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SKNTimes BLACK HISTORY MONTH — SKN HERO OF THE DAY

As Black History Month honours the builders of Caribbean consciousness, SKN Times recognises Charles Ashton Halbert—a scholar-activist whose influence was felt not through fiery speeches, but through books, ideas, and unwavering commitment to the upliftment of working people.

Born in 1880 in Bath Village, Nevis, Halbert was raised in poverty by a mother employed to the Parmenter family. Her faith in education proved transformative. Halbert earned his Standard Seven Certificate and became a pupil teacher, developing a lifelong love for reading that would later define his national legacy.

At just 16, Halbert began work as a store boy at the Charlestown branch of S. L. Horsford & Co. Ltd. By 1901, after the branch was acquired by R. B. Parmenter, he had risen to clerk-in-charge at Dieppe Bay—early evidence of discipline and intellectual promise. Like many Nevisians fleeing the collapse of the sugar economy, Halbert migrated to Santo Domingo in 1904, saving diligently before returning home in 1911.

Back in the Federation, Halbert worked in shipping and warehousing across Nevis and St. Kitts, yet never parted from books. With careful savings, he founded the Halbert Bookshop and Circulating Library at Fort and Central Streets in Basseterre, later opening a sister enterprise on Main Street, Charlestown. These were not ordinary shops. They stocked Black history, socialist and trade union literature, and works by Black authors and poets—materials rarely accessible in colonial society.

In Halbert’s quiet bookstore, portraits of Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie hung proudly—the only public space in Basseterre where such images were displayed. Young people came to browse; Halbert guided them to texts on Black achievement, African history, and self-worth. He donated books, school prizes, promoted scholarships, and later contributed articles to The Labour Spokesman. Though no orator, his impact on young minds was profound and enduring.

Halbert’s commitment to justice carried a cost. In 1940, during the Factory Workers’ Strike, he helped establish a food distribution centre in Irish Town to support struggling families. For this, shipping agents pressured his employers to terminate his services—an act that underscored his fearless solidarity with labour.

Following his death in 1971, the nation moved to honour his legacy. In 1972, the Charles Halbert Pavilion was named in his honour. For his lifelong service to the labour movement, he was recognised by Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw and The Labour Spokesman as the “Father of Labour.” The Public Library in Basseterre—a fitting tribute—now bears his name.

This Black History Month, SKN Times salutes Charles Ashton Halbert—a man who armed generations with knowledge, nurtured pride in Black identity, and proved that the quiet power of books can move a nation.