A Woman of Substance: The Life & Times of Alberta Christian

By Alberta Christian, Esther Christian, Gabriel J. Christian and Dr. Irving W. Andre

With faith in God, all things are possible. That could not be truer than in the life of Alberta John-Baptiste Christian.
Born in 1929 on Dominica, British West Indies, Alberta Christian’s life is literally a capsule of Caribbean history during a time of rapid change; from The Wall Street Crash in 1929 to workers and farmers rebellions from Jamaica in the north to Trinidad in the South, then World War II. The end of the war brought trade unions, more self-government, universal adult suffrage, national independence, and more rights for women, those of African descent and indigenous Carib people.
From humble beginnings at Cocoa Center in the Layou Valley, to life in the village of St. Joseph in Dominica, Alberta kept striving for excellence and pushing it to the next level. From way, back, as a dutiful daughter, Alberta showed herself to be a woman of substance. Her romance and marriage to Wendell 'Papa Zafa' Christian, ex-soldier and long-time fire fighter, makes for truly delightful reading in the colonial era.
Her first offspring was a special needs child, Christalin, “Christo” Christian. However, instead of relegating her as a traditional burden, Alberta devotedly nurtured 'Christo' against all odds. She instilled these same core principles into the rest of her seven children. Her first son Wellsworth became the island's first locally born veterinary doctor. Then came the rest of the 'Christian Brothers' Lawson, Samuel and Gabriel followed by the sisters Esther and Theresa, all well accomplished.
Ma' Christian's civil service experience began as a voter registrar with the introduction of adult suffrage, then later as a nurse at the St Luke’s Mental Home. She made her mark as a progressive Manager of the Workshop for the Blind where she pioneered today's achievements in access for people with disabilities. A part time farmer, and committed civic leader, she was a founding member of the Dominica branch of the British Red Cross.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781495171697

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Copyright © 2017

Alberta Christian, Esther E. Christian & Gabriel J. Christian

ISBN: 978-1-4951-7169-7

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Published by Pont Casse Press.

Printed in the United States of America by Sheridan Press.

Cover by Mike Williams of Exclamation Productions.

Desktop publishing by Amy Vaughn of Soundview Design.

Bibliography/Latin American/Caribbean Biography, Society, History

Dedicated to my entire family (immediate and extended), and in memory of my late parents Aaron and Virginia Jno. Baptiste, my husband Wendell, and children Wellsworth and Christalin. Your love and support has shaped me and keeps me in flight. Family is like music, some high notes, some low notes, but always a beautiful song. God bless you all.

With God all things are possible. I thank him for blessing me in so many ways and for making this book a reality. The invaluable assistance of numerous people helped create this work, and I am indebted to them all. Special thanks to Gabriel and Esther who spent countless hours listening to the stories of my life in order to write the book. Samuel, Lawson and Hildreth (Theresa) were there to offer support, encouragement and inspiration. Even the spirits of dearly departed loved ones like my husband Wendell, my son Wellsworth, and daughter Christalin were near, spurring us on to see the project to fruition.

While I can never list all the people who contributed, I must acknowledge Dr. Irving André for writing the introduction. I am also grateful to Graphic Artist Mike Williams of Exclamation Innovations (www.exclamationinnovations.com) for the excellent work on the book covers. In addition, I acknowledge Amy Vaughn for her publishing expertise and role in getting the book ready for print.

Please note, that the views, analysis, and conclusions drawn – indeed any errors in the text, are mine and for that I take full responsibility.

To the many people in my life, brothers, sisters, friends, whose presence helped shape and mold me into the person I became, thank you. Life is like a beautiful tapestry with many images blended into the whole, so it is with those who have touched my life. My experiences would not have been the same without you. Also, thank you dear reader for picking up this book, may you find it enjoyable and inspiring.

Esther E. Christian is Alberta and Wendell’s 6th child and second daughter. A Workforce Development and training practitioner, she is the care provider for her mother. They live in the Washington, DC metro area. You can visit the co-author’s website at www.4urgrowth.net.

Gabriel J. Christian is Alberta and Wendell’s 5th child and third son. He practices law in Maryland. You can visit the author’s website at www.marylandattorneyatlaw.com.

Introduction

Preface

Apres Bondie C’est La Ter’ (After God the Earth)

Village Life

Caught in a Storm

Market Day

World War II

When My Father Lost His Job

Contraband

Carnival is Bacchanal

Unmet Expectations

Love Comes Knocking

Moving Downtown

My First Sewing Machine – The Mine D’Or – Or Gold Mine

Prioritizing

Balancing Act

A Noble Woman

Dirty Dollar

The Workshop

Boyd’s Avenue

Moving to Didier Lane in Goodwill

Of Neighbors & Neighborhood

A Tale of Travel & Industry – 2685

Christian Family Portraits

The Morne Prosper Disaster

Retirement and Farewells

Special Mum Memories

My New Bench

Superwoman

Faith of Our Mother

To Look Back is to Look Forward – A Final Reflection

Glossary

Other Pont Casse Press Publications

Dr. Irving Andre

Alberta Christian’s autobiography, A Woman of Substance , is a refreshing addition to the burgeoning literature about the lives of Dominicans from all spheres of life who in their own extraordinary way, have significantly enriched their community. In it, Christian details her life growing up in the village of St. Joseph, her family’s struggle to survive during World War II, her life as a teacher, wife and mother and her vicarious pleasure as the fruits of her labour are realized through the extraordinary success of her children.

Christian’s autobiography, in many respects, does not cover virgin territory. Several prominent Dominican women, most notably authors, Jean Rhys, Phyllis Shand Allfrey and Elma Napier, have written autobiographical sketches of their lives in Dominica in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Other writers, such as Jamaica Kincaid’s Autobiography of My Mother and Marie- Elena John’s Unburnable, have also written fictional stories which explore the extraordinary hold of the landscape on the sensibility of their heroines.

But whereas these works all depict the Dominican landscape as possessing a malignity or hostility which prefigures some crisis experienced by the subject or heroine, the very converse is true in Christian’s autobiography. Growing up in modest circumstances in St. Joseph, a young Alberta Christian appeared to be totally in sync with her environment despite the daily hardships which threaten to circumscribe her future. Indeed, Alberta’s extraordinary resistance and mettle was nursed by the very factors that conspired to abort any prospects or ambitions of many of her compatriots.

But Alberta’s parents imbued their children with strong religious beliefs which gave them a quiet confidence and dedication to overcome all obstacles. When her father lost his job on a plantation, he was consumed by shame. However, rather than retreat into a dungeon of self-pity, he chose instead to farm a portion of land in the heights of his village, although there were more arable portions of available land closer to his home.

But in the anatomy of her parents’ tribulations, the scalpel of corrective action was being operated on Alberta. When Alberta’s father lost his job, her mother entered the work force, picking tobacco and limes on a local estate. When she fell, and broke her collarbone, Alberta’s mother relied on her deeply rooted faith, reassuring her brood that God is good and that everything would be alright.

And so, lacking the protection of a social safety net, the John Baptiste family tarried, eking out a living with measures such as selling eats at church services and cricket matches and making charcoal. The Christian children themselves added heft to these survival efforts and in the process, forged their own success on the anvil of honest labour.

Steeped in a tradition of sacrifice, a fervent quest for knowledge, frugality and religion, Alberta Christian would grow up, marry into a well-known musical family in Dominica and imbue her own children with the qualities and belief system which molded her as she progressed from childhood to adulthood.

In her husband, Wendell, Alberta found a soul mate whose own tremendous sense of civic duty matched her own. Wendell Christian, whose life is chronicled by son, Gabriel, a prominent barrister in Maryland, U.S.A., in his 2009 book, For King & Country, enlisted in the British military during World War II and afterwards was a senior officer in the Dominica Fire Services for decades before his retirement.

But in her adult life, Alberta ran headlong into the social conservatism of her society and the selective justice that reflected the pernicious effects of class and privilege. She hints at the fact that initially, her husband did not ask for her hand in marriage even after the couple had children, presumably because of the influence of his family. Her first child became cognitively impaired after a midwife, soon after birth, injected her with a powerful drug without any medical supervision. When son Gabriel, then four years old, was struck by a car driven by a prominent civil servant, the colonial police steadfastly refused to prosecute the driver while no local lawyer manifested any interest to initiate legal action against the perpetrator.

Alberta Christian speaks about her past with a controlled lucidity which never overflows the vessel of emotions from which it is poured. At times, she writes in a matter of fact manner, at others, she chronicles her experiences with a great deal of poignancy. One of the most powerful moments of the book is Alberta’s description of an assault on her cognitively impaired daughter, who is now deceased. She comments touchingly about nursing her daughter’s wounds and resolving not to hide her behind closed doors, as if she was a spectacle of shame. This incident was seared on the consciousness of the Christian family given that Alberta’s son, Gabriel, wrote about the incident in more excruciating detail in a chapter of his 1999 book, Rain on a Tin Roof.

Fortunately, the same desire not to hide the details of her life behind closed doors has motivated Alberta Christian to relate a remarkably candid account of her past life in a way which will undoubtedly illuminate the future for legions of readers. The power of her narrative stems not only in the frank recount of her experiences but also by the literary tradition which is deeply entrenched in her own family. Alberta’s brother-in-law, the late Honorable Henckell Christian, wrote his autobiography, Gatecrashing into the Unknown. Her son Gabriel, has authored and co-authored several books including a biography of the late Dominican Prime Minister, Dame Mary Eugenia Charles. Another son, surgeon Dr. Sam Christian, published the 2007 book, Mannafast Miracle, about weight loss while daughter, Esther Christian, a Certified Public Accountant and a Johns Hopkins University graduate, published a novel in 2003 entitled, Chance Meeting. Another son, Lawson, a civil engineer, also has an abiding interest in things literary.

It is a measure of Alberta’s enduring faith and strength of character that, even after being predeceased by two children, including her son, Dr. Wellsworth Christian, the first Dominican born Chief Veterinary Officer in Dominica, and her husband of sixty-one years, she has penned this wonderful account of her personal odyssey.

This riveting story of endurance, faith and good works, amidst a sea of adversity, is a timely reminder to all readers particularly those from the author's island of origin of the true meaning of success, perseverance and public service.

Gabriel J. Christian, Esq.

Doing a biography of a mother, in league with one’s sister, is like trying to cobble water together with needle and thread – a near impossible task of marshalling elusive memories spanning more than half a century into some coherent whole. However, this rare narrative of a woman in post-emancipation 20 th Century Caribbean society must be done. It must be done to allow our scholars, planners and the ordinary citizen to recognize that British West Indians of the early to mid-20 th Century were just up from slavery. In many islands such as Dominica, social norms rife with class and colour prejudice and the press of plantation culture still restricted the efforts at liberty sought by the descendants of enslaved Africans or Caribs who survived the arrival of Europeans.

Esther has done a marvelous job in giving voice to our mother’s early days in St. Joseph, her family and school life and connection to the land she loves so much. By use of the vernacular she has provided the reader a front seat from which to view our mother’s journey, replete with the colour and rich texture of life on a Caribbean island clothed in luxuriant forests.

In my contribution to this work, I have sought to place the life of our mother into the larger mosaic of a rapidly evolving Caribbean island society whose people are donning the garment of self- determination, adorned by the trappings of middle class modernity. The period after World War II is one of rapid changes such as universal adult suffrage, increase in educational opportunities, and enhanced health care. In droves country folk leave their villages and head to Dominica’s small capital of Roseau. Our mother is part of that surge and makes a meaningful contribution to the society. This biography is a unique and insightful chronicle of what it takes to make success of that country to city migration. And it is in her role as a public servant in the city that our mother weaves into one concerted whole her leadership qualities, sense of industry, commitment to duty, service to others, all suffused with the milk of human kindness.

From 1965 to 1988, Alberta Christian was the Manager of the Dominica’s Workshop for The Blind. By the light she shone on the needs of the disabled, she was the public servant whose work brought blind Dominicans out of the darkness of second-class citizenship. Prior, the disabled had been consigned to the margins of a mostly uncaring society. However, by the beacon she provided in way of instructing the blind in arts and crafts, they became gainfully employed. Slowly but surely, her leadership in that public service birthed a better understanding of the plight of the disabled, away from the darkness of discrimination and shame to which they had been consigned, hitherto.

The Workshop for the Blind was a unique and successful branch of Dominica’s government, under its Division of Social Welfare. Dominica was fortunate to have visionaries in the Department of Social Welfare who sought to change the poor state of our disabled people. As a child, I remember Government of Dominica Social Welfare Officer, Mrs. Blanc of Massacre Village, as one who played a part in assisting the workshop. Social Welfare Officer Henckell Christian was also instrumental in the early founding of the institution, upon returning from his studies at London University, with innovative ideas for education. A British Voluntary Service Officer (VSO) worker, Ms. Pointer, was also a keen tutor to our mother in the mid 1960’s, when she took up her position as manager of the Workshop for the Blind.

The Dominica Lion’s Club was also an early ally in raising funds for the Workshop for the Blind to have their own facility. One of the key members in driving that initiative, was Lion’s Club member, Mr. George Gabriel, a local business owner of Lebanese descent. Previously, the workshop was housed in a room at the Dominica Infirmary. With the efforts of the Dominica Government and the Lion’s Club, the workshop eventually moved into its new building at Goodwill, a suburb of Roseau, in 1975. By organizing concerts in which members of the Workshop acted, our Mum showed the Lion’s Club and the public in general that the disabled members could assist themselves and that they were not simply relying on the charity of others. The fact was further made evident by the quality of the products they made.

The Workshop was originally staffed by mostly females. I remember early workers such as such as Theralina Thero Edwards, Sylvanie and Pauletta Prosper, Eraline Bastien, Marie Raphael, Rosemund Christopher, and the legendary pianist and singer Starret Francois. Starret, who died in the United Kingdom in 2008, was Dominica’s very own Ray Charles. He smiled, wore dark shades, and was very friendly. He blazed a trail in music as a member of Dominica’s most famous band of the time, The Gaylord’s Power Union led by Greg Breaker. To this date, Starret remains Dominica’s most famous blind musician. His work brought a beneficial spotlight to the worth of our blind and disabled population. The role of Starret aided our mother in crafting a theatrical production for the members of the Workshop. Members of the Workshop held several fund-raising efforts at the St. Gerard’s Hall and at the Goodwill Parish Hall.

I recall that my siblings: Wellsworth, Samuel, Lawson, Esther and I, would hold the hands of the blind actors and lead them to their places on stage where they would act out their parts. It was during that time Starret’s talents were publicly exposed, and he was recruited by the Gaylords. The funds raised by the Workshop’s drama club went into building its new workshop location at Goodwill.

Later, Dominica’s Workshop for the Blind opened its doors to include other disabled persons. The goal was to make the disabled self-sufficient and not merely dependents on government aid or the charity of others. Several members from the Workshop were sent on training to Trinidad, where they were taught how to read Braille. Upon their return to the island, our mother taught them how to weave various baskets for household and business consumption. Our mother enrolled all of us into assisting her work as a public servant. After we were out from school in the afternoons, or on holidays, she volunteered us to the cause of aiding the blind. The children would help the blind sell baskets at the market.

Those chores were in addition to our regular housework. We assisted our mother by taking several of the blind workers who lived around town, back to their homes, when we did not yet have a vehicle.

I think the fact that our oldest sister, Christalin, was developmentally disabled fueled my mother’s deeper sensitivity towards the disabled. Her role as a Red Cross volunteer and a nurse at the St. Luke’s Mental Home was preparation for this position. I believe additionally, the orientation that our mother had toward public service was sown during her early school days. I believe the root of her aptitude for civic duty can be found in the 4-H Club to which she belonged during her days at elementary school.

Alberta was born in the village of St. Joseph in 1929, to a cocoa plantation foreman, Aaron John Baptiste and his wife Virginia. Though born of humble beginnings, she was a natural leader, as reflected by her performance of many leadership roles at school, along with including serving as a substitute teacher at the St. Joseph Elementary School. She was an early poll worker during the adult suffrage movement, a founding member of the Dominica branch of the British Red Cross and a member of the National Council for Women and the Roman Catholic Social League. However, no other organization was as instrumental in shaping my mother’s, life of service to others, as the St. Joseph’s 4-H club.

To understand the impact of the 4-H Club on the life’s work of Alberta Christian, it is important that we understand the aims and objectives of the organization as well as its guiding principles. The 4H Club was founded in 1902 in the U.S. state of Ohio. It was designed to teach young people new methods in agriculture production, and so encourage adults to adopt those methods. The idea spawned several school gardens at St. Joseph Elementary School. The first 4-H club at the school was the Tomato Club. The motto of the 4H Club is:

I pledge my Head to clearer thinking,

My Heart to greater loyalty,

My Hands to larger service,

and my Health to better living,

for my club, my community, my country, and my world.

There it is: Head, Heart, Hands, and Health – 4-H. Those 4-Hs are to be placed at the service of the club, the community, the country and the world. In my opinion, it was that institutional framework that produced the milk of human kindness in our mother.

Proverbs 22:6 states: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. The 4-H principles, and good parenting, taught our mother to serve others, other than herself. She did not depart from that early teaching which imparted a culture of discipline and industry.

In addition to her membership in the Roman Catholic Social League, our mother was a founding member of the Dominica branch of the British Red Cross in 1956. She relates that in those days most of the members were from Roseau high society or local whites such as then leader Lorna Grell. Throughout our