1950 – Anti-Colonial Riots Erupt in Port of Spain, Trinidad

On May 19, 1950, anti-colonial protests escalated into full-scale riots in Port of Spain, Trinidad, triggered by rising food prices, racial inequality, and British political repression. These uprisings, led largely by Afro-Trinidadian laborers and dockworkers, reflected a groundswell of resistance against the colonial state. Influenced by global currents—especially the labor movements of the U.S. and the independence momentum in India and Africa—protestors demanded better wages, self-rule, and racial justice. Though violently suppressed, the May 19 riots planted seeds for future political gains, including the rise of Black Power movements in Trinidad in the 1960s and the eventual independence of Trinidad and Tobago in 1962. This date symbolizes the often-erased role of Afro-Caribbean labor in shaping decolonial narratives on both sides of the Atlantic.