1981 – Assassination of Jamaican Political Activist Dr. Walter Rodney

On June 10, 1981, Dr. Walter Rodney—a world-renowned Guyanese historian, activist, and author of How Europe Underdeveloped Africa—was assassinated in Georgetown, Guyana. Rodney, an outspoken critic of neocolonialism and capitalism, had returned to his homeland to participate in radical political change. A graduate of SOAS in London and former lecturer in Tanzania, Rodney’s scholarship connected Caribbean Marxism with African liberation theory. He was killed by a bomb believed to have been planted by agents of the Guyanese government, making him a martyr for the global Black freedom struggle. His death reverberated throughout Africa and the Caribbean, igniting protests and sharpening debates on state repression. June 10 marks the silencing of one of the most intellectually rigorous voices for Pan-African unity, class justice, and historical accountability in the postcolonial world.