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Charlotte Amalie
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesJewels of the Virgin Isles – One Year Later

Jewels of the Virgin Isles – One Year Later

Jewels of the Virgin Isles is a feature series profiling Virgin Islanders in the diaspora who are excelling in their respective fields and/or positively representing the USVI abroad.

“I’m so proud to be from the V.I. … Virgin Islands nice, so nice.” These opening lyrics of the renowned hit song “Virgin Islands Nice” by reggae artist Pressure Buss Pipe have become the anthem for Virgin Islanders all around the globe. There is a certain sense of pride that swells in your chest as you sing along with the music and perhaps flash your V.I. sign, and proud we are.

As you sing those words or recite the lines of my father’s poem, “The Virgin Island Child,” you are immediately reminded that you are different, you are special, and you are privileged to be from a place nestled in the Caribbean Sea that has nurtured generations of talented individuals with a shared experience.

When I decided to bring this column to life on Nov. 1, 2013, it was to raise awareness about the incredible contributions that men and women from the U.S. Virgin Islands are making to American life and on an international scale. For the past 12 months you have been introduced to 25 incredible Virgin Islanders who are making their mark in sports, fashion, music, corrections, business, education, youth leadership and more.

They are products of the Virgin Islands and living proof that if you polish your jewels, they will sparkle; or in other words, if you invest in your youth, great things can be expected. Some of these individuals live their careers and, in some cases, their lives in the spotlight, but many are simply people who work quietly in the background to get things done.

I could not have imagined that the response to this column would be one of such unabashed celebration, pride and camaraderie. Your comments every two weeks have been a reminder that one’s work is often about the people who will be touched by the end product, and I am truly humbled by your support.

As the territory prepares to change the guard on its leadership in preparation for the future, it has become most evident that the Virgin Islands diaspora has a unique place in this transition and transformation. My goal with this column is to inspire those who read it and ignite a spark that will make us bold enough to do our part to make our home a better place to live, work and play whether we live there or not.

In year two, you will get to know a new selection of Jewels with a broad range of professional and personal backgrounds, and I look forward to telling their stories with the same passion and purpose that drives me today.

In closing, I once again leave you with the words of “The Virgin Island Child” poem to reflect on how your journey can be the polish that helps a young Virgin Islands child to sparkle as he or she follows in your footsteps.

Virgin Island Child
by Larry Sewer ©1979

I am a Virgin Island Child!
I am a jewel! However,
I cannot sparkle unless I
Am polished!
God, the maker of all
Solvents,
Created the greatest solvent
Of all…Care.
Care…can move
mountains.
Care…motivates my
Willingness to learn…
Care…expresses Love!

_
Loán Sewer is a marketing and tourism consultant and proud Virgin Islander who resides in Washington, D.C. She is also a founding member of the USVI Alliance Inc., an organization focused on reconnecting the Virgin Islands diaspora with the local community and host of the USVI Economic Development Summit on the U.S. mainland. Follow her on Twitter @LoTalksTourism or e-mail her at info@LoTalksTourism.com.

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