The final day of inaugural events gave Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach the chance to engage residents on St. Croix in conversations about the future, and their goals for the next four years in office.
In speeches delivered in the historic Buddhoe Park, both used their deep familial ties to the island to underscore their love for the St. Croix community, and their commitment to resolve some of the deep-seated issues – a lack of affordable intra-island travel options, for example – that have impacted the quality of life of its people.
“I love St. Thomas, and I love St. John, and I love St. Kitts, but St. Croix is hallowed ground because the remains of great-grandmother are in these grounds and this makes St. Croix a very special place for me,” Roach said to a round of applause from the audience.
The rich legacy left by historic figures, from Hubert Henry Harrison through Tim Duncan, makes the island a source of pride for many others as well, and Roach said that banding together to rebuild and heal after natural disasters and a global pandemic will help return St. Croix — and the territory as a whole — to its former glory.
“We were once a beacon of hope for the entire Caribbean, we were once at the center of the world — the world needs us again, as we need each other, we must become that village that we once were,” the lieutenant governor said.
The V.I. National Guard’s 73rd Army Band belted out “The Governor’s Own” as Bryan took the podium and added his own story of moving to St. Croix from St. Thomas in 1982.
“Without that move, I don’t think I would have been governor today,” Bryan said, speaking about his father’s decision to relocate the family. “Every chance I got, I used to talk about St. Thomas … and then, something changed and I feel deeply in love with St. Croix. And the thing about falling in love with St. Croix is that it’s not in comparison to or against St. Thomas. St. Croix is a totally different place and … we have to embrace our differences to appreciate all of us.”
With most of the rest of the family on St. Thomas, Bryan said he and his brothers were able to create a family, which inspired him to move back home after college and serve.
“Doing this is like a love, it’s a passion,” he said, speaking about those, like his Chief of Staff Karl Knight and Office of Disaster Recovery head Adrianne Williams-Octalien, who have influenced, over decades, his community and political work, and helped to “raise up” others along the way.
“I just want to say thank you to those individuals, thank you to the Virgin Islands, for helping me to live my dream, because I do — I live it every day,” the governor said.
