Breaking from tradition, this year’s Transfer Day ceremonies swapped the keynote address for presentations that took the audience gathered at the Capitol Building on St. Thomas on a vivid tour of the territory’s past, from slavery on up to the Fifth Constitutional Convention.
At the heart of the celebration were two songs performed by the Gladys Abraham Elementary School choir, which was swathed in bright yellow and red madras with the customary white cotton shirts, and flanked on each end by two students playing the roles of General Moses "Buddhoe" Gottlieb and what appeared to be a typical European plantation owner.
"We didn’t have a choice, we didn’t have a voice," the students sang, as they ran through the first verses of the song that told of the pillaging of the Ivory Coast for slaves, who made their journey to the Caribbean in chains. The students sang about the desire for freedom and recounted the details of the1848 slave rebellion on St. Croix, chanting their hope for better days to come or "we gon’ bun plantation down."
The end chorus was framed by an image of Buddhoe and another student playing Peter Von Scholten—the general governor of the territory at the time of the St. Croix revolt—shaking hands, symbolizing the subsequent emancipation of the slaves and a turnaround in the relationship between the U.S. Virgin Islands and its former owners.
"They sure gave us a history lesson today," Lois Hassell-Habtes, the ceremony’s mistress of ceremonies, said after the last strains of the music faded out and applause filled the air.
The choir’s second performance heralded the accomplishments of one of the territory’s greatest historical figures, D. Hamilton Jackson, who was also portrayed by a student wearing a picture of Jackson on the front of his shirt.
The song, entitled "Only 50 Cents," described Jackson as a hero, "one not afraid to stand up for justice."
"Judge and editor, a great educator," the students sang.
The students’ performance blended well into the ceremony filled with reflections on the territory’s rich culture and heritage. Poems delivered by Jahweh David, for example, spoke of one woman’s "Fond Recollections" of the old days, from the colors of the buildings to the wide range of costumes that came out during celebrations.
Lt. Gov. Gregory R. Francis also encouraged residents to teach their children about the "foundational role" Denmark played in the development of local culture and traditions, from the dances to the architecture, and even the local street names.
"This, along with our American sensitivities, is what distinguishes us from the Caribbean and the world," Francis said. "We have the best of both worlds: a treasured and historical past, with increasing hope and limitless possibilities for the future."
Francis’ subsequent call for unity among the local population echoed remarks made earlier in the ceremony by Soren Blak, Danish consul general to St. Thomas, who talked about the need to associate the annual Transfer Day ceremonies with the evolution of positive changes made throughout the islands over the years, instead of just focusing on the traditional changing of the flags.
Every year, the bright, red Dannebrog that flies on the pole at the Legislature is lowered at 4 p.m. on Transfer Day and replaced with the American Flag, a long-lasting symbol of the first Transfer Day ceremony, which took the territory from Danish to U.S. rule in 1917.
"The pages of history have turned, with the realization that history should not repeat itself," Blak said, commenting on the ills of slavery and Denmark’s decision to sell the territory.
"You don’t sell a people and a culture … you do not enslave humanity," he said. "But those mistakes were made 100 years ago and don’t excuse the fact that things are not getting better today. A day like this must be the perfect time to focus on the right changes for a better world."
He urged residents to look ahead to the future and help to shape it, making the betterment of humanity "our common goal, our common hope and our common obligation."
Similar Transfer Day ceremonies were also hosted Wednesday morning on St. Croix, sponsored by the St. Croix Landmarks Society and the St. Croix Friends of Denmark organization. The featured speaker this year was Assistant Tourism Commissioner Brad Nugent, and the ceremony included performances by the Central High School band and students from Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School.
