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Oct. 31, 2007 – Senator-at-Large Carmen Wesselhoft said Wednesday that Virgin Islanders cannot afford to forget the contributions of David Hamilton Jackson and that the struggle for better conditions for workers and for a free press continues.
"We have made tremendous strides thanks to the efforts of great leaders like Mr. Jackson," she said. "But as we enjoy this holiday we can not forget all that still must be accomplished."
Wesselhoft said that there were still many people in the Territory working in poor conditions, including some of our most valuable public servants.
"We can certainly say that our teachers, police and Corrections officers are being asked to perform under extremely difficult and often even dangerous circumstances without adequate compensation," Wesselhoft said. "And no teacher and no police officer should have to work a second job simply to survive here in the Virgin Islands."
D. Hamilton Jackson taught us that through hard work, unity and organization we could accomplish great things, Wesselhoft said.
"He demonstrated that we could get results through peaceful and organized protests," she said. "By bringing the workers together to speak in one unified voice Jackson was able to produce a positive result. Most of us want the same things – safe streets, good schools, economic opportunities. But we must work with each other for these things."
Wesselhoft cited the example of witnesses needing to come forward in order for the police to catch criminals and that greater parental involvement was most often the key factor in improving student performance.
"Jackson was a leader, but he showed us that no one can do it alone and that we all must become more involved in shaping our destinies and our community," she said.
The Senator-at-Large said we must also celebrate Jackson's efforts to remove censorship from local newspapers.
"This is an issue we grapple with even today," she said. "Virgin Islanders still must take their news with a grain of salt based on where and who it is coming from. The best thing we can do to remain informed is to listen and read from as many sources as we can and to get our information first hand whenever possible."
