Honorary Doctor of Laws

1 January 1979 marks the year McBurnie received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of the West Indies. The honor recognized the breadth of her contribution to Caribbean cultural life, extending far beyond the stage to education, institution-building, and the preservation of folk traditions.

This award was historically meaningful because it represented academic and institutional recognition of an artist whose work helped define Caribbean identity. McBurnie had spent decades challenging colonial hierarchies of taste and culture, insisting that folk dance, music, and performance deserved serious attention. An honorary doctorate from the region’s leading university signaled that her efforts had become part of the intellectual and civic foundations of the Caribbean.

The honor also reflects barriers McBurnie overcame as a woman and as a Black Caribbean cultural worker. In an era when women’s contributions to the arts were often under-archived or under-theorized, the award publicly affirmed her as a figure of national and regional importance. It crowned a career in which artistry, teaching, research, and leadership were inseparable, and it helped ensure her legacy within Caribbean higher education and cultural memory.