After being announced as a winner of the International Humanitarian Medal last September, St. Croix’s Wayne James had to decide where he wanted to accept the honor.
James was awarded the medal for his Middle Passage Monument Project, which honors the millions of African people who died as a result of the transatlantic slave trade between the 15th and 19th centuries.
The International Humanitarian Medal has been awarded 12 times in its 37-year history. Other recipients include the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), the Albert Einstein Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton University, and Microsoft.
As a recipient the award that recognizes individuals and organizations for their humanitarian works, James had the choice of a presentation ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York; Elmina Castle in Ghana, the transhipment port for the vast majority of Africans brought to the West Indies; Geneva, Switzerland, headquarters of the Institut International de Promotion et de Prestige, the organization that administers the award; Amsterdam, Holland, the headquarters of the former West India Company; or St. Croix, his home.
Despite the appeal of the world's capitals, home won out. James will receive the medal at a ceremony on June 9 at the newly renovated Government House.
"When it is all said and done, the events of life that one remembers are the ones that were shared with dear friends and family," James said. "From that perspective, Government House beat out the other venue choices hands down. By receiving the award in the Virgin Islands, I will be able to pay tribute to the generations of Virgin Islanders who paved the way for me to make my mark on the international community while inspiring the generations which will come behind me."
An official delegation from the I.I.P.P. from Geneva and Paris, officials from throughout the Caribbean, United Nations representatives and members of Congress are expected to attend.
As part of the Middle Passage Monument Project, a sculpture created at Walsh Metal Works on St. Croix was placed on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, about 267 miles out from New York Harbor, facing Africa.
