Today January 21, was a holiday that celebrated the birth, life and legacy of Errol Barrow. Who is Errol Barrow?* He is known as the “Father of Independence for Barbados”! The image of the Right Excellent Errol Barrow is on the $50 note.
Barrow was a founding member of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP). He became the first Prime Minister of Barbados in 1966 serving until 1976 and then again in 1986 to 1987.
Although this island did not have to fight or go to war to achieve Independence, that did nothing to detract from his zeal for his country establishing itself to be “friends of all, satellites to none”. It was Barrow that helped lead the country from colonialism, plantation workers, field workers and outhouses to a modern sophisticated country 50 years later. His achievements also included introduction of universal free secondary education to free school meals and leading the country into instituting social security legislation among other things.
Errol Barrow died 30 years ago and is considered one of the ten National heroes and is portrayed in a larger than life statue in Independence Square.
**Information in this article was taken in part from the Saturday Sun in Barbados dated January 21, 2017, the author(s) were not noted in the piece.
