British West Indians in Panama : an analysis of Linda Smart Chubb's memorandum in The Forgotten People / by Nicole Butzke.

Abstract

"Of the many documents available to researchers, one report stands out as a unique first hand account of the history of the West Indian diaspora in Panama. In 1943 Linda Smart Chubb, a West Indian woman of British citizenship working at the British Legation, wrote a memorandum entitled, “The British West Indians and the British Representation on the Isthmus of Panama” as part of a collections called The Forgotten People. Linda Smart Chubb wrote the document recording the history of British West Indian representation which she observed while working in numerous positions at British Consulates. Over twenty-two years of experience in the consulate provided the information for the report and placed the writer in a unique position to comment on the situation faced by the West Indian community in Panama. ... The memorandum examines the West Indian community and its interaction with British representatives in the area. Although the document was completed by Vice-Consul Thwaites its value is not diminished because Linda Smart Chubb conducted all the research for the memorandum, and her impressions form the bulk of the document. The fact that a woman of British West Indian descent was able to provide her views on the community at large was and remains unprecedented. While the majority of the information discussed in the memorandum is now available in the secondary literature, the document provides further support and a much needed individual first hand account of the life for British West Indians on the Isthmus."-- Introduction