Screen grab of a photo of Makandal Daaga, which was included in a tweet about his passing by CNC3 News. Political activist Makandal Daaga, who led Trinidad and Tobago's 1970 Black Power Revolution, has died. Inspired by Pan-Africanism as well as the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, Daaga (formerly known as Geddes Granger) began agitating for social change in his own country. Formed in February 1969 on the St. Augustine campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Daaga's political party, the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), sought to challenge the status quo. That year, UWI students would also protest in solidarity with students of Canada’s Sir George Williams University, who staged a sit-in to protest unfair treatment, allegedly because of racism. With the arrival of the police, what began as a peaceful protest in Montreal escalated into one of the largest and most contentious student occupations in Canadian history; several West Indian students were arrested. Trinidad and Tobago's government of the day, led by the country's first prime minister, Dr. Eric Williams, did not welcome these demonstrations of support, but the local movement was already underway and growing. Marches and protests were happening regularly. The government attempted to assuage the growing discontent over social inequity by introducing measures to relieve unemployment, including the establishment of the first locally-owned commercial bank. But it was too little, too late: the Black Power movement already had the support of the trade unions, as well as disenfranchised youth from poor and rural communities. “The National Commercial Bank (NCB) was unveiled on July 1, 1970 about four months after the Black Power uprising exploded in Port of Spain.” Photo from flickr user Angelo Bissessarsingh, used under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license. Tensions escalated after police killed a protestor. Sugar cane workers (critical to the country's then economy) went on strike. The prime minister declared a state of emergency and arrested leaders of the movement, including Daaga. This action was met with a mutiny led by certain officers of the country's defence force, who eventually surrendered. Because of the efforts of Daaga and his compatriots, however, the status quo did change: black Trinidadians were finally being hired for positions based on merit rather than being barred from opportunity because of the colour of their skin. Daaga would later be instrumental in the campaign to have August 1 declared a public holiday, both regionally and globally, to mark Emancipation Day. “Trinidad, 1970: Smoke billows as the spirit of Black Power rages in Port of Spain, ushering in a new social paradigm and eroding the old colonial establishment.” Photo from flickr user Angelo Bissessarsingh, used under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license. As the news of Daaga's death hit social media, netizens acknowledged his contributions to Trinidad and Tobago society. On Twitter, Patricia Worrell noted: There is no doubt that his efforts and leadership contributed to significant social change in T&T. We owe him a lot. — Patricia Worrell (@bytesdog) August 8, 2016 Other Twitter users also paid their respects: #MakandalDaaga was the definition of blooming where you're planted. Thanks for leaving our country better than you found it. 🙏🏾 #RIP — Trace (@pacewithtrace) August 8, 2016 RIP #makandaldaaga you have contributed a lot to the african diaspora. Thank you. — Briele Johnson (@Itsjustbriele) August 9, 2016 Makandal Daaga was a patriot, warrior, intellectual, a man out for change who never left his Laventille. RIP brother pic.twitter.com/DTj1reGICu — Josanne Leonard (@josanneleonard) August 9, 2016 The prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley, also issued a statement, saying: He was not afraid to challenge the status quo, speak up against injustice and advocate for equality. Over the years, Daaga continued to align himself with Laventille, the mainly Afro-Trinidadian community where he was born, and where he lived until his death. While having produced some of the country's brightest minds and creative geniuses, the area has also been labelled a criminal “hotspot”. In fact, under the country's previous People's Partnership (PP) administration, of which Daaga's NJAC was a part, the residents of the area were targeted during a state of emergency that was ostensibly called to deal with the surge in violent crime. Facebook user Rhoda Bharath reminded people of Daaga's deafening silence during that time: 8000 persons, 80% of whom were young black males from single parent homes, were detained and arrested. No charges laid against them. Daaga remained silent and held on to his position as Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary.