Una's Achievement

WOMAN'S PAGE THE GLEANER, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1994 PAGE 1 Una' SA)iC fiievetnent Her life by HONOR FORD-SMITH worked as a secretary. She began In 1930 Marson published pioneering "Pocomania", her and critical atmosphere within UN A Marson achieved an enor visiting Edelweiss Park (the her first collection of poetry, most important work as a play which Caribbean cultural ex mous amount both personally centre of Marcus Garvey's activ Tropical Reveries. In 1931, wright. The importance of "Po pression could grow. Over 200 and professionally between 1900 ities) and participated in elocu Coamopolitan folded due to the comania", lies in part, in that it authors first gained exposure and 1944. Born in Santa Cruz, tion contests. financial constraints of the de presented a play which was not through Caribbean Voices, the 1932 farce in Patwa (patois). It also literary segment of Calling the St. Elizabeth, one of three sis In May 1928 she became the pression. In her first play l. ublicly dramatized a conflict West Indies. In fact the pro ters, daughter of Solomon first Jamaican woman to edit a "At What A Price", was pro p facing many middle-class black gramme created a space for the Marson, a black Baptist minister, magazine published in Jamaica, duced at the Ward Theatre in women. In this sense it rep airing of this work across the and his wife Ada, nee Mullings. The Cosmopolitan, the official Kingston. It tells the tale of a resented a rupture with a dra region as well as a forum for One of the few black scholarship organ of the Jamaica Stenog young woman from the country matic scene dominated by an Caribbean writers to hear and winners at the time she attended raphers' Association. Black ste who comes to the city, is seduced upper-class view of black work discuss their own work. Hampton High school, which nogra hers were beginning to by a travelling sales man and p ing-class culture. Later that year had a majority of white students. orgamse themselves within the returns home dejected. Towards the Stars she left with Amy Bailey for As a young girl, Marson carried anti-colonial struggle to win the Fighting racism England to raise money for the 1945, the heavy importance and re right to work in establishments UNA MARSON In after the publication Save the Children Fund which spQ.Osibility of her singular dominated by white clerical Later that year Marson went of "Toward the Stars , a compi achievement. While she was she helped found that year. staff. Marson's work in the mag to England where she worked as she founded the Readers and lation of earlier poems, she suf there both her parents died and azine created an opening within secretary to the League of Co Writers Club and the Kingston In England Marson was one fered a serious illness and re she had to go to work. which young voices, both male loured People, which aimed at Dramatic Club to mobilize of a few Jamaicans to testify turned home. After this she . before the Moyne Commission never regained th� vigour of her She moved to Kingston and and female; could be heard. fighting racism and supporting young black artists and writers. before it be an work in the early years. There were long bfack struggle around the world. Also in 1937 she published g Caribbean. She recommended periods of silence in her writlng For the League she co-edited "The Moth and the Stars", prob that there be some legitimizing followed by bursts of activity. The Keys, a hterary publication. ably her most innovative work. of common-law unions and that One such effort was the found During this first stay in London It is here that she begins to a tax be levied on bachelors in ing of The Pioneer Press. The her pfay "London Calling" was break with the dominant influ order to provide money for the Pioneer aimed to provide book produced. Through her connec ence of the Jamaica Poetry care of children neglected by lets at low prices (6d-2/-) in the tion with the League, she be League under a leadership their fathers. She also called for areas of Caribbt··m poetry for came secretary to Haile Selassie which emphasized universal va National Library of Jamaica attention to the racisim operat young people, au• 1viography, bi and accompanied him to the lues and the debunkin of ex g ing among the social service ography, childrcn't. stories, natu League of Nations to plead the periments in creole and poetry clubs of the upper-class and sug ral history and nation building. cause of Ethopia in 1936. of protest [Cobhan, 1982]. Mar gested that black women needed Pioneer Press published approx son breaks with the tradition by In 1936 she returned home openings within which they imately 25 books before it reintroducing the creole voice abruptly and resumed her work could organise themselves and closed. into the poetry, by ex eriment as a journalist. She remained p not be objects of white women's Una Marson died in St. Jo ing with blues forms borrowed committed to promoting con organizing [Moyne Commission seph's hospital in Kingston in from the southern United States cerns affecting women and pub transcript, 1939]. 1965. Sylvia Wynter, a younger of America and by writing from lished a series of articles on Marson remained in England Jamaican woman writer, wrote the oint of view of a black women and work. It is through p throughout the war, becoming the following poem sketching these accounts that we get a middle class woman. compere for the programme the sadness and courage of her sense of the kinds of work o en p Pocomania "Calling the West Indies". She life. .L. to women and the part they used it to develop a supportive Repri�from Sistren played in the 1938 uprising. She In 1937 she al&o remounted also remained active in organiz "London Calling". The follow ing artists and writers. In 1937 ing year came the significant and .

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