Liberty Day may have come and gone in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but that didn’t stop the Grove Place Action Committee from celebrating the life and legacy of David Hamilton Jackson on Saturday at the St. Croix park named in his honor.
The event was originally slated for Nov. 1, but an unfavorable weather forecast prompted organizers to postpone. Despite the delay, Raymond Williams — whose family has been putting the Liberty Day gathering together for decades — said there was no question about holding the annual celebration, which is also known as Bull and Bread Day.
“I’m 60 years old — there was only one time that we did not have it that I can recall,” Williams said. “And that was the first year of COVID, where you couldn’t do anything at all.”
The schedule change meant Saturday’s event was more sparsely attended than in years past. Noting that this was an election year, Williams said the event would normally draw two thousand people “campaigning, and stuff like that.” Planned speeches and performances also had to be scrapped.
Despite the subdued attendance, dozens of Virgin Islanders still turned out to enjoy the food and music and remember the contributions of D. Hamilton Jackson.
Born in 1884, Jackson would go on to publish the territory’s first independent newspaper, The Herald, in 1915 — after traveling to Denmark to petition against a law prohibiting the practice. Jackson also organized the Danish West Indies’ first labor union and advocated for the territory’s sale to the United States in 1917.
“I just want to keep encouraging our community to take our holidays more seriously and celebrate the holiday for its purpose and its intent,” Williams said before calling on educators to make sure they’re teaching younger generations about the people behind the holidays.
Williams also said that after hosting the event for decades, he was encouraged by younger people in the community who have stepped up to organize the Liberty Day celebration.
“We’re now stepping back and allowing some younger members in our community to take the forefront and take the lead,” he said. “So that was a nostalgic moment for me as well.”
