ST. CROIX — The organizers of the Liberty Day celebration for nearly 40 years passed the torch to new volunteers during the annual ceremony held today in Estate Grove Place to maintain the tradition that honors the legacy of David Hamilton Jackson, a champion of free press and labor rights in the former Danish West Indies.
Raymond Williams, who has organized the annual event through the years with other members of the Grove Place Action Committee, said it was time for them to step down and let the next generation take over. He was appreciative that new blood stepped up to the challenge.
“It gives me great hope,” Williams said. “It tells me that they’ve been listening all these years and they recognize the importance of having this activity continue.”
Denise Lewis, a cousin of Williams, is also stepping down from organizing the event. She said it was important that new volunteers are willing to keep the tradition alive.
“It’s our history,” she said. “If you don’t know where you come from, you don’t know where you’re going.”
In addition to members of the Williams family, Lewis noted other families who have helped organize the annual ceremony include the Henrys, Benjamins, Byrons, Hurleys, and Whites.
“It takes the community of Grove Place,” she said.
The new volunteers are part of the Williams family and the Grove Place community. They are Jennell Petersen and her daughter, Jahlequah Forde, as well as Jaynilah Williams, Jaynae Williams, and Jaynesha Williams. Raymond Williams introduced the mother and daughter, as well as Jaynilah Williams as the new organizers during today’s ceremony.
“These young ladies have decided to step up and take on that valiant call to lead and continue to lead, not just the organization per se, but to make sure that tomorrow, next year, and the years as long as God provides, that they’ll be here to make sure that Liberty Day lives on,” he said.
Forde, who works with the Meals on Wheels program at the Virgin Islands Department of Human Services, naturally stepped up as a volunteer to keep the ceremony going.
“I’m from Grove; this is my home,” she said after the ceremony. “I want to give back to the community.”
Jaynilah Williams, who teaches the Jobs for America’s Graduates program at St. Croix Educational Complex High School, spoke after the ceremony about the importance of celebrating Liberty Day each year.
“It does mean a lot to carry on the tradition and let the future generation know that D. Hamilton Jackson Day, or Liberty Day is very influential in our community,” she said.
Petersen, who works for Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Services, said the new organizers want to make the annual celebration bigger and better, adding that the ladies would like to recruit some men to help them.
“Being able to carry on this tradition is to be able to celebrate history and also teach the upcoming children the significance of David Hamilton Jackson,” she said after the ceremony.
Jackson, who lived from September 28, 1884 to May 30, 1946, was a noted labor rights advocate in the former Danish West Indies who established the St. Croix Labor Union in 1915. He traveled to Denmark to successfully petition for freedom of the press to remove Danish censorship of publications in the territory. He returned to the territory to publish the first free newspaper, The Herald, on November 1, 1915. Liberty Day, or D. Hamilton Jackson Day, is subsequently celebrated on November 1. Jackson was also an educator, lawyer and federal judge for a decade who was appointed to the bench in 1931 by then-President Herbert Hoover.
The ceremony was sparsely attended compared to previous years as about 25 people sat on the benches and at the tables scattered throughout the park, which is named in honor of Jackson. Those who did attend did not have to wait too long in line for the traditional serving of bull and bread with a side of potato stuffing.
After acknowledging the low turnout, Raymond Williams noted the event is traditionally held in observance of Liberty Day on November 1, but it got postponed due to forecasted rain to ensure the safety of the community. The abbreviated ceremony included remarks from Lewis and Raymond Williams, as well as from the lieutenant governor and Senate president.
Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach acknowledged the influence Raymond Williams and Lewis had on the new organizers.
“When you have inspired them by your good work to come forward and say we believe in what you do, we believe in the people who you honor, and we want to be a part of making that continue, when you have done that, when you have had that inspiring effect particularly on young people, that is no small thing,” Roach said.
Senate President Novelle Francis Jr. acknowledged the commitment shown by the new organizers.
“It makes me redouble my efforts to advance education, health care, government accountability and other quality of life issues that affect our community,” he said. “That is the legacy of David Hamilton Jackson; that we are all inspired to carry the torch that he passed forward, always moving with a purpose towards a community and a government that serves and meets the needs of our people.”
Francis said Virgin Islanders are charged with the responsibility of working together for the betterment of the community.
“That is why we celebrate the life and legacy of David Hamilton Jackson,” he said. “We carry the torch.”
Jaynae Williams, a seventh-grade math teacher at John H. Woodson Junior High School, said she wanted to help organize future Liberty Day ceremonies to carry the torch for the rest of the Williams family and the Virgin Islands. She said the annual event sets an example for young Virgin Islanders. She said many of her students know about Liberty Day but stressed that they need to be able to experience the celebration.
“They need to continue to have a sense of pride about their culture and history in order for them to be better citizens and for us to have a better Virgin Islands,” she said.
