Valerie Hart
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March 13, 1933
Georgetown, British Guiana
Vero Beach, Florida, U.S.
Valerie Hart | |
|---|---|
| President of the Essequibo Free State | |
| In office 28 December 1963 – 4 February 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Position dissolved |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Valerie Paul Hart March 13, 1933 Georgetown, British Guiana |
| Died | February 26, 2021 (aged 87) Vero Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Guyana's Amerindian Party (1967–1969) |
| Spouse | Harry Jim Hart |
| Occupation | Politician |
Valerie Aurelia Hart (March 13, 1933 – February 26, 2021) was a Guyanese indigenous political leader from the Wapishana ethnic group and a member of Guyana's Amerindian Party, opposed to the Forbes Burnham government; she ran for the 1968 general elections, although she was not elected. She was exiled after participating in the Rupununi uprising.[1][2][non-primary source needed]
Being a member of Guyana's Amerindian Party along with her husband's family, she was present at the First Conference of Amerindians Leaders, named the Cabacaburi Congress, that presented several demands to the Prime Minister Forbes Burnham representing the community of around 40,000 indigenous people of the region.[3]
In the 1968 Guyanese general election, Hart ran for a seat in the National Assembly of Guyana under The United Force party.[4]
On the morning of 2 January 1969, there was a peasant uprising against the authorities of the district and took public buildings, airports, and hostages. Valerie was named First President of the Essequibo Free State that immediately requested protection from the Venezuelan government of Raúl Leoni. That night, the rebellion was violently suppressed by Guyanese Defense Forces, resulting in the destruction of several indigenous homes, around 100 fatalities and the escape of many indigenous to Brasil and Venezuela.[5][better source needed]