. 26.

捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047, Box 2, Folder 66, 1962.

鈥淧rof. Barbara Jones, playing a string instrument at a music and poetry evening, Revue Theatre.鈥� 捆绑SM社区 News, vol. 50, no. 1, January 1969, p.16

鈥淭each-In: Racism.鈥� 捆绑SM社区 Daily, 15 November 1968, p. 8.

The New Voices, Vol. 2, No. 3, March 1973.

Archives

Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives, Canadian Jewish Congress fonds, series ZF, Viewpoints: 1965-1980, Box 1, 鈥淧ollution 鈥�67鈥� Dr. Barbara Althea Jones, Viewpoints, Fall Issue, Youth Edition, Vol III No. 4, 1968.

鈥�. Shaar Hashomayim collection, P12/12, Bulletins, Box 11: 1955-1973, Congregation Shaar Hashomayim Bulletin, Vol. 43, 1968-1969.

Concordia University Library, Special Collections and Archives, Alfie Roberts and Patricia Cambridge Fonds.

Concordia University Library, Special Collections and Archives, Black Studies Center Fonds.

捆绑SM社区 Archives, Barbara Althea Jones Fonds, MG 1047.

捆绑SM社区 Archives, Roy States Black History Collection, MSG 1342-G-02-025.

Bibliography

Austin, David. Fear of a Black Nation: Race, Sex and Security in Sixties Montreal. Between the Lines, 2013.

鈥�. 鈥溾�楾he Black Lives Matter Movement has its Roots in this Historical Moment鈥� David Austin on his Book Exploring the 1968 Congress of Black Writers.鈥� Open Book, 2018. .

鈥�. Moving against the System: The 1968 Congress of Black Writers and the Making of Global Consciousness. E-book, Pluto Press, 2018.

Best, Lloyd. 鈥淔rom Slavery to Slavery.鈥� New World Quarterly, vol. IV, no. 2, 1968, newworldjournal.org/author/lloyd-best/.

Donnell, Alison. Twentieth-Century Caribbean Literature: Critical Moments in Anglophone Literary History. E-book, Routledge, 2006, p. 20.

Fenwick, M. J. Sisters of Caliban: Contemporary Women Poets of the Caribbean: A Multilingual Anthology. 1st ed, Azul Editions, 1996.

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鈥�. "The Inheritance of Pigments in Solanum Vernei (Bitt. Et Wittm.).鈥� 1962.

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Mitchell, Beverly. 鈥淧oet, Artist and Scientist, She Is All Three Combined.鈥� The Montreal Star, 21 June 1967, pp. 37.

McKenna, Brian. 鈥淎t 捆绑SM社区 teach-in: Montreal Charged With Racism.鈥� The Montreal Star, 22 November 1968, pp. 9.

Morton, Suzanne. 鈥淏lack 捆绑SM社区.鈥� E-book, 2021. www.mcgill.ca/antiblackracism/files/antiblackracism/black_mcgill_may_2021.pdf.

鈥淥bituary (Barbara A. Jones).鈥� The Montreal Star, 4 June 1969, p. 88.

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鈥淪taff Changes.鈥� 捆绑SM社区 Reporter, 4 November 1968, p. 2.

Stephens, Anna. 鈥淲est Indian Artists Pool Talents to Tell of Home Just Like it is.鈥� The Montreal Gazette, 25 April 1968, p. 26. ProQuest, .

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For access to the Barabara Althea Jones Fonds at 捆绑SM社区, we would like to extend thanks to the librarians and archivists at 捆绑SM社区 Archives and 捆绑SM社区 Rare Books and Special Collections for their gracious support, including Jennifer Garland, Anne Marie Holland, Soraya Ata, and especially to Yves A. Lapointe, former Director of 捆绑SM社区 Archives, for guidance and expertise. Many thanks are due also to Concordia University Archives and Concordia University Special Collections; the Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives, and the Montr茅al Museum of Fine Arts; as well as colleagues consulted, including Gwendolyn Owens, Director of 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 Visual Arts Collection; historian David Austin, whose work was invaluable for understanding the Montr茅al 1960s of which Jones was part; theatre historian Professor Erin Hurley of 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 Department of English; Professor Alison Donnell of Bristol University and Professor Nalini Mohabir of Concordia University, whose research on women writers of the Caribbean has been central to our understanding of Jones鈥檚 work; Dr. Eric Shragge, former Principal of Concordia鈥檚 School of Community and Public Affairs; and Dr. Sally Y. Long, formerly of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Warmest thanks also to Joy Onyejiako, niece of Barbara Althea Jones, whose generosity and support have been vital to the work over the last year.

This essay is an original work, developed by Avryl Bender and Jayda Smith under the auspices of the Poetry Matters initiative, overseen by Professor Miranda Hickman, Department of English, 捆绑SM社区. 鈥淎 Geneticist by Vocation, A Poet by Avocation鈥�: An Introduction to Dr. Barbara Jones 漏 2024 by Jayda Smith, Avryl Bender, Miranda Hickman (Poetry Matters, 捆绑SM社区) is licensed under.

Please note that the above license does not apply to poetry and supplemental texts by other authors quoted or excerpted on this site. The creators of this site have made every effort to ensure that necessary permissions have been secured. However, if as a rights holder you are concerned that material on this site is not presented in accordance with copyright law and is not covered by fair dealing or other limitation or exception, please be in touch with us at pm.mcgill [at] mcgill.ca. and miranda.hickman [at] mcgill.ca.