Feb. 9, 2007 — On a bright Friday morning in the courtyard of the Ron de Lugo Federal Building, a large gathering assembled to celebrate Black History Month with words, music, dance and demonstrations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nelson L. Jones began the morning with these words, “There is a lot of suffering in Africa, and we are blessed to live in a territory where we can safely congregate together and enjoy God’s blessings on our community. Let us celebrate.”
After renditions of the national anthem and the "Virgin Islands March" by Ledell Mulraine from Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, accompanied by Aben Marrero on steel pan, the brief morning program proceeded.
The official proclamation by President Bush was then read aloud: “The theme of this year’s African-American History Month: ‘From Slavery to Freedom: Africans to Americans,’ recalls African-Americans long journey to justice and commemorates the courage and persistence of the heroes who called our Nation to live up to our founding promise."
Started in 1926 as Black History Week by historian and educator Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the nation has been celebrating the contributions of black Americans for 81 years. Originally, the observance was the second week of February, which marked the birthdays of Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. It has since evolved into a monthlong observance celebrating the history, heritage, progress, achievements, richness and diversity of black Americans.
The principal speaker of the morning was Tarance F. Drafts III, area port director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. A 28-year veteran of international work for the federal government, Drafts has been in his current position for seven years.
The former karate champion quoted Socrates and Bob Marley and talked about the importance of learning black history. “Knowledge is like a garden. If it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested. In order to understand and appreciate who we are as a people and the direction we need to go, we need to know black history, regional history, Caribbean history and world history.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Hewlett handled the awarding of prizes to the winners of the U.S. Attorney’s Black History Month essay contest. First prize went to Desla Charlery, who received a $100 U.S. savings bond. Second and third prize went to Jahnyqa Lattin and Jakela Blake, both of whom received $50 bonds. All are students of J. Antonio Jarvis Elementary School on St. Thomas, where the U.S. Attorney’s Office has a mentoring program.
The Virgin Islands has a rich and unique history, as Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Hinds said in her remarks introducing the winners of the essay contest. “The St. John Revolt of 1733, the Fireburn of 1878, the labor and freedom of the press in 1916 — we have a proud tradition of activism in the Virgin Islands. Aside from Haiti, our people are the only black people to obtain our freedom by rebellion, not proclamation. We have our long active, resilient and proactive history to be as our guide. We come together to recognize these young historians and history-makers in our presence."
One of the morning’s highlights was a head-tie presentation by Ingerborg Marrero. “It is part of my responsibility to continue this art, because it is slowly dying.” She explained its history and, using Lattin as a model, she showed the techniques and many styles of head ties. A personable performer, she chided the audience, “You see it much more with the women of St. Croix, and we need to do something about that in St. Thomas”
In his invocation, Rev.Wycherley Gumbs said, “Look how far we have come in our years of toil, yet years of hope. We have a history of struggle, but also a history of overcoming. Those who were nameless now have been given a name and that is our name as well.”
The program ended with the audience singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” followed by a reception featuring a sampling of traditional foods with music provided by the Echo people.
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