News — #BuyBlack

The Bussa Rebellion was the largest slave revolt in the history of Barbados. The rebellion took its name from the African-born slave, Bussa, who led the uprising. The Bussa Rebellion was the first of the three major slave uprisings that took place in the British West Indies between the U.S. abolition of the slave trade in 1807 and general emancipation by the British in 1838. The two other rebellions occurred in the Crown colony of Demerara-Essequibo (now part of Guyana) in 1823, and Jamaica in 1831.

Enslaved people began planning the revolt after the Barbadian House of Assembly discussed and rejected the Imperial Registry Bill in November 1815, which called for the registration of colonial slaves. Believing this registration would make their lives more difficult, enslaved people began to secretly meet in February to plan the uprising in April.

The organization and leadership of the rebellion evolved on a number of sugar cane plantations, with each estate choosing its insurrection leader. The Simmons Plantation, one of the largest on the island, had three leaders: John Grigg, Nanny Grigg, and an enslaved person known only as Jackie. The Bailey Plantation uprising was led by four enslaved people: King Wiltshire, Dick Bailey, and enslaved men, Johnny and Bussa. The revolt was named after Bussa. The planning and organization of the rebellion was accompanied by a propaganda campaign orchestrated by three free literate black men: Cain Davis, Roach, and Richard Sarjeant. Davis held meetings with slaves from different coastal plantations where he coordinated the rebellion plans and shared rumors. Sarjeant played a similar role, mobilizing rebels in the central parishes. The final day of planning took place at the River Plantation on Good Friday night April 12, 1816.

The rebellion started on Easter Sunday night April 14, 1816. It broke out with cane fields being burned in St. Philip parish, signaling to other rebels in the central and southern parishes that the rebellion had begun. It quickly spread from St. Philip to neighboring parishes which also experienced cane field burnings, but as yet the local militia had not confronted the rebels.  In the first days of the rebellion, over seventy estates were affected, forcing white owners and overseers to flee to Bridgetown, the colonial capital, in panic. Despite the scope of the rebellion, only two whites were reported killed.

The rebellion was short-lived. Martial law was declared on April 15, 1816. It was suppressed by local militia and British imperial troops which ironically included slave soldiers. The governor of Barbados, Sir James Leith, reported that by September, five months after the rebellion ended, 144 people had been executed. Seventy people were later sentenced to death while 170 were deported to neighboring British colonies in the Caribbean. Alleged rebels were also subject to floggings during the entire eighty days of martial law.

We catch up with some members of the Public in London and ask them what they think of Black Parenting. Interview by Mathew Roache

South Africa's skin bleaching scandal: Unreported World went to South Africa where the use of controversial skin bleaching creams is on the rise in a new generation. Despite strict laws banning dangerous chemicals they're widely available and are making people ill. Reporter Tania Rashid met a celebrity who endorses skin bleaching despite the risks and some of those that are trying to end the trade. VIDEO BY Unreported World

Facebook is launching a three-month "Season of Support" initiative for small businesses — starting with a campaign to highlight Black-owned businesses, which are closing twice as fast as others during the pandemic.

The #BuyBlackFriday initiative includes toolkits and other resources for Black-owned businesses, new Facebook app features encouraging people to share posts supporting these businesses, as well as a weekly Friday show featuring owners, entertainers and musical artists.

"Black-owned businesses have been hit especially hard by the pandemic," Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, wrote in a Thursday blog post announcing the new initiative. "But we know that millions of people want to help."

The campaign runs from from October 30 through November 27, the retail industry's Black Friday. Facebook (FB) will spotlight a Black-owned entrepreneur on the live #BuyBlack Friday Show each week, and the company is also offering events and resources through its app and a Lift Black Voices hub.

Black-owned businesses can request a toolkit to amplify the #BuyBlack campaign, and later this month Facebook will release a #BuyBlack Friday Gift Guide featuring products in a variety of categories.

Facebook in June announced a broader $100 million initiative to help support Black communities, and it has set a goal to spend at least $1 billion with diverse suppliers beginning next year. In August the company launched a $40 million grant program for Black-owned businesses, and new user features include an option on the Businesses Nearby tool for companies to self-designate as Black-owned.

In her blog post, Sandberg pointed out that during the pandemic Black-owned businesses have closed at twice the rate of White-owned businesses, which has already forced more than 100,000 small businesses across the country to permanently shut down.

Studies show Black entrepreneurs have struggled the most to stay in business as they typically have less reserve capital and receive less aid from banks and the federal government.

Meanwhile, the lockdowns have enabled retail giants like Amazon (AMZN), Walmart (WMT) and Target to dramatically increase their profits, due in part to reduced competition. And retail and consumer goods analysts expect US consumers -- wary of large crowds and the risk of catching Covid-19 -- to do more online shopping than ever before this holiday season.

That environment will be "immensely challenging" for small businesses and Black-owned businesses in particular, Sandberg wrote.

"We will be working closely with the US Black Chambers, an influential network of Black entrepreneurs, to encourage people to #BuyBlack over the holidays," she added, "and we are confident that millions of people will want to join in."

Still, Facebook has not been immune to the world's reckoning with racism. This summer a Black manager at Facebook and two other Black people who applied for jobs there filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for alleged discrimination.

July brought a boycott led by the social justice group Color of Change and the media activist group Free Press, whose supporters took issue with how Facebook has policed hate speech and misinformation on its platforms. The controversy grew after Facebook did not take action on a series of racially charged posts made by President Donald Trump, including one that said "looting" during the racial justice protests that erupted after George Floyd was killed would lead to "shooting."