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NPS Unveils Plaque Commemorating Slave Rebellion at Ram Head, St. John

Ahmad Toure, Visitor Service Program Manager, VI National Park Service, Angel Bolques, Senator-at-Large, Stacey Plaskett, Delegate to Congress, and Shikima Jones, St. John Administrator, are photographed with the newly unveiled plaque at St. John's Ram Head.
Ahmad Toure, Visitor Service Program Manager, VI National Park Service, Angel Bolques, Senator-at-Large, Stacey Plaskett, Delegate to Congress, and Shikima Jones, St. John Administrator, are photographed with the newly unveiled plaque at St. John's Ram Head.

ST. JOHN – Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett led a ceremony followed by a hike to Ram Head, the southernmost point of St. John on Sunday to unveil a plaque commemorating the 1733 slave rebellion.

The commemorative plaque is a result of H.R. 7496, a bill drafted by Plaskett and co-signed by Pennsylvania Representative Guy Reschenthaler.

According to Plaskett, Reschenthaler approached her after a trip to St. John where he had hiked the Ram Head trail in the Virgin Islands National Park and heard the history.

“He wanted to be supportive of a plaque and so he was an original co-sponsor with me, we presented it to the committee of jurisdiction, and we worked with a lot of other members who agreed this was important and we were able to get it passed,” she said.

During the brief ceremony, Plaskett became emotional.

Delegate to Congress, Stacey Plaskett, speaks before the group departs on the hike to Ram Head.
Delegate to Congress, Stacey Plaskett, speaks before the group departs on the hike to Ram Head.

“There is such a drive to wipe out history in our country, and without history and that truth our children can’t be strong,” she said.

Plaskett’s remarks echoed a common theme throughout the ceremony.

“History is contentious,” Hadiya Sewer, St. John Heritage Collective president, said. “The archives themselves often have limits, and it's usually people with privilege and power who get to create the historical record.”

WATCH: Ram Head Plaque Ceremony and Unveiling

Hadiya Sewer, PhD, Co-Founder & President of the St. John Heritage Collective, provides remarks prior to the hike to Ram Head.
Hadiya Sewer, PhD, Co-Founder & President of the St. John Heritage Collective, provides remarks prior to the hike to Ram Head.

Enslaved St. Johnians organized the first major battles of resistance against the European slave trade in 1733, according to the plaque. Led by Akwamu warriors and nobles, the rebels fought and controlled the Danish colony for almost six months before collaborative European forces regained control. Rather than be returned to enslavement, the fighters ritualistically took their own lives in the area of Ram Head.

Before the erection of the plaque there was no public acknowledgment of what happened in the 18th century on St. John, according to Plaskett.

“Today marks a special day that's been a long time coming,” Scott Simmons, Virgin Islands National Park acting superintendent, said.

“The National Park Service has not always fulfilled its duty to the people entirely or equally, but the agency is evolving and so is the Virgin Islands National Park,” Simmons said, adding that the plaque was a “significant step” in the park fulfilling its duty.

Despite the rain, about 45 people joined Plaskett for the hike, including a group of cadets from the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett throws up the VI sign as she poses for a photo with Ivana Eudora Kean High School's Junior ROTC students and their chaperone.
Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett throws up the VI sign as she poses for a photo with Ivana Eudora Kean High School's Junior ROTC students and their chaperone.

“It’s something we could think back on 10 years from now, and I could tell my siblings that I had been to this historic site,” Donna Issac, one of the students, said, adding that they had never heard of the 1733 slave rebellion prior to the JROTC trip.

Even though tourists were in attendance for the hike, Kathleen Ganster, of Pittsburgh, heard about the ceremony through the Virgin Islands National Park.

“It's important when you’re anywhere to know, understand, and respect history,” Ganster said.

Hikers trek to St. John's historical Ram Head location on Sunday.
Hikers trek to St. John's historical Ram Head location on Sunday.

Hikers braved intermittent squalls and steep, rocky terrain on the 2.7-mile hike to the point of St. John’s Ram Head trail. The clouds cleared at about noon, just in time for Ahmad Toure, NPS division chief of Interpretation, Education and Volunteers, to unveil the plaque.

Visitor Service Program Manager of the VI National Park, Ahmad Toure, unveils the Plaque at Ram Head, St. John.
Visitor Service Program Manager of the VI National Park, Ahmad Toure, unveils the Plaque at Ram Head, St. John.

The plaque features a conch horn, and a pair of crossed cane knives. Toure said the symbols represent freedom, courage, valor, and heroism. It also features an abridged history detailing the slave rebellion.

Plaque

Adian Brewer is the Interstitial Producer at WTJX. Brewer moved to St. Thomas before the hurricanes in 2017, and has a background in photography, videography and journalism. Before joining the team at WTJX, Brewer worked for local publications covering science and environmental issues. His true passion, however, is for filmmaking. And in 2023, Brewer won the award for best director for his short film The Fisherman’s Wife at the Paradise48 Film Festival. With his blend of creativity and journalistic rigor, Brewer is a valuable asset in the media landscape of St. Thomas, dedicated to delivering high-quality content that informs and engages audiences.<br/>Email: abrewer@wtjx.org
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