Where are they now? Sir George Williams protester dies in Trinidad

Belgrave

  Perhaps worth nothing that a central figure in one of the city's most famous riots,  Ian Belgrave, died in July. The militant Trinidad-based mathematics teacher and steel pan lover, better known as Teddy Belgrave, was one of the leaders of the Sir George Williams sit in strike against racism that led to 87 people being charged for conspiracy, it should be noted that only 42 of them were actually black. .
   The group was irked by a professor named Perry Anderson, who they accused of flunking several students for no other reason than that they were black. He was later exonerated by the university but only after about $1.6 million of damage was done to a terribly expensive computer centre.
   Among the participants who went on to have impressive careers were Canadian Senator Anne Cools and Rosie Douglas, who went on to become Prime Minister of Dominica.

Edmund Michael, Lucille Whitby, Rosie Douglas, Anne Cools went to try to meet PM Trudeau in Feb. '70, during the trial. He declined to meet.

   (By the way, Douglas died of a heart attack in 2000 immediately after visiting Montreal. His bodyguard in Montreal told me that Douglas had been tailed by a suspicious man whose credentials did not check out when scrutinized. So there's always a possibility that Douglas was the victim of foul play perhaps some sort of furtive poisoning)
   Belgrave proudly lived in Laventille, a not-very-wealth suburb of Port of Spain, where I actually stayed for about three days once, next to the Shouters' Church and they really do shout.
  Belgrave's wife Valerie Belgrave was also charged. She went on to become a noted artist and writer in Trinidad after graduating Concordia. She worked on a book about steel pan music six years ago, so she was likely either still together with Ian at the time, or on good terms with him. Remind me to interview her about the affair when I figure out how to reach her.
   Their lawyer Juanita Westmoreland, a Verdun-born woman of Guyanese heritage, went on to become Quebec's first black judge. She lost her case as 8 of the 10 Trinidadians were found guilty in March 1970. Fourteen Trinidadians were convicted and deported altogether and the Trinidad government paid $33,000 to Concorida to help offset the $1.6 million in damaged computers.  
   Belgrave later told a reporter that the arrest didn't hurt his professional career and said it was "a fantastic experience."