Arts Jamaica Vol 2 1982 | University of Florida | Digital Library of the Caribbean
Roy Sawh's From Where I Stand The cover of Roy Sawh's From where I Stand, which shows a picture of himself in a suit. Date 1967–1972 Catalogue reference CRIM 1/4777 This pamphlet was produced by civil rights activist Roy Sawh. Born on a sugar estate in Uitvlugt, Guyana (then Guiana) in 1934, Roy was descended from Indian indentured labourers. His father was a sugar estate worker who was brought to the colony at the end of the 19th century, and his mother was second generation Guyanese. Sawh was perhaps best known for his speeches at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, London, a traditional site for public speeches and debates since the 1800s. In From Where I Stand, he sought to make, ‘the main points of the speech I should make but never do,’ as a result of getting side-tracked by questions from the public. Like many Black and Asian activists, Sawh was under heavy police surveillance. He was put on trial under the Race Relations Act in 1967 for incitement to racial hatred. The pamphlet has been accessioned as part of the records of his trial.