Silver and Gold: Untold Stories of Immigrant Life in the Panama Canal Zone

The book is written by a distant relative of the Christian Clan of Antigua. As a person who is tracing my roots, this book informed me of relatives that have passed on. In addition, my parents instilled the same things in my siblings and I. Thank you for this journey back in time. It is very important that we tell our own stories...Blessings cuz....🙏🙏🙏

The book provides a factual account of the usual racist practice the US introduced wherever and whenever it went. While European whites and Caribbeans blacks did the same work the whites were paid in "gold" and the blacks in ". Acomodations for whites were extremely better than those for blacks who had to live in substandards housing. Same situation with schools and for Medical Attention.On page 50 the author clearly describes the situation as he states " Racial segregation was a USA born travesty in the Canal Zone and nowhere else in Panama did racism exist"As a proud Panamanian I am glad and grateful to Torrijos and President Carter for the treaty which returned our territory back to us and removed the indecency and travesty of the USA racial practices.Ricardo Newball

Having lived some of the good and bad experiences told in this book in the 50's until I left Panama in the 70's, I was able to learn more and be reminded of some of the history I learned growing up in school in what was Gamboa then Santa Cruz in the Canal Zone. My father was born in Barbados and came to Panama as a little boy. He worked hard all hours for the Dredging Division working on the Culebra Cut. I was a little disappointed that it was a small book.

An important story !! Well Told

Dr. Guillermo Airall wrote a very interesting account of growing up in the Panama Canal Zone. Years ago I spoke with Dr. Airall on the phone, because I was a neighbor and friend of his oldest sibling Olive Airall, who lived in Antigua. I appreciated his views on education making all the difference in his life. His parents sacrificed to insure he obtained an education. There were some sad insights into the inequality West Indians faced in Panama and sadly also in his military experiences. The photos of vintage postcards were interesting. It is a small booklet ( 87 pages-and 36 of those pages are vintage postcards). I read it in an afternoon.

Breathtaking.... Loved it...