St. Uriah Spiritual Baptist Church

Tubal Uriah ‘Buzz’ Butler was born in Grenada. Butler migrated to Trinidad and Tobago after the end of World War I. Butler was a Spiritual Baptist preacher. His activist career was born when he became a supporter of the Trinidad Labor Party under the leadership of Captain Arthur Andrew Cipriani. Cipriani was a former Captain of the British West India Regiment; however, Butler soon became agitated and dissatisfied by Cipriani’s cool approach.

He felt that it was his duty to raise the expectancy of workers in the oilfields and from hence he began to defend the rights of oilfield workers against oilfield employers. These oilfields were located in the southwestern part of the island and provided jobs for families in areas such as Fyzabad, Point Fortin, Siparia, La Brea, Erin, Palo Seco etc.

In 1935, oilfield workers employed at Apex oilfields joined Butler in a hunger march from Fyzabad to Port of Spain. They marched for better working conditions. However, Butler’s approach was obviously different to that of his leader and eventually he resigned from the Trinidad Labor Party and formed his own party the British Empire Worker’s and Citizen’s Home Rule Party.

However, Butler’s desire and fire within him that oilfield workers be given a better share of the oil revenue soon put him in trouble with the colonial masters. His approach was deemed extremely militant and in May 1937 he was arrested and charged with sedition and inciting a riot as a direct result of a speech he made to oilfield workers at Fyzabad. Butler was then issued a summons to appear in court on June 14^th when he failed to appear before the courts, on June 19^th while making a speech to workers at Fyzabad police attempted to arrest him. The police came up upon resistance from Butler’s followers and as a result a series of riots occurred.

Among the fatalities was a police inspector, Charlie King. The riots not only affected operations in the oilfields, it spread to the sugar factories. Butler went into hiding for a few months but later gave himself up to authorities. He was freed on the charge of sedition but was convicted on the charge of inciting a riot and was sentenced to two year in prison.

When World War II broke out in 1939, Butler was rearrested and remained in detention for approximately six years. The colonial masters said that they saw him as a security threat. However, neither Butler’s spirit broken nor did the support of his followers dwindled during his incarceration period. This incarceration became the birthing place of his desire to enter into active politics and formed the Butler Home Rule Party.

In 1950, in the general elections Butler’s Party won six seats as representative for St. Patrick West in the Legislative Council. However despite the fact that his party had legitimately won the largest block of seats in the elections, he was cheated out of his victory namely the title Chief Minister by the governor of the island and Butler’s nemesis, Albert Gomes, was instead given the title.

In 1956, Dr. Eric Williams, who was a former Howard University Professor, and his People’s National Movement defeated Butler at the national general elections.

To date, Tubal Uriah ‘Buzz’ Butler is the hero of Trinidad and Tobago’s working class. Not only is the former Princess Margaret Highway named after him but also there is a church located at New Village, Point Fortin named in respect of him. That church is, St. Uriah Spiritual Baptist Church. The day marking the June 19^th riots have been turned into a national holiday called Labor Day and all labor unions and their membership travel to Fyzabad for the occasion.

According to Mother Hilarie Debbie Mills, Tubal Uriah ‘Buzz’ Butler was a Spiritual activist. In an interview with the Spiritual Baptist Online News Magazine, Mother Debbie acknowledged that her church, St. Uriah Spiritual Baptist church was named in honor of the Tubal Uriah ‘Buzz’ Butler. She explained, “My spiritual father and founder of the church was 'Teacher' George Mills. He was the one who chose to name the church after Butler.”

She continued, “According to ‘Teacher,’ Butler, despite his zeal as an activist, always would pitch a tent for him and his supporters to prayer. He was a prayerful person. Everything he did he would call on his followers to pray. Every event Butler had ended with a Baptist prayer service.”

Mother Debbie added, “Butler’s strongest supporters were women of the Spiritual Baptist religion. There are reports which state that often times the police would see Butler with a group of his supporters but when they (the police officers) drew closer he would disappear.”

Mother Debbie stated, “It was the Baptist women who saved him those times. Dressed in their long dresses and wide aprons they would form a curtain and shield him from the police while he ducked away and the men in the background would take him away hastily into a waiting car.”

She explained, “‘Teacher’ lived in New Village, Point Fortin, the village Butler founded. His first church was below his house. As a result of the need to expand the church he ended up at the present location with a tent. When ‘Teacher’ expressed his decision to name the church after Butler everyone in the village was happy. They were all aware that this same village Butler had founded during his early years as an activist.”

But has she ever had any queries as to why her leader chose to recognize Butler as a saint?

Mother Debbie replied, “After ‘Teacher’ died the church was handed over to me. One day I was approached with this very question and I decided to mediate on the question.”

She continued, “There was a feast taking place in the church at the time (not a feast pertaining to that of the Orisa religion) and it was during its third day that I got the revelation. The revelation came in the form of a question as to why an individual cannot be named a saint while they are alive. Butler had a legacy behind him both spiritual and carnal.”

Mother Debbie added, “Butler negotiated for the working class nationwide. Even in New Village he negotiated with the government for the villagers to have houses and for an extra piece of land for the villagers to plant a vegetable garden to feed his/her family. He told the villagers that they would have food always if they planted. Today every villager in New Village is proud to say that they posses their own house.”

Sources: Malik, Yogendra K. 1971. East Indians in Trinidad. Oxford University Press; Meighoo, Kirk. 2003. Politics in a Half Made Society: Trinidad and Tobago, 1925-2002; trinbagopan.com/TubalUriah1.htm.

Other Articles: