ASK the man in the street who Stephen Campbell is, and eleven times out of 10 you’ll get a blank stare.

In fact, ask some of our more learned citizens, and even then, you will be met with much head scratching and furrowed brows.
It is not the fault of the Government, though, that this information is not as commonplace as, say, the 6:30 dance is. To its credit, since the PPP/C government took power after the historic 1992 elections, it has done as much as it could to promote Stephen Campbell. Nevertheless, the task is still as challenging as when the first promotions started.
But, let’s start at the very beginning. Stephen Campbell is Guyana’s first Amerindian Member of Parliament (MP); or, as so many people spout, he is the first Guyanese of Amerindian descent to enter the Legislative Council of British Guiana.
Perhaps because we don’t have too many firsts to celebrate, it makes the importance of this one slow to be truly appreciated. This, of course, is compounded by the fact that we call attention to his historic achievement once per year; more precisely, during Amerindian Heritage Month. And because his achievement does not feature prominently in our history books, nor does it make for compulsory reading at any of the examinations the nation’s children sit every year, it is often forgotten or overlooked.
So we do the next best thing: Every September for the past few years, we gather some children together to be addressed by the President or Prime Minister, with a few Ministers and a permanent secretary or two in tow. We send out invitations to “prominent Amerindians” and the media, and our congregating is complete with refreshments stashed at the Umana Yana for the ‘The Stephen Campbell Lecture Series”.
This year, Amerindian Affairs Minister Mrs. Pauline Sukhai was away on business, so Permanent Secretary Nigel Dharamlall spoke instead at the Stephen Campbell Lecture Series.  This was followed by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds making a speech, and there were dances by the Mainstay Cultural Group. A video message from Campbell’s son, David, was shown; and a small exhibition, featuring the celebrant and other pioneering Amerindians, was declared open by Prime Minister Hinds.
When anyone dies, we attempt to measure and evaluate their life; openly sometimes, surreptitiously at other times. Stephen Campbell’s life cannot be measured by a single act.
Sure, first Amerindian Member of Parliament is huge. That he did not possess the academic credentials that are often the staple for Members of Parliament is also big. But to this writer it is what his achievement spawned that is worthy of praise.
And the fruits of his achievement are obvious in the faces of Amerindians who now enjoy land titles, given out under this Government long after Campbell’s death and removal of the previous regime.
It is echoed by his son David in his famous song, Kabakaburi Children, which has a mari mari rhythm flowing through it that stays true to Stephen’s call for his people to never forget their cultural heritage.
It is glaring in the achievements of other Amerindians, like the late Education Minister Dr. Desrey Fox, who has more credentials than many of her counterparts. Then there is Vibert De Souza, Guyana’s first Minister of Amerindian Affairs, chosen by the late President of Guyana, His Excellency Dr Cheddi Jagan.
And now Guyana has its first Head of State of Amerindian descent in President Donald Ramotar.
And there are others: artists, journalists, radio presenters, singers, lawyers, doctors, and perhaps least expected and still a thing of wonder — police officers!
If truth be told, however, many of the issues that Stephen Campbell fought for are still challenges today. Amerindians are still not fully integrated in mainstream Guyana. They still struggle with national acceptance and labels, and many coastlanders still don’t understand the dances or the need for the grass skirts. Obvious, too, is the slow loss of the Amerindians’ traditions, culture and language; many Amerindians have Portuguese and/or Spanish as their first or second language, and their economic development is still to take off.
But there has been progress, most of which has taken place under the government of the PPP/C. The Amerindian Act of 2006 is part of that progress, and it assures Amerindians of the right to land, leases, environmental protection, intellectual property rights, and the legal right to engage in traditional mining. Under this Act, Amerindians also get to determine who is allowed to use their lands, and on what terms.
All this progress was once just a longing of Stephen Campbell’s, but is now a reality for his people. And that’s the real legacy of Stephen Campbell.