In Memoriam: Courtney N. Blackman

Abstract

Courtney Newlands Blackman was a prominent black economist who lived a meaningful, purposeful, well-ordered life of public service. Although he is perhaps best known as the founding governor of the Central Bank of Barbados and the Ambassador of Barbados to the United States, Blackman’s achievements included professional engagements in academia and international business. The unifying framework of his career was a search for theory and praxis to guide the transformation of Barbados from a colony dependent on agriculture to an independent nation with a diverse economy and a healthy democracy. By the time of Blackman’s death in March 2021, the World Bank classified Barbados as a high-income country (World Bank, 2021) and the United Nations reported that the island had achieved the highest human development index in the Caribbean (United Nations, 2020). Blackman’s role as an economic thinker and central bank governor who set a high standard for public service contributed significantly to this success. Blackman was born and received his early education in Barbados in the first third of the 20th century. An outstanding student, Blackman was awarded a scholarship to attend the University College of the West Indies in Jamaica, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Modern History. Blackman’s first professional engagement was in international business—with the Jamaican branch of the Aluminum Company of Canada (ALCAN) where he rose to the position of personnel director. Blackman then turned to teaching secondary school—first in Jamacia and then in Ghana, where President Nkrumah was crafting strategies to move the newly-independent nation towards full political independence and economic prosperity. Returning to Barbados, Blackman nurtured his growing interest in economic development, at times contributing opinion pieces for publication in the local press. Blackman had a keen intellect and an interest in the theoretical tools to guide development in the Caribbean. But he also had an interest in management and so he seized the opportunity to earn an MBA degree at the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico. Both Blackman and Michael Joshua from