July 3, 2006 – With Cruz Bay Park's Freedom statue standing tall in a sea of vendors' umbrellas, St. John celebrated Emancipation Day Monday as part of its July 4th Celebration. The St. John Festival and Cultural Organization called the event Cultural Day.
While most of the park was given over to vendors selling all manner of goods, the bandstand served as the setting for Cultural Day activities.
Several dozen people gathered to watch a short play remembering the first Emancipation Day on July 3, 1848, in Frederiksted. Written by St. John resident Gilbert Sprauve, the play featured a group of residents playing out the events leading up to emancipation.
"Freedom," chanted the actors.
St. John resident J'Nay Penn, who was part of the cast's youth ensemble, explained why Emancipation Day was important to her. "We were freed," she said.
Gloria Samuel of St. John, who had a seat on a park bench under a shady tree, said it was important for people to celebrate Emancipation Day. "I don't think it's taught in the schools," the retired teacher said.
St. John resident and amateur historian Chuck Pishko said he thinks Emancipation Day is one of the most important days in history. He said that while the former slaves were freed, their lot in life didn't change all that much because they had to sign one-year labor contracts.
Pishko said that when the October Contract Day rolled around, the plantation owners got the workers drunk and hid the boats so they couldn't get off St. John.
He said that an ad listing Enighed Plantation for sale two years after the 1848 Emancipation included an index of all the plantation's workers included in the sale.
Meanwhile, St. John began heating up for the July 4th Celebration finale on Tuesday. Cars overflowed parking lots along the North Shore beaches, it was hard to find a spot to park at the Marketplace shopping center and Cruz Bay streets were busy with shoppers.
"We wanted to explore the island," Puerto Rico resident Samantha Persad said. She and her family had their boat anchored on St. Thomas.
The temperature in Cruz Bay was hot, hot, hot as the Caribbean sun beamed overhead.
Vendor Anetha Barton said, "It's either hot or raining. Only under the shade do you feel cooler."
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