The Unthinkable Betrayal: Why Do BLACK Jamaicans Support Their Oppressor Over Their Own?

In July 2025, Jamaica stands at a moral, cultural, and historical crossroads. On one hand, you have a black man — Andrew Holness — born from the soil of Jamaica, carrying in his DNA the pain, resilience, and triumphs of enslaved African ancestors who toiled and bled on this land. A man who carries the spiritual weight of the generations who endured the whip, who saw their children sold, who built this nation brick by brick while being denied even the most basic recognition of their humanity.

On the other hand, you have Mark Golding — a white, British-born man, descended from a family whose wealth and privilege were built directly or indirectly from the system of oppression that crushed black Jamaicans for centuries. He is not a son of this soil. His ancestors were not in chains on the plantations. They were the ones holding the whip, writing the laws, and collecting the profits from black suffering.

And yet, shockingly, in 2025, we see thousands of black Jamaicans lining up behind Mark Golding, hailing him as a savior, while denouncing and ridiculing Andrew Holness, their flesh and blood.

One must stop and ask: What kind of people betray their ancestors in such a way?

The Historical Context: A Legacy of Suffering

Let us not forget where we come from.

Slavery in Jamaica was among the most brutal in the entire Caribbean. Over 300 years, more than a million Africans were stolen from their homes and brought to Jamaica to work the sugar, coffee, and banana plantations.

On those plantations, white British slave owners — men who looked like Mark Golding, whose families belonged to the same privileged class — worked black bodies to death. They raped black women, whipped black men, and even murdered children who refused to work or dared to resist. The average life expectancy of a black slave in Jamaica was less than 10 years after arriving.

These atrocities enriched Britain. The profits from Jamaican plantations built the cities of Liverpool, London, and Bristol. They financed banks and insurance companies — many of which still exist today. Wealth extracted from Jamaican blood funded the British Empire’s global dominance.

Even after emancipation, former slave owners were compensated by the British government for the “loss of property” — while the enslaved were given nothing. Many black Jamaicans became landless peasants, trapped in poverty, while their former masters walked away wealthy.

So we must ask: Did Golding’s family benefit from this system? The evidence suggests yes.

The Golding Legacy

Mark Golding’s family comes from a lineage of privilege in Britain. He was not born in Jamaica; he is a British citizen by birth. His family had access to education, land, and business opportunities in Britain and Jamaica that were built on the suffering of Jamaicans.

When you support Mark Golding, you are helping not just him, but the entire legacy of British colonialism and white supremacy. You are validating the system that robbed your ancestors of their dignity, their land, and their lives.

Andrew Holness: The Son of the Soil

Now compare that to Andrew Holness.

He is not perfect — no man is — but he is our own. He comes from the inner city. His family comes from ordinary Jamaicans who struggled under the weight of colonialism and its aftermath. His grandparents and great-grandparents were likely among those who toiled in the fields, walked barefoot to school, and lived in board houses, dreaming of a better life for their children.

When you look at Holness, you see yourself. When you hear his story, you hear the story of millions of Jamaicans.

He embodies the dream that we can rise above the chains of history.

Why, Then, Do Some Jamaicans Support Golding?

There are several reasons, none of them noble:

1. Colonial Mentality: Many Jamaicans still subconsciously believe that white is better. They associate white skin with intelligence, leadership, and superiority — a mindset beaten into our ancestors and passed down through generations.

2. Miseducation: Our history books rarely tell the full truth about slavery, colonialism, and British exploitation. Many people are unaware of the depth of their ancestors’ suffering or how Britain enriched itself at their expense.

3. Economic Illusions: Some believe that because Golding has access to wealth and British connections, he can magically “fix” Jamaica — as though our problems require a white man to solve them.

4. Self-Hatred: Decades of poverty, violence, and systemic racism have made some Jamaicans ashamed of themselves and eager to align with those they perceive as more powerful.

The Moral Question

But here’s the unavoidable question: What does it say about you if you choose the descendant of your oppressor over your brother?

Imagine if, in 1865 — during the Morant Bay Rebellion — Paul Bogle and George William Gordon had laid down their arms and handed leadership over to a British plantation owner because he “looked more respectable.”

Imagine if Nanny of the Maroons had told her warriors to stop fighting and instead obey the British governor because he promised them better food.

That would have been madness — yet in 2025, this is what many are doing.

Call to Action: Remember Who You Are

Black Jamaicans, you carry in your veins the blood of warriors, of survivors. You are the children of the enslaved who refused to die. You are the descendants of those who fought the British and claimed freedom at a significant cost.

So why, in the 21st century, would you throw all that away and vote for a man who represents the very system that crushed your ancestors?

This is bigger than politics. It is about dignity .It is about justice. It is about choosing your own over those who profited from your pain.

The Stakes Are High

If we allow ourselves to forget our history, we will repeat it.If we let a white, British-born man — no matter how charming or articulate — rule over us, we send a message that we are still not free, still not equal, still not proud enough of ourselves to stand on our own.

We insult our ancestors. We betray their struggle.We fail our children.

The Choice Is Yours

In July 2025 and beyond, every Jamaican must look in the mirror and ask:

• Will you honor your ancestors or betray them?

• Will you lift up your brother or kneel before your oppressor?

• Will you choose a future of self-determination or one of servitude?

Andrew Holness is not just a man. He is a symbol of how far we have come — and how far we can still go.

Mark Golding is not just a man. He is a symbol of the chains that still dangle around our minds, waiting to be fastened again.

To the black people of Jamaica: Your ancestors endured horrors beyond imagination so that you could stand tall today. Do not dishonor their memory by siding with the descendants of those who whipped and chained them. Do not vote against yourselves out of ignorance or self-hatred. Stand with your own. Choose Jamaica. Choose freedom . Choose dignity. Choose Andrew Holness — and reject the colonial ghosts of the past.

We are Jamaicans. We are strong. We are enough. Let us never forget that.