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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Op-ed

Op-Ed: Found Memories of Life in My Town Frederiksted

Perhaps it’s a common human experience, as we age, to reminisce about the past and feel a profound sadness for what no longer exists. A few months ago, I drove through Frederiksted, and there, I had to pause, overcome by a strong torrent of emotion. I cried like a helpless, abandoned child. Yes, I’m a grown man, and though I’m not ashamed (perhaps just a little), I wept uncontrollably for a few minutes.

Op-Ed: A Reimagined Virgin Islands

In the last few months, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced monumental awards for rebuilding critical infrastructure in the Virgin Islands related to destruction from hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The announcement of over $928 million for the rebuild of Roy L Schneider Regional Hospital, along with the previously announced $834 million for the Juan F. Luis Hospital, creates a tremendous opportunity to become a regional powerhouse for healthcare.

Op-Ed: In Search of a Constitution – The V.I. Needs Delegates

With changing demographics, the Virgin Islands of the United States needs to make it absolutely clear to its residents the territory does not have a Constitution, and it needs one to be ratified. But first, qualified delegates need to run to be seated as Delegates to the 6th Constitutional Convention. That election is set to take place this coming November 5, 2024.

State of the Territory | An Open Letter to Women: Navigating the Political Landscape with Resilience and Solidarity

As I embark on the task of expressing my journey in the realm of politics, I find myself traversing the tumultuous terrain that has defined my existence—a landscape marked by victories, challenges, and an unyielding quest for justice. It's a narrative that commences with the resounding echoes of my family's legacy, resonating through the corridors of power and shaping my destiny from an early age.

Op-Ed: It is Beyond Time to Make St. Croix’s Maroon Country a Territorial Park

At the 52nd Virgin Islands Agrifest in February, I met a very good friend of mine, Sean Krigger, who is the director of the Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office. Whenever we see each other, we always chat about the territory’s natural and cultural resources. Believe me, it is in our blood as native Virgin Islanders. He told me that he found a file about the Great Northwest of St. Croix, Maroon Country. Of course, I got all excited because for 41 years I have been fighting socially and politically to preserve this area.

Op-Ed: The Invisible Illness

Around the world, people are living with mental illness, and the resources and support needed to help this community of people are lacking. More specifically, these resources are almost non-existent right here at home in the territory. And on Tuesday, due to the minimal support we have, a man lost his life and another is possibly going to prison for murder. 

Op-Ed: The Time to Preserve Ham’s Bluff Lighthouse is Now

The other day, I got a text from a hiker friend of mine asking if I saw the picture of the lighthouse on the front page of a local newspaper. I did. I have written several articles over the years about preserving the historic lighthouse on Ham’s Bluff in the northwest corner of St. Croix, which is part of Maroon Country’s steep cliff wilderness area. In the 1990s, I took thousands of schoolchildren, and beyond that over the years, to this historic and sacred landscape of St. Croix.

Op-Ed: Remembering Ambassador Terence A. Todman, a Brilliant Virgin Islander

For this Black History Month, I will mention a Virgin Islander who served as a great diplomat and became an extraordinary ambassador for the United States government. His name is Terence A. Todman, the son of Racheal Callwood and Alphonso Todman, who was born on St. Thomas on March 13, 1926. He grew up during the U.S. Navy rule of these islands and the first appointed civilian governor of the Virgin Islands, Dr. Paul Martin Pearson.

Op-Ed: Coffee’s Long History in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Coffee originated from Africa. Its spread to the rest of the world can’t be contained in a book on how this plant influenced cultures globally. Today, the world cannot do without drinking coffee, which made its way to the Caribbean islands through colonization, trade, and cultivation.

Op-Ed: Confronting Colonialism Together, Virgin Islanders Attended Right to Democracy Summit in NY

Drs. Jessica Samuel and Hadiya Sewer share more about their experience at the Right to Democracy (RtD) Summit on U.S. Colonialism, which focused on coalition building, media literacy, decolonial advocacy, and philanthropy.

Op-Ed: An Ode to the St. Croix Avis

It was with a heavy heart to hear the news that the St. Croix Avis newspaper will cease publication in 2024 after 180 years serving the people of the Danish West Indies, now the United States Virgin Islands.

Op-Ed: Snakes in the V.I., from the Endangered to the Invasive

The other day, I got a text about snakes, particularly the red-tailed boa (Boa constrictor), which is becoming a major invasive species on the island of St. Croix. The text came from one of our local TSA officers. As I spoke to the person, it got me thinking to write an article about snakes, although I have written about snakes in the past. Then I really began to think and say, why not mention the Virgin Islands tree boa (Chilabothrus granti)?

Op-Ed: The Modernization of Estate Bethlehem’s Sugar Industry, Part 2

In the article prior to this one, I spoke about the Royal Commission in relationship to Estate Bethlehem becoming a modern sugar factory. Let us dig a little deeper into the history of the 19th century sugar industry of the Danish West Indies. We all should know that sugar from the colonies of the West Indies was processed into raw sugar and then shipped to different European countries where it was refined for consumption. During the 1800s, Great Britain dominated the sugar industry in the West Indies, both by shipping and refining, and tried to maintain that status.

Op-Ed: The Modernization of Estate Bethlehem’s Sugar Industry

I consider it a gift. Dr. Michael Connors gave me a book titled "The Sugar King Jacob Lachmann In the Skane and Danish West Indies Sugar Industries," written by Bengt Lachmann. As a cultural historian, I love reading, research, and passing knowledge and the history of these islands to the next generation of Virgin Islanders. I found the book of interest because it shed some light on Estate Bethlehem’s modern sugar industry.

Op-Ed: Endangered Agave Plants are Not the USVI’s Unofficial Christmas Trees

Some people thought the Agave eggersiana was our traditional cultural Christmas tree. It is not. The Inkberry (Randia aculeata) tree is our islands’ unofficial territorial Christmas tree.

Op-Ed: Let’s Revive the Inkberry Christmas Tree Tradition in the Virgin Islands

We have become so Americanized that we’ve lost the tradition of using the Inkberry as a Christmas tree. Many of us don’t realize that the Inkberry tree was also a story-telling tree during the Christmas season. I am talking native story-telling about our culture and the history of these islands.

Op-Ed: Castle Nugent Farms Could Become a National Park With Delegate’s Help

In 2009, I testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources in Congress in support of the measure to establish Castle Nugent Farms as part of the National Park System. The bill passed the House Committee with a vote of 25-14. Castle Nugent Farms came one step closer to becoming officially a National Historic Site managed by the National Park Service. Nonetheless, the bill never arrived on President Barack Obama’s desk for his signature. 

Letter to the Editor: Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Former Delegate Donna Christensen advocates for unity among residents to address community challenges and propel the territory toward a brighter future.

Op-Ed: CEO Smith Responds to Lawsuit with Commitment to Solutions for St. Croix Water Customers

This week, the Source reported that more than a dozen St. Croix residents have filed a class action lawsuit against the V.I. Water and Power Authority and Seven Seas Water Corporation over lead and copper contamination in the island’s water supply. WAPA’s CEO responds to the suit in this statement.

Op-Ed: The Truth About the Industrial Development of St. Croix’s South Shore

Roger Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, famously said, “Innovate or die.” Economies must evolve as well, even small economies like ours. In the early 1960s, the sugarcane industry was dying, and the territory was forced to pivot. Thankfully, Gov. Ralph Paiewonsky had the foresight to transition the territory to the next era, and that decision paved the way for the Virgin Islands' economic prosperity for the next 50 years.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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