Thomas Vincent Ramos, commonly known as T. V. Ramos, (17 September 1887 – 13 November 1955) was a

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

an civil rights activist who promoted the interests of the

Garifuna The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and Amerindian ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and traditionally speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language. The Garifuna ...

people, and is now considered a national hero.

Background

T. V. Ramos was born in

Puerto Cortés Puerto Cortés, originally known as Puerto de Caballos, is a port city and municipality on the north Caribbean coast of Honduras, right on the Laguna de Alvarado, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, with a natural bay. The present city w ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

, on 17 September 1887 and was educated at Wesleyan Methodist primary schools in Stann Creek Town,

British Honduras British Honduras was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America — specifically located on the southern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony — renamed Belize from June 1973

(now Dangriga, Belize), and

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

. He took correspondence courses in business administration, public speaking, journalism and accountancy. Ramos married Elisa Marian Fuentes in 1914. He moved permanently to Stann Creek Town in 1923 but did not formally become a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

subject until one year before his death in 1955.

Social activist

After moving to British Honduras, Ramos became a school teacher. He was also a visionary leader. Concerned about the systematic neglect of health facilities for Garinagu in Stann Creek Town, he founded the Carib Development and Sick Aid Society and later the Carib International Society, which had affiliations in

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

and

. The purpose of the Carib Development Society was to help the sick and to assist those who need financial assistance to bury their dead. The society owns of land that was called the Carib Reserve at Sarawee in the Stann Creek valley. He lobbied successfully for the colonial authorities to provide native Garifuna nurses in the local hospital. Ramos was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, a preacher, and wrote several Garifuna hymns. Some of them are sung each year at his memorial.Ramos, Adele
"52nd tribute to T.V. Ramos"
''

Amandala ''Amandala'' is a Belizean tabloid newspaper. Published twice weekly, it is Belize's largest newspaper. ''Amandala'' was established in 1969 as the print organ of the now-defunct United Black Association for Development (UBAD), but has been poli ...

'', 18 November 2008. (accessed 22 May 2015) T. V. Ramos was a contemporary of

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) (commonly known a ...

, and was involved in Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association. He fought discrimination against Garifuna people, including all Afro-Belizeans. He was founder of the Independent Manhood and Exodus Uplift Society and the Colonial Industrial Instruction Association. He was a prolific contributor to the newspapers. For example, writing in the ''Belize Independent'' on 21 January 1942 Ramos complained of the brutality of some Wesleyan School teachers towards their students, and the immorality of some of the female pupil teachers. In 1940, as leader and spokesman of the Garifuna people along with Pantaleon Hernandez and Domingo Ventura he approached the governor of the colony and asked for establishment of a public and bank holiday to observe the Garifuna arrival in Belize. The request was granted and the Carib Disembarkation Day, later named Garifuna Settlement Day, was first celebrated in

Stann Creek District Stann Creek is a district in the south east region of Belize. According to the 2022 census, the district had a population of 48,162 people. Its capital is the town of Dangriga, formerly known as "Stann Creek Town." Stann comes from "stanns," or s ...

on 19 November 1941. The holiday was recognized in Toledo District in 1943 and throughout the country in 1977.

Legacy

Ramos died on 13 November 1955 and was put to rest the following day. Since 1956, A torchlight parade has been held on 13 November every year in honor of his contributions to Belize and to his people. The parade is part of the week-long lead-up to the Garifuna Settlement Day that he established, which includes selection of Miss Garifuna, parades and special church services, and The T. V. Ramos Classic Bike Race. His granddaughter

Adele Ramos Adele Ramos is a Belizean poet, author, journalist and publisher. She is assistant editor of the Amandala, a widely circulated tabloid newspaper, published twice weekly. Biography Both her father and her grandfather, the Garifuna people, Garifuna ...

published a biography of T. V. Ramos in 2000. A statue of Thomas Vincent Ramos stands at the junction of Commerce and Front Streets in Dangriga. Ivan Ramos, a grandson, served as a member of the Belize House of Representatives from Dangriga from 2012 to 2015."Bye-Election In July! PUP Hon. Ivan Ramos Steps Down As Representative"

Tropical Vision Limited Tropical Vision Limited, or as it is locally known, Channel 7, is a Belize City based television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, ...

, 8 June 2015. (accessed 18 June 2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramos, Thomas Vincent 1887 births 1955 deaths Garifuna people Indigenous rights activists Caribbean pan-Africanists People from Cortés Department People from Dangriga Belizean Methodists British Honduras people of World War II British Honduras activists