Michael McFarland, a school superintendent from Lancaster, Texas with roots in the Virgin Islands, was on St. John Friday to explore a bit of the territory’s past. Vacationing on St. Thomas with his wife, Cynthia, he was one of nearly 50 people who attended the 1733 St. John African Revolution Commemoration that began Friday at Cruz Bay Beach.
“I knew I had some ancestors in this area,” he said.
The day-long event moved on via safari bus to stops at several historic sites between Cruz Bay and Coral Bay. It ended with the traditional uphill trek to Fortsberg, a key site in the 1733 rebellion in which enslaved Africans unsuccessfully tried to wrest their freedom from the plantation owners.
“It represents the ability of our people to revolt against injustice against all odds,” Gilbert Sprauve, one the event’s organizers, said as those attending the event boarded the buses.
He said those ancestors knew what they were up against because of a similar uprising at a Danish fort in Africa some 50 years before.
The ancestors were the common thread throughout the beach ceremony.
“The libation is a way to honor our ancestors by pouring liquid on the ground,” Lumumba said as those gathered on the beach spoke the names of many notables from Virgin Islands and black history.
The name of Gene Emanuel was among those mentioned. A University of the Virgin Islands professor, Emanuel died suddenly in 2011. He was instrumental in founding the annual African Revolution Commemoration.
One of the speakers, Leba Ola Niyi, urged those at the event to take the lessons learned from the revolution to make a difference in the Virgin Islands or wherever they lived.
Another speaker, Sele Adeyemi, said that the lessons should extend to motivating people to get involved in their future.
“We are still on the periphery of economic activities,” Adeyemi said.
Many of those who attended came on the ferry or barge from St. Thomas. St. Thomas resident Anna Francis, a retired teacher, suggested that more of the territory’s youths should attend.
“It they are taught the history of the struggle, they will have a lot more respect for education and their rights,” she said.
She said using today’s technology might be a way to get more young people involved in learning about their history.
Sen. Myron Jackson also spoke about the need to educate the territory’s youth about the territory’s past. “About the circumstances in the fight for freedom and liberty,” he said.
St. Thomas resident George Larsen said he comes every year to pay homage to the ancestors.
“This is the real black Friday,” he said, taking a poke at the annual event that has shoppers all over the country and in the Virgin Islands, flocking to stores for good deals.
