7/24/2009 12:52:00 PM 400th anniversary should not be a white-wash of the stain of slavery on our island
Bermuda's 400th anniversary celebrations have focused on the Sea Venture and have been largely celebratory. But here, Rolfe Commissiong, head of Bermuda's Race Relations Initiative, insists we must examine the "dark pages" of our history.
The 400th year celebrations can be problematic for Bermudians of African and Native American ancestry.
Bermuda's discovery by the English via the Sea Venture wreck in 1609 is one in which non-whites played no role, although they now constitute more than two thirds of Bermuda's population.
For balance, we could be highlighting the story of Venturilla, the black seaman who first set forth on Bermuda during the discovery of the islands by the Spanish.
We could also incorporate the story of the first non-whites to live and work here.
These were a Native American and a person of African descent, who were brought here as servants to dive for pearls.
The Black and Native American story is virtually non existent or plays a secondary role in our anniversary celebrations. The Bermuda Race Relations Initiative's decision to bring in Professor Marcus Rediker redresses this critique, although it was not our intention consciously to do so.
We are extremely gratified with the attention to historical balance exhibited by local civic and other organizations.
This includes the Corporation of Hamilton honouring the 50th Anniversary of the Theatre Boycott and Progressive Group, by the commemoration of the Chesley Trott monument to the 1959 event.
Also, the National Trust is to be commended for presenting a historical depiction of the lives of slaves and slave owners at the Verdmont estate. We have come a long way since the days of Ms. Terry Tucker, an English historian of the 1940s and 50s. She asserted that slavery in Bermuda was benign, which bolstered the self-image of Anglo Saxon Bermudians but was a cruelly distorted view and an insult to generations of black Bermudians who had borne the brunt of slavery here.
Exploring the uncomfortable aspects of our history is vital for us to grow, heal and forge a common identity - one based upon mutual respect and appreciation of our common past. Our story should not be a black or white one but a Bermudian one.
