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“Don” Pedro N. Rhodes,well known Colon attorney and
tireless champion for the Westindian
people of Panama. Image was taken
from The Panama Tribune, on the
occasion of his fifty third birthday.
By Lydia M. Reid
Pedro N. Rhodes, distinguished Panamanian lawyer and well known Atlantic side politician was born in the City of Colon June 8, 1894. His early schooling at the age of six began at Christ Church School with S. T. Bailey as teacher. His elementary education completed, Mr. Rhodes attended St. Joseph College from where he was graduated with honors.
With the ambition and determination of becoming a lawyer Don Pedro Rhodes took a correspondence course in law from one of the leading law schools in the United States. He also studied law under the tutorship of Alejandro Rodriguez Camarena who was at one time attorney general of the Nation. In 1925 he applied for and obtained a license to practice before the Supreme Court of Panama, and is considered one of the most outstanding and influential lawyers in the Republic.
Unselfishly undertaking and winning many fights for the “under-dog,” Don Pedro Rhodes championed the cause of West Indians and their offspring.
The Prohibited Immigrant Clause- the battle only begins.
On Thursday October 31,1940, despite the vehement protest letters of Pedro N. Rhodes and George W. Westerman and the petitions of several deputies and hundreds of members of Westindian labor and civic organizations, Article 12 of the proposed draft of the new Constitution was passed by a vote of 26 to 5 (with one blank) in the National Assembly. The opposition to this piece of legislation which would, in effect, create a racial barrier, where formerly none existed, to deprive those persons who already possessed Panamanian citizenship of the privilege came from a scant five legislators: Alfredo Alemán, Pablo Othon, Juan Galindo, J. M. Varela and Simon Vega.
Speaking for the Administration Foreign Secretary de Roux categorically denied that the “Prohibited Immigrant” clauses were inspired by racial antagonism, but that these persons had “proven” that they were inassimilable, and that the persons of this “restricted group” – that is, non-Spanish speaking “Negroes, Hindus, Chinese, and natives of Asia Minor and North Africa, were not of the stock which was desired to make up the national entity…and that Panama had the undisputed right to choose the racial stock in the new impulse which is being given to national unity.”
The Foreign Secretary, in fact, was supported in his arguments by the Secretary of Government and Justice, Ricardo de la Guardia, who reiterated that the clauses were not based on racial discrimination but for economic and social reasons; he said that Westindians presented a problem for Panama’s demographics due to their “fecundity.” He also made some pretty offensive and outrageous assertions that Westindians had “not made any contributions to Panama” except for their habit of bringing contraband from the Canal Zone into Panama.
In Deputy Othon’s stirring opposing argument he pointed to his own mixed Jamaican/Chinese parentage as proof that the group, which the Constitution sought to deprive of citizenship, was, in fact, assimilable. The response from some Assembly members was that he was a “brilliant exception to the general rule.” In substantiating his argument the legislator from Darien Province further presented copies of the constitutions of Mexico, Cuba and Colombia to show that none of the other Latin American countries had established barriers to citizenship on the basis of color or race. Othon also cited other prominent members from his province who were descended from the group the Constitution sought to disenfranchise.
Deputy Varela argued that nothing would be gained by depriving those persons who already enjoyed citizenship, but that, perhaps if they could be sent out of the country, this would provide a solution, but that since this could not be done, they would remain in the country harboring resentment and hatred because of their lack of status.
The heated debate even produced accusations from some sectors that some Deputies owed their seats to support from the members of this group of “undesirable persons,” bringing wails of outrage and protest from Deputies Leignadier and Anguizola who flatly stated that had never sought nor did they want the votes of the Antillean group.
The final vote on Clause 12 passed on its second reading and the memorial sent to the National Assembly signed by over 500 citizens of Westindian parentage was mentioned but was not read in its entirety. They could not get over their disappointment and fear for their own, as well as their children’s, future status in a country that had just conspired to disenfranchise them and pulled it off.
Pedro Rhodes and George Westerman would continue their determined battle to restore the citizenship status to their fellow Antillean brothers for the next seven years until in 1947, when Panama was reminded that it had signed a U.N. charter right after WW II that established that none of their member states could pass or maintain laws that prohibited or revoked the right to citizenship on the basis of race, color or national origin of their parents.
These two tireless advocates for their people’s rights presented the plight of the Panamanian born Westindians before the General Assembly of the U.N. in a stirring presentation authored by Pedro N. Rhodes and Panama was, subsequently, forced to back off on the enforcement of the “prohibited immigrants” clauses, thus paving the way for the present Constitution which was passed in 1972 and a little more liberal attitude towards their Westindian citizenry.
The “Fathers of the Republic,” however, have never apologised to the Westindian citizens for these past outrages and attempts to disenfranchise them. In future posts we will be amplifying on Don Pedro N. Rhodes and what became of this remarkable man.
Our search and this story continues.
Amazing how today we hear the same last names when you talking about current politics in Panama. The same ruling families!! Democracy or oligarchy?
This may seem unrelated, but the events of January 9, 1964 was what divided the Silver People of Zone and those in the Republic of Panama. Of course, some of us were related and others closely related by marriage within our West Indian heritage. But if you were in the Zone like me, many simply accepted this second class non-alliance to either country as protection and comfort from the strident racism in Panama.
I remember watching from my bedroom window in Camp Coiner as the flames burned in Colon. I was sad and scared. I also remembered the stories of my father trying to get my chosen James Gordon Webster as my name and could not having to settle for a Hispanic name at the cedula office. I tell people I am Panamanian but not Hispanic which causes a lot of consternation among latinos here in the USA since I am seen as a USA sellout.
But my Zone West Indian friends have an equal disdain for my position that Panama and those martyred on that faithful day that began the change in the course of American colonialism were on the correct and moral path. In 1974, I gave an interview as a foreign student to the college paper and unequivocally stated Panama owned the Canal not the USA. I have relatives and friends who find that stance apalling to this day. Too bad.
I look at the conflicts in other lands where the ‘minority’ is cornered and stripped of citizenship and commercial rights, namely the Middle East, and I say to them: fight on! God and justice are on your side.
Ocho-Gritos,
I hear you! As to being divided, we the descendants of the Silver People know how to remain divided. But as to being Latino or having Hispanic names forced on our parents, the tide is turning, as Hispanics parents are seeking to have English names placed on their children.
However, one fact remains and that is that we “Silver People are unique” and this is the basis for my writings and research into our history and culture.
As you continue to read you will find out later on in future posts that my story bears some similarity to your story regarding “Spanish name.”
But, as far as Latinos in the US are concerned with their continual labelling and name calling, they have a history that I will get to in my experiences as I watched and heard them act and take sides with the same sell-out attitude with the racists of the good old USA of the KKK. Yes, because most of them might have discovered that they have African and Indigenous blood in their “royal blood line.”
To you my brother I salute with a hearty “We reach!”
RR
Although I grew up in the Canal Zone I have always felt very much a Panamanian. I used to be a die hard nationalist until recently. I have concluded that it is much better to be a citizen of the world than to be a provincial one.But I am still proud of being Panamanian and to have lived in the Canal Zone.
I believe because our status in the Canal Zone was really uncertain in terms of years, (many of us knew that the Canal Zone lifestyle was coming to a fast end)many Black Zonians like their White counterparts were apprehensive and had become very bitter.
In my house I often would get into serious discussions with my parents. They were born during the twenties and I have always felt they resented that their citizenship was denied and questioned.Ironically my parents never had any interest in leaving Panama or even visiting the U.S..To the end they resulted to be die hard Panamanians.
I came of age during the so called revolutionary period and felt that the U.S. presence in Panama was an insult to our country’s sovereignty.I participated in marches and was very much involved.
I am not impressed with what Panama is becoming today.For the past few years Panama has been inviting investors from all across the globe to live and do business there.In a few years Panama will be like the average Latin American country where the children of foreign born whites will accentuate their power and take over.
To kick the gringos out and then to be dominated by another set of people whose interests lie outside of the country is dumb and it leaves Panama back to square one.
I am not very impressed with Latin Americans in the States or abroad.
I blame latinos for not fighting hard enough to effect real social, political and economic change at home in Latin America.
Saludos,
Anita Cumberbatch
Pablo Othon was my Grandfather =)
To Pablo Othon's grandson,
Glad you stopped by and left a note. Your grandfather was quite outspoken and courageous during that historical moment. He must have led a very eventful life as a legislator in Panama during such trying times for the Panamanian Westindian people.
Would have liked to know more about him and his work.
RR