May 1, 2002 – The arrival of William Hastie as the Virgin Islands' first black appointed governor in 1946 was not greeted with as much fanfare or jubilation as one might expect in this day and age.
When Hastie, a Harvard-educated lawyer and civil rights advocate, was appointed by President Harry S. Truman, "he was warmly received but not universally welcomed," his daughter, Karen Hastie Williams, said Wednesday in an address on St. Thomas.
Recalling the skeptical reaction to her father's gubernatorial appointment, Williams said, "He was seen as an interloper who didn't understand the priorities of the island."
When she recounted her father's many battles with Virgin Island senators during his tenure as governor, she drew knowing chuckles and nods from audience members, including Gov. Charles W. Turnbull.
"There were thoughts that he would seek to change social dynamics," she said.
Williams, a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm Crowell & Moring, was the guest speaker at a luncheon in the Mahogany Run clubhouse. The gathering, in observance of national Law Day, was sponsored by the V.I. Bar Association and the four St. Thomas Rotary Clubs.
She recounted her father's career as a crusader for equal rights. And she spoke with pride of his work as one of the architects of the Virgin Islands Organic Act, which established basic rights for Virgin Islanders and established the territory's system of self-governance.
Hastie, who would later serve as chief judge of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court with oversight for the Virgin Islands, became governor fresh from a major battle to desegregate the U.S. armed forces, his daughter said.
As civilian aide to Secretary of War Henry Stinson in 1942, Hastie vehemently advocated the dismantling of segregation in the military. When his calls went unheeded, he resigned in protest, writing scathing public letters criticizing the military. "That resignation from the highest civilian post held by a colored person eventually spurred the armed forces to integrated military life," Williams said. "Even Colin Powell has called that resignation the single most important act in the integration of the armed services."
Among her father's allies in the fight to end segregation, Williams said, was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, whom Hastie taught while a law professor at Howard University. The two often worked together through the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and its Legal Defense Fund. The commitment, she said, "was to use the rule of law to ensure people can have a life of equality."
Williams, who worked as a law clerk for Marshall at the Supreme Court, called him "an adopted son" of the Virgin Islands. "The Virgin Islands became his favorite vacation spot during his confirmation process for the Supreme Court," she said. "He felt at peace on all three islands and found it a welcome respite from the stress of the judicial environment."
Williams encouraged Virgin Islanders to learn more about the fight against segregation by Hastie and Marshall by visiting the exhibit titled "Marching Toward Justice: A History of the 14th amendment." The exhibit, brought to the territory by the V.I. Bar Association, is open through Friday on the second floor of the Grand Galleria complex in the former Grand Hotel building.
"The march toward justice continues," Williams said. "Each of us, whether black, brown or yellow, can call upon these heroes to give us the courage to fight for human rights."
Another highlight of Wednesday's luncheon was the Bar Association's presentation of its first Liberty Bell Award to Michal Rhymer, executive director of Family Resource Center.
Tom Bolt, association president, said the award is to recognize a non-lawyer or community organization devoted "to seeking, finding and maintaining justice." It is the first time the award, given by bar associations nationwide, has been presented in the Virgin Islands.
Bolt cited Rhymer's many years of advocating for the rights of victims of domestic violence. While serving as a counselor, family mediator and administrator at the former Women's Resource Center, she has organized community-wide marches against domestic violence and has continued to serve as vice chair of the territory's Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.
The award was a surprise to Rhymer. "I am shocked but pleased and appreciative," she said. "As a long-time crusader for … justice in the Virgin Islands, I accept this award on behalf of all victims of domestic violence in the Virgin Islands."
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