“ESVI 60th Anniversary: Marking Milestones,” a one-hour television special produced by the Elections System of the Virgin Islands (ESVI), is rescheduled from February to 4 p.m., Saturday, March 11, on WTJX-TV Channel 12, the territory’s PBS member station.
The program, a part of the system’s diamond jubilee celebration, will feature well-known Virgin Islanders reflecting on 60 years of elections and memorable high points and sharing their vision for the future. It is hosted by educator and historian Gerard Emanuel.
Diamond Jubilee activities so far have included an open house exhibit of election milestones from Feb. 20, 1963, when the system was established by Title 18 of the Virgin Islands Code to the present. The exhibit is currently available for public viewing in the lobby of the Elections System’s Sunny Isle office daily from 9 a.m. to 5 pm. An official ceremony earlier this week at Government House honored Virgin Islanders who have been instrumental in the development of the Elections System of the Virgin Islands over the last six decades.
On Tuesday, Feb. 21, the Elections System of the Virgin Islands and the University of the Virgin Islands hosted a forum at the Research and Technology Park, Albert Sheen Campus, St. Croix, entitled: “From Jackson to Evans: The Fight for Representation and Universal Suffrage.” This spirited discussion, hosted by John Abramson, who is a retired elections supervisor, is available for viewing on the Government Access Channel and www.facebook.com/vivote.gov
Additional events during the Diamond Jubilee celebration will include “The March to Progress” on St. Thomas from Crystal Gade, the original location of the ESVI offices to Emancipation Garden, which begins at 4 p.m. and is open to the public; the announcement of the winners of the Elections System of the Virgin Islands student essay competition; and several more video programs chronicling the growth of the system over the last 60 years.
