Tribute to Cortwright U. MarshallOn behalf of the United Progressive Party by Harold E. Lovell
August 28, 2024
Cortwright Uriah Marshall was born at an exciting time in the social, political and constitutional history of Antigua and Barbuda.
It was in 1960, the year of his birth, that the first major Antiguan case involving the working-class struggle was litigated all the way to the Privy Council. It was the case of VC Bird and others against Joseph O’Neal. That case set the precedent for the right of a trade union to picket the premises of an employer in furtherance of a trade dispute.
In 1960 the West Indies Federation was at its height and a sense of hope and optimism was in the air. Sadly, the Federation crashed two years later when Corty was still in diapers.
I cite these two historical events to highlight the lifelong commitment of Cortwright Marshall to the organizational rights of the working class and his faithful belief in the unity of the Caribbean people.
My first meeting with Corty was in 1978, the year when the Antigua Union of Teachers assumed an activist role under the leadership of Juno Samuel. Corty would have been only 18 years old, but he always had a sense of gravitas and sincerity. He marched, he picketed, and he stood firm with the Union. This steadfast resolve to follow the star of right and righteousness would remain with him to end.
A lifelong student and a lifelong teacher, Corty had a brilliant mind and was an intellectual who could hold his own in any forum. But his academic brilliance was never used for his own personal aggrandizement or for show. He was always a humble man who sought to understand the world in which we live. And his knowledge would be used only for the advancement of the people of Antigua and Barbuda.
Brother Corty’s contributions to the United Progressive Party were a labour of love, dedication, and hard work. He was central to many of our position papers and he also wrote many scholarly articles in the ACLM-aligned Outlet newspaper.
When the UPP was formed in 1993, he served as our first Assistant General Secretary. He later managed at least two constituency-election campaigns and managed the national campaign in 2014. Subsequently, he contested the 2018 elections and lost by a very slender margin.
Shortly after the UPP won the 2004 general elections, as Minister of Tourism, I brought Corty into the Ministry to serve as Director of Planning. He was a key figure in ensuring the success of the Cricket World Cup incentive projects. Under his watch, 41 small hotels, guest houses, and apartments were constructed in less than 18 months, with 95 percent local ownership.
Brother Cortwright went on to become the Director General of Tourism, responsible for product development and overseeing the entire technical team and overseas offices.
On a more personal note, Corty was a good friend of mine. We were comrades in arms in the ACLM and brothers in the UPP. Not given to frivolity or idle talk, he was a man with a mission to leave Antigua and Barbuda a better place than he met it.
To this end, he loved Jennings, Bolans, and the entire Republic of St. Mary’s South. He was a South man to the bone.
Cortwright Marshall’s desire for a unified Caribbean remains an elusive dream to be pursued and, hopefully, one day attained. The struggle for workers’ rights and empowerment was his passion, and that struggle continues. …
A fearless fighter and a drum major for justice has gone to be with the ancestors.
May his soul rest in peace.
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