Audio: “No To OBA Immigration Reform” Chants
During the beginning of this morning’s [Feb 12] session of the House of Assembly, shouts broke out from the public gallery, with people chanting “No to OBA immigration reform.”
Brief audio of the “no” chanting in the House a few minutes ago:
This follow after the Government announced they plan to amend the law, with changes to include any person who is ordinarily resident in Bermuda for 15 years becoming eligible to apply for permanent residency, and any permanent resident who is ordinarily resident in Bermuda for 20 years becoming eligible to apply for Bermudian status.
The group pictured outside the House a few minutes ago:
Oh its the racist sign lady again.
Pretty fitting for a racist society.
Mmmmmmm
A small minority are racist. That includes you.
It serves no purpose, except to divide a country. We are one people.
Bermuda’s Tea Party.
You remind Black folks to forget about our past and move on. Learn from my sign, move on and, if it is within you, spread genuine peace wherever you go. Stop taking without permission, and give unconditionally, if it is within you.
You say give unconditionally, you hypocrite. The people in question are here and contributing to our economy, you don’t want to give them status in anyway shape or form…..
Blinded by you own Bs
Oh hey, the mental illness lady is back! Can’t say I didn’t expect to see that coming.
no one is interested in her mental sickness
vulcan trash cleaner….YOU are interested. You responded to her picture.WE, THE PEOPLE, are interested in Mrs. Burns!!!IF YOU ARE NOT, WE DO NOT CARE.
The PEOPLE being whom? the 11 in the picture?
We the people = a select loud and ignorant minority who are against most things because they have no purpose. Its not we the people its WE THE PEOPLE (TM). aka BS.
@ well done, I am not a particular fan of the lady you are referring to, but I also am not a enemy of hers,so my opinion may differ greatly with hers on many issues, but I do take a serious offence at your comment and how you are addressing this woman who should be commended and respected for the stance that they all have taken on this issue.
my only thought is what would really be said if someone were to address your mother in this manner, especially if she did not deserve to be called something other then her name.
Correction: She is the “White mental illness” lady. in a previous demonstration she insulted the entire white community with an overtly racist sign. Any nickname she gets she deserves.
She clearly does not believe in equality either.
Well said Mr. Santucci, Just wish you would had remembered that when you told me to go back to my wife’s country ( the Philippines ). My be the lady at the bye election for the PLP would read this also, who shouted out, ” GO back to the country where you got your $50.00 bride . ” These statements are racist, coming from black people. I hope that we can begin to treat each other better.
Rodney, we’ve had our differences but I am truly sorry you had treatment like that from our very own people. I have had the same – but then I am white so I expect it unfortunately. Either way it is not right. Peace brother.
No jokes about no money down this time.
Ed, Thank-you. I don’t mine if we talk /joke about no money down. But we do have to lift up our conversation when talking to each other. PLP/ OBA do not have the answers to fixing our problems. The solutions must come from the people.
Its “da-samesh’t” just a different day…Bermudians should “pray” for a change in these Laws i.e. the O.B.A immigration reform.”
YES. prayer. With action.
Mrs. Burns is an outstanding human being who, obviously, cares for the well-being of all. Looks like your own mental illness is showing……W…M…I..
cares for all except long term residents, and the entire white community who she recently insulted with her racist sign.
That is a lie.
TO: WELL DONE
You are, obviously, in terrible shape. Tough tit for you. Mrs. Burns is a fine human being who cares about her people. Your colours are evident.
Eyes must be kept on YOU.
Your W…..M….I… has revealed itself.
She may care about ‘her’ people, but she doesn’t much care about insulting a bunch of Bermudians. I don’t have any use for racists, but as someone who has ‘white’ skin and has a legitimate mental illness her ‘white mental illness sign’ was highly offensive.
Hate speech is unacceptable for any cause.
What if it was on the other foot with your BMI? Doesn’t feel good either way and yes I support her right to free speech!
@WELL DONE YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOUR SELF
Seriously? If that lady had written a sign that said “Black mental illness” you’d still be having temper tantrums and jumping up and down with feigned indignation a year lady. time to grow up and in fact, man up to your responsibilities as a member of the human race….the ENTIRE human race not just your self serving version of it
It is about time Bermudians get involved in the decision making of government. Far too long people have just sat by and allowed Bermuda governments to do as they like. I would like to see more of this.
Me too. FINALLY!!
`@ no more war, I could not agree with you more, spot on and it is time to take the extreme action of getting our country back into the hands of it’s rightful people.
Well said, Mr. Santucci!!!
And just who might those “rightful people” be?! I’ll grab my popcorn while I wait for your response, it should be a doozy…
Who are the rightful people if you don’t mind me asking.
REAL Bermudians. SMH
“rightful people” are: grass roots Bermudians, salt of the earth Bermudians, son of the soil Bermudians,….the bigotry and racism of it all is disgusting.
Rightful people are those who uphold the legacy of those who fought for the rights that we enjoy (for now).
Your life must suck with such a pesamistic outlook and everything.
What , relatives of the original settlers?
That is just silly Duane.
All this threatening….
Stop trying to get to hell faster.
Meaning what exactly? What extreme action? Who are “it’s rightful people”?
This country is a democracy last I checked, we all have a vote on who we want to represent us. To advocate extreme action because you don’t like who won are the actions of a child, not a supposedly mature adult.
The English? not sure I’m happy about that.
You would have fit in great in Germany in the 1930′s.
Are you lot going to get yourselves uniforms?
I read your comments and hear your voice on radio
yur head is shot bie!
Yeah we all agree
Where were the “Bermudiaans” when the Government had been the Progressive Labour Party for all them years?
How can the sentiment ‘time for Bermudians to get involved in the decision making of Government’ attract so many dislikes? I don’t see what was wrong with this statement.
It was time when The PLP were saying we don’t care what you think too wasn’t it?
Yet crickets from these folks.
Easy solution – run for office
Yes. Yes to OBA immigration reform. And the sooner the flipping better.
With LaVerne and “White Mental Illness Lady” being part of this group, that pretty much flushes any legitimacy they may have had immediately down the toilet. Two of, it not the two most bitter, hateful people on this island – the poster children for what is wrong with Bermuda.
This is a human rights issue and its the humane and right thing to do for our friends, neighbours and colleagues that have been helping to build this country over the last 20 years.
I really don’t understand how we can be so callous as a community.
A thought came to mind when this announcement was made, why don’t Mr Fahy release documentation to just exactly who all these folk are that are being allowed to have status and the new P.R.C holders.
The reason why I say this is two fold, there are those who genuinely deserve to have Bermuda status, and have fulfilled all the requirements, but how many outside of marriages to Bermudians, have manage to stay on in Bermuda so long doing menial jobs and now qualify to have status because of the time period that they have been here, same likely story for the P.R.C holders, how many of them are filling jobs that Bermudians can do and should be doing, but they to have been granted based on the required years of being here.
Then finally how many other folk who are here that have not reached the required time period but are close to that mark, that will be rubber stamped in here and keep a job that the Bermudian can do, and this is not speculation, this is fact such as a waitress who I have personally known to be here more then 10 years, with no ties to Bermuda, other then a relative of hers being married to a Bermudian, but yet she is continually had her work permit renewed and this also happen under the P.L.P, so it is not about who is in government.
There are 6 others who I know are in the same category working as house cleaners for wealthy families here locally. So who do you think is really calling the shots here.
If a waitress and some house cleaners have been here 10 years, under which government did they originally get their first work permits?
Didn’t the PLP/OBA government purge all the pot washers, gardeners and and other jobs to make room for Bermudians? If someone manages to stay here for 15 years in a non-skilled or semi-skilled profession, they DESERVE to be given PRC. Those who work professional jobs and manage to stay here for 15 to 20 years have proved they have a connection to the island and also DESERVE to have some recognition for their commitment to Bermuda.
Again, people who are already here and already contributing to the island. We’re not talking about opening up the floodgates to foreigners.
Same old PLP “rent-a-crowd” group. It’s ironic that a group who rightfully fought so hard for equal rights are now fighting to deny those same rights to others
laverne would be in the mix.
After all his fist banging fury, is this the best that Walton could muster up?
immigration reform will lose the election for the OBA
With these polling numbers?
- the 75% who support the Govt per Bernews poll;
- the 57% who support the Govt per a 2014 poll – http://bernews.com/2014/07/poll-57-support-granting-prc-holders-status/.
I thought it was supposed to win them the election? Which one is it?
We all have mental illness in this country.Some of us admit it and some of us deny it.Those of us who admit it are desperately trying to do something about it.This country and its policies and its behaviors create mentally ill people.Those of us who deny it,want to continue these policies.Those of us trying desperatly to do something about it and rectify them are fighting them tooth and nail to the death and beyond to stop their evil plans .Congratulations to these fearless Warriors.Peace.
“fighting them tooth and nail to the death and beyond to stop their evil plans .Congratulations to these fearless Warriors”
What, another threat of violence?
It’s ironic that a group who rightfully fought so hard for equal rights are now fighting to deny those same rights to others
I’m starting to develop a mental illness from listening to drivel like yours…
What I wouldn’t give to be a cartoonist right about now.
I’m an individual, from the UK, who has been here for 13 years. In two year’s time I will fall under the proposed legislation. I have worked the whole time on 3-year contracts, advertised each time. Only once has a Bermudian applied for the position, and she was completely unsuitable and underqualified. My role involves saving a lot of money for Bermudians.
I have taken roles in many local organisations, I have raised a lot of money through various fund raising activities, I have paid taxes in full (and on time). I have missed my niece and nephew growing up in the UK, my family cannot afford to fly here and see me, and I am not, as many would have you believe, rolling in money.
Even should I wish to apply for PRC, which given the racist attitudes of many on these blogs, I doubt I will, I would not be allowed to vote.
In short, would you rather I left and went back to the UK, or stay and continue to contribute to the benefit of Bermuda?
Stay. Please, please stay. I can think of a few folks (several who appear in the photo in this story) who should be on the first plane out of here. I hope you stay, and I hope there are plenty more in the same situation who also stay (and opt for PRC/status) – for years and years.
Please stay as long as a Bermudian cannot fill your position. Apply for your PRC in 2 years, then 5 years after that apply for your status. Assuming the proposed changes are made.
Anyone with any sense would want you to stay. Most of us see a huge value to Bermuda by the efforts of all its residents, including those who come here to work.
One of those people is the child of immigrants, both of whom now have status. I find it a little rich to see him involved in this “protest”.
I had the same thought – I wonder if he actually knew what the photo was for. I will certainly ask him when I see him next.
No need, Ed Case. I’ll clarify right here:
As someone who’s only 2nd generation Bermudian myself and thus the son of immigrants, I’ve done a lot of soul-searching/reflection on this issue, and totally understand where the people in favour of this OBA-initiated reform are coming from. I’m not even necessarily opposed to the idea of certain long-term residents receiving status, however, the criteria needs to be decided in a fair, bipartisan matter, not by the stroke of a pen belonging to a political party that knows they’re utterly toast at the next election unless they stack the deck in their favour. It’s an extremely sensitive and complex issue rooted in an ugly history, which is why it cannot be decided in that way. That said, I would not blame anyone who falls into their criteria for taking advantage of it and applying, because I’d likely do the same thing if I was in their shoes. I hope that makes sense.
Certain long term residents? Who decides which ones? How does that tie into the Human Rights Act? Quotas are abused and misused. The PLP could gain more traction if they were to publicly announce what reforms they want to see. At the moment they want reforms but are unwilling, or unable, to say what they are. Be transparent and grown up, or are they afraid to put anything forward?
Not really Charles but ok. Can you not see that the people who have been herd longest might actually deserve to be Bermudian the most?
Yes, I totally understand that, which is why I’m personally fine with the idea of granting status on a case-by-case basis. It’s the blanket proposal I’m not okay with given what I’ve learned about our racially-charged immigration history.
But you would have to understand that it appears extremely hypocritical.
Of course, which is why I’m completely willing to clarify my position in detail to anyone who’s willing to listen.
Maybe, despite those very circumstances, he’s reflected and still thinks that demanding comprehensive reform as opposed to a piecemeal/patchwork approach is the right thing to do. And maybe he’s still open to the idea of granting status to certain long-term residents so long as it’s addressed in a bipartisan manner that’s fairly negotiated and the result of extensive consultation.
So you are validating what Charles Doyle said above?
So what if they are? Just because you are a brainwashed crony doesn’t mean that everyone else is. The plan is not comprehensive no matter how you slice it or dice it. There’s no other country that has a plan put together in the half a– manner OBA has.
This is comprehensive amd it is not piecemeal. It resolves the problem in an unbiased way, consistent with international standards. It is ethical, understandable, and fair.
Please stop being a OBA muppet and do your own research of what the international standard is. No progressive country has immigration laws that allow expats in on closed positions and then allow them PR status. In these countries a closed poisition fits the definition of closed while in Bermuda these laws are allowed to be bent to suite whoever is closest to the minister’s ear.
It’s the usual ‘rent-a-crowd’.
They do not stand with -
- the 59% who support the Govt per RG poll;
- the 75% who support the Govt per Bernews poll;
- the 57% who support the Govt per a 2014 poll – http://bernews.com/2014/07/poll-57-support-granting-prc-holders-status/.
Not really a big surprise given the comments on those forums all suggest most blogging / polling is done by OBA supporters. Playing dumb and deluded again huh
What a bunch of idiots.
As usually it is those same old individuals who are probably not true Bermudians who write what suits and benefits them. How would you like it if someone called your mother a disrespectful name. No, I am sure you wouldn’t like it. Stop calling the name calling. When you don’t know the facts and the history of this Island of individuals who have been through the things that myself and you have never gone through in the past you sure don’t have any room to talk. Those people are angry, because they worked very hard to help move this Island forward so that we can have better privileges for persons like myself and others who were under privileged. Just as some of you who support this same sex marriage, they to have their democratic right to protest. Most of you disgruntle bloggers don’t know what it is like to not be with out a pay cheque to support your family or perhaps don’t know where the next meal is coming from; constantly going on job interview after job interview. These are some of the things in this country that build up frustration. Continue you experience these anxieties in life, then you all need to shut up.
Allowing people that already live, work and contribute to our society the right to become nationals after 20 years has very little to do with the reasons you have presented in your post. SO these people protesting against it, obviously proves that they are misinformed, misguided or they are unable to see past their inherent dislike of people who are not born in Bermuda. It has a lot to do with their assumptions that the people being granted nationality are going to to White and that the Government enacting the legislation is not 100% black in it’s make-up.
I like many others appreciate the concerns and heritage in and around immigration, civil rights and white privilege in Bermuda. But all of those factors have very little to do with the reasons why our economy contracted, why people are struggling for jobs in certain sectors and above all how this immigration policy affects them. The answers to that were written down more that 5 years ago when 5,000 non-Bermudian individuals left our shores and stopped paying taxes, rents. food bills, electricity bills, health care premiums and the list goes on.
This Government has yet to slash the Civil Service like the PLP/BIU had predicted and protested about, they have yet to make that move. Why? if they were so heartless and racially biased, why have they not cut the jobs we believe they were going to cut? The jobs that have been cut all come from the private sector, so how is that the Government’s fault?
What you have is a scenario where people refuse to accept the fact that the Previous PLP Government did not look out for Black interest in a sustainable way, they artificially handed out jobs and perks to people without thinking about the long term and what it meant if our economy did contract the debt was not paid off. We live that reality now and yet we blame those who seek ways to correct that for ALL Bermudians and more importantly those who have made invaluable contributions to our society and economy over the past 20 years. I’m sorry if the truth hurts, but this scenario has nothing to do with the idea that the Government wishes to grow the White population and disenfranchise the black population gain political advantage, that thinking is outdated by about 60 years.
Okay, if I’m wrong, feel free to correct me, but I don’t believe there is anyone living who can remember a time in Bermuda, until the last ten years or so, when it was impossible for someone to find a job within a couple of weeks, if not days, if they truly wanted to work. It might not be the job they wanted, but there was no not knowing where the next meal was coming from. And if you had a really bad patch due to health or what not, your neighbour or family member would step up to help, because that’s what Bermuda used to be.
Well now we have the Onion Juice generation so try not to dwell in the past. Today it’s me me me.
How did Peggy Burns move this country forward?
She doesn’t give a damn about this island. Google her…. Unless she is a citizen of that “place”, I find the irony hilarious.
Crickets
A view from an Expat when ya leaving?
Hello nok. Say I left tomorrow, this is what would happen. Firstly. there would still be no Bermudian to do my job. There is no-one qualified. If there were, they would be doing it. Thus, another expat would need to be brought in.
Leaving that aside. My leaving would result in my Bermudian landlady losing $2,500 per month rent, that’s $30,000 a year. Assuming she has a mortgage, she would likely not be able to keep up the repayments without a rental income, and lose her house as a result. Is that what you want?
On top of that:
Belco would be down $2,100 a year
TCD would be down $1,000 a year
Motor Insurance would be down $1,200 a year
Government, though taxes, would be down $12,000 a year
The supermarkets would be down $26,000 a year
Restaurants and bars, don’t even go there
Gas stations would be down $5,000 a year
My gym would be down $1,500 a year
Memberships of my other local organisations would be down $1,000 a year
That’s in excess of $80,000 right there, fag-packet maths. Assuming my wife comes with me, you can almost double that. If, say, another 6,000 expats left, that’s $480,000,000 in lost income for the economy of Bermuda. I assume you can do with that money right now.
Of course, attracting more ex-pats, say 6,000, will see $480,000,000 pumped INTO the economy. Now that will go some way to writing off the huge debt which YOU, as a Bermudian, have.
Your call.
What are YOU leaving…or crawling back under that rock you live under
Things are heating up.
Anytime you see LaVerne anywhere near the lady that is being used (sign lady)you know that serious anti-Government radicals are behind/influence/proposing such issues.
Happy St. Valentines Day
I smell white FEAR!
You all can say what you like about my friend, Peggy Burns. Unlike the majority who have posted here, at least she has the courage of her convictions.
Oh, she actually believes the crap she spews?! I thought it was just a ridiculous character she was playing…
No wonder you two are friends.
Thats true Laverne, but when she went around with a sign talking about white mental illness – what reacion does she expect? If a white person had carried a similar sign about blacks you would have run him or her off the island.
As usual you spout your hate so nothing new.
If I murdered someone and said I murdered someone, I would at least have the courage of my convictions.
That still would not make a good person would it.
Are you that much of a simple person LaVerne that you can’t understand.
EVERYONE SHOULD JUST BE HONEST AND ANSWER THIS QUESTION….BOTTOM LINE!
WHAT JOBS NOW THAT “FOREIGNERS” OR EXPATS CURRENTLY HOLD WOULD YOU WANT OR BERMUDIANS WANT? BE HONEST PLEASE….I’LL WAIT!
The only reason Bermudians don’t hold these jobs is because THEY DON’T WANT TO DO THEM or CAN’T BE BOTHERED!!! Besides the pay and hours aren’t that great after all!
Wonder no more.
Not Every Bermudian is going to be a rocket scientist, but why does every Bermudian feel they have the credentials to be employed as one if the opportunity was advertised?
May I also add that if you know about a job held by an expat that there is a qualified Bermudian to fill, who has been turned down for the job, please contact immigration with the details and have an investigation started.
@ Just wonderin, it is obvious that you have not hit rock bottom and hard times has not taken over the majority of your time span in each day, but there are countless Bermudians who don’t sit on a wall and that are not lazy, from the young adult straight through to our seniors who are still physically able to work.
So all these so called jobs that you claim Bermudians won’t or don’t want to do, is a farce. Many Bermudians that have papers to their name with college degrees are faced to do jobs way below their qualifications of what they went to college for, many who have been made redundant in many sectors of society will surprise you, the qualifications they have.
So Talk on a topic you have facts on because I can throw you some facts that would take up several pages long. Bermuda has those who did not work and did not want to work before the recession, then those who loss their job’s to redundancies during the economic down turn, and those who were let go because businesses closed up, and added to the mix is every Bermudian who was in school getting a education during this entire period and come back home and can’t find employment, and those who are in college now who are not sure they even have anything to come back home to,so bring your facts before you open the gutter called a mouth.
Community colleges don’t count.
I think we need to look at the bigger picture though. Expat jobs are required to be advertised before being granted work permits, so if Bermudians were qualified, they should have these jobs. The problem is that so many Bermudians don’t understand that ‘qualified’ means so much more than just having a college degree. I know so many Bermudians in their early 20s who are without jobs, and want to bitch about the fact that they’ve gotten their degrees, and can’t find a job now. However, have they actually looked at the quality of their degrees. My family (all Bermudians) have had the good fortune to be working in the IB industry, with the correct qualifications, and the stories I have heard about Bermudians who apply for these jobs is ridiculous. People who have chosen to get generic business degrees, thinking this is sufficient to get a job in finance, or insurance. People who haven’t taken a single accounting class beyond Business 101, but somehow want to moan about the fact they can’t find a job in IB or an accounting firm. Bermudians who actually DO get a job, but are only prepared to work 9-5, and have no motivation or inclination to put in the overtime hours that are expected/required to get their job done. Expats come onto the island understanding how competitive the job market is. They know what is required of them, and are prepared to do it. Many Bermudians want to get the job, but don’t want to put the time or effort into retaining that job. My brother and sister have just spent the past month working everyday from 9am until well past 11pm, sometimes 1am-2am in their offices to meet their deadlines. I don’t know about you, but most of the ‘qualified Bermudians’ who are working below their qualifications are doing so because they aren’t prepared to meet the demands of the jobs their degrees are for.
Just my opinion.
Electrician, tiler, driver, general labor, nurse, accountant, waiter, chef, retail sales, manager and the list goes on for jobs that expats hold that out of the 4000 plus unemployed Bermudians would want. If they didn’t want them there would not be any Bermudians working in those positions but since there is it is evident.
Maybe they wouldn’t want them at the pay presently given by the employers who hire foreigners over them but who would when they have to support their family in such an expensive country. It’s different when your family lives back home where the currency is a lot lower and a days pay in Bermuda converts to enough for a months worth of necessities when sent back. Employers whine that they can’t pay a Bermudian a fair wage but these are the same employers who charge an arm and leg for their products. The same employers driving a beamer, living in a massive house or going on frequent vacations.
If cheap labor continues to be the norm in Bermuda soon every local’s job will be at risk because it’s only a matter of time when the rest of the employers figure out there is cheap labor available for any job type there is even yours Jus’ Wonderin’.
Instead of being jealous of a business owner that took risks and is now being rewarded…what’s stopping YOU from getting off your duff and starting your own company and hire Bermudians….thought not
Nothing to do with jealousy although maybe I left out a word that may bring more clarity if it’s not only a deflection on your own character then only self reflection can make the truth clear to you. To more clear and precise. SOME Employers whine that they can’t pay a Bermudian a fair wage but these are the same employers who charge an arm and leg for their products.
Not all employers reap out of unfair wages and still survive and are successful while hiring a fair amount of locals. One case and point Rick Olson is an excellent example of an employer who is fair to Bermudians and still maintains success. This can’t be said about some of Mr. Olson’s competition. If Rick can do it so can they. Maybe him and the rest of the employers like him are just better at business management so they don’t have to resort to illegal means.
Yes I did say illegal. There may not be a minimum wage law but there is a law that applies to hiring a Bermudian over a permit worker because they are cheaper. Those who do so use lack of experience and qualification as the guise of greed. Since there aren’t any measures put in place like there are in other jurisdictions to check veracity of employer’s claims there’s no way to stop them from circumventing the law. These measures are a key piece of other countries’ immigration stipulations that OBA has purposely skipped over. OBA says that they are trying to live up to standards but leave out the full story and rely on the ignorance of the masses.
I’m not jealous of the cheaters because there is no risk in cheating. I’m annoyed at them for not putting in the effort. Nothing is stopping me from running my business. I’m not speaking for myself I’m speaking for those I know affected by the cheats. These cheats hinder the growth of Bermuda because they are the mechanism that causes millions yearly to leave the island in remittance. Money that would have been left circulating in Bermuda if they only were willing to give a local their fair share. These cheats are no better than the sweatshop owners in third world nations and deserve no glorification for their ill gotten rewards.
I’m sorry, but isn’t a wage, no matter how low, better than no wage? I realise that there is an issue in some instances to employers lowering pay to ridiculously low standards. However, I think it’s really backwards thinking to turn down a job because the pay is too low when you’re currently unemployed.
Albert Einstein once labeled segregation a “disease of white people”.
Offensive or nah?
Albert Einstein, Civil Rights Activist
Little-known aspect of physicist’s life revealed
April 12, 2007 By Ken Gewertz, Harvard News Office
Here’s something you probably don’t know about Albert Einstein.
In 1946, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist traveled to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the alma mater of Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall and the first school in America to grant college degrees to blacks. At Lincoln, Einstein gave a speech in which he called racism “a disease of white people,” and added, “I do not intend to be quiet about it.” He also received an honorary degree and gave a lecture on relativity to Lincoln students.
The reason Einstein’s visit to Lincoln is not better known is that it was virtually ignored by the mainstream press, which regularly covered Einstein’s speeches and activities. (Only the black press gave extensive coverage to the event.) Nor is there mention of the Lincoln visit in any of the major Einstein biographies or archives.
In fact, many significant details are missing from the numerous studies of Einstein’s life and work, most of them having to do with Einstein’s opposition to racism and his relationships with African Americans.
That these omissions need to be recognized and corrected is the contention of Fred Jerome and Rodger Taylor, authors of “Einstein on Race and Racism” (Rutgers University Press, 2006). Jerome and Taylor spoke April 3 at an event sponsored by the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. The event also featured remarks by Sylvester James Gates Jr., the John S. Toll Professor of Physics, University of Maryland.
According to Jerome and Taylor, Einstein’s statements at Lincoln were by no means an isolated case. Einstein, who was Jewish, was sensitized to racism by the years of Nazi-inspired threats and harassment he suffered during his tenure at the University of Berlin. Einstein was in the United States when the Nazis came to power in 1933, and, fearful that a return to Germany would place him in mortal danger, he decided to stay, accepting a position at the recently founded Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J. He became an American citizen in 1940.
But while Einstein may have been grateful to have found a safe haven, his gratitude did not prevent him from criticizing the ethical shortcomings of his new home.
“Einstein realized that African Americans in Princeton were treated like Jews in Germany,” said Taylor. “The town was strictly segregated. There was no high school that blacks could go to until the 1940s.”
Einstein’s response to the racism and segregation he found in Princeton (Paul Robeson, who was born in Princeton, called it “the northernmost town in the South”) was to cultivate relationships in the town’s African-American community. Jerome and Taylor interviewed members of that community who still remember the white-haired, disheveled figure of Einstein strolling through their streets, stopping to chat with the inhabitants, and handing out candy to local children.
One woman remembered that Einstein paid the college tuition of a young man from the community. Another said that he invited Marian Anderson to stay at his home when the singer was refused a room at the Nassau Inn.
Einstein met Paul Robeson when the famous singer and actor came to perform at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre in 1935. The two found they had much in common. Both were concerned about the rise of fascism, and both gave their support to efforts to defend the democratically elected government of Spain against the fascist forces of Francisco Franco. Einstein and Robeson also worked together on the American Crusade to End Lynching, in response to an upsurge in racial murders as black soldiers returned home in the aftermath of World War II.
The 20-year friendship between Einstein and Robeson is another story that has not been told, Jerome said, but that omission may soon be rectified. A movie is in the works about the relationship, with Danny Glover slated to play Robeson and Ben Kingsley as Einstein.
Einstein continued to support progressive causes through the 1950s, when the pressure of anti-Communist witch hunts made it dangerous to do so. Another example of Einstein using his prestige to help a prominent African American occurred in 1951, when the 83-year-old W.E.B. Du Bois, a founder of the NAACP, was indicted by the federal government for failing to register as a “foreign agent” as a consequence of circulating the pro-Soviet Stockholm Peace Petition. Einstein offered to appear as a character witness for Du Bois, which convinced the judge to drop the case.
Gates, an African-American physicist who has appeared on the PBS show Nova, said that Einstein had been a hero of his since he learned about the theory of relativity as a teenager, but that he was unaware of Einstein’s ideas on civil rights until fairly recently.
Einstein’s approach to problems in physics was to begin by asking very simple, almost childlike questions, such as, “What would the world look like if I could drive along a beam of light?” Gates said.
“He must have developed his ideas about race through a similar process. He was capable of asking the question, ‘What would my life be like if I were black’?”
Gates said that thinking about Einstein’s involvement with civil rights has prompted him to speculate on the value of affirmative action and the goal of diversity it seeks to bring about. There are many instances in which the presence of strength and resilience in a system can be attributed to diversity.
“In the natural world, for example, when a population is under the influence of a stressful environment, diversity ensures its survival,” Gates said.
On a cultural level, the global influence of American popular music might be attributed to the fact that it is an amalgam of musical traditions from Europe and Africa.
These examples have led him to conclude that “diversity actually matters, independent of the moral argument.” Gates said he believes “there is a science of diversity out there waiting for scholars to discover it.”
Well they say “two’s company, three’s a crowd”……….so what does that make 11 I wonder….???
It’s a rhetorical question folks – no reply necessary. Thanks.
If we do not learn the lessons of history; we are bound to suffer the consequences. That has been Bermuda’s history and our failure to take account of that has often led to many painful experiences whose legacy we are still dealing with today.
Let all us annoying vermin of expat workers who have contributed to the island for ten or more years down tools for the day and sit on government…. Let’s see how things would work. I also wonder how many Bermudians have UK passports and can go over and “take their jobs” no questions asked. Take away and stop issuing uk passports and all the expats will go home and see how long the country lasts. Sad very sad get with the times.
I have no problem with the expats here, try to take my British passport from me and you’ll lose your hand. If you all bail you’re not leaving me stuck with this bunch.
Bermuda needs an increase in population paying taxes in order for the government services can be continued. What better people than these people who might be applying for status. They have contributed to the Island for many years, have been law abiding(otherwise they would not have any chance of status). Many are contributing foreign exchange to the economy. Why could anyone object to these people becoming part of our community?? OH! They’re the wrong race. No wonder they are not wanted.
If we allow all these foreigners here how will all those guys that sit outside of happy valley mini-mart (from 8-until) ever get a job? They’re very smart guys. One day one pointed at me and said “8.6″…I thought that was his IQ but apparently it’s a beer.
To all of my white adversaries, ask CURB to slowly explain to you who the racists are upon the earth.
No need. They exist within all groups and we all have encountered them.
Racism is the belief that one race is superior/inferior to another, could you slowly break it down for me? I suffer from WMI which causes me to think that anything CURB says is a steaming pile of horse nuggets.
CURB: Citizens UPROOTING racism in BERMUDA… Not planet earth. I think earth may be put of their jurisdiction.
I did and you topped the list.
CURB?! HA! After that statement they released the other day they hold just as much credibility as you do – none.
of course Peggy after Ms. Winfield’s column this week everyone has a whole new view of CURB…..maybe someone should explain a few things to her
Ms Burns, you carrying the sign which mentioned white mental illness was the very definition of racism. It was not ok for you because you are black . It would not be ok for anyone. You showed poor judgement that day and it was disgusting and offensive.
A real herd of xenophobes here and haters, especially the lady in pink… What a waste of time these people are to our society. They just want to bring us all down in the name of hate. What an uneducated group. Why should someone who has given 15 years of their life to our community not get the right to live there? Perhaps the demographic of the IB group with permits scares them… after all they wish the rest of us would shut up while the PLP and its lackies ruin our country further… #GladToHaveAnotherPAssport
I can’t speak for the rest of the group because I don’t know them so wouldn’t prejudge like you have. However I can speak for Charlie who I know for a fact is educated and in no way hateful. His comment on here made more sense than the imprudence that came out of the orifice propped up by your neck.
Xenophobia is an irrational fear of people from other countries which is not the case. You are ASSuming that all those who have been on a work permit for 15 years are part of the IB sector when in fact not all are. I would be fine with OBA changing immigration as much of the progressive countries have were someone qualifies if they are working in a highly skilled sector but that’s not what’s happening. I’ve never been a PLP supporter and I gave OBA a chance but now see that they knee jerk amendments the same as PLP did. Think about it those here for 15 years came in under the government who many feel mismanaged the country. PLP kicked out those in sectors that require degrees while they allowed those who do not require degrees in. For those in blue collar jobs the fear is not irrational because they have experienced losing their jobs to permit holders who’s main difference to them is the amount of pay they are willing to receive for the job.
When trying to make a life in Bermuda with all priorities based on island receiving a low earnings makes it impossible. You Noel should even be mindful because there are many from place who are willing to work for half the amount you get payed and have the same skill set as you. The way OBA is pushing globalism everyone in Bermuda should be concerned because when it comes to bottom line in a global society everyone but those at the very top are replaceable. You are lucky to have another passport that allows you to escape to a larger jurisdiction with more opportunities. Not all are as lucky as you. #PrejudiceNoel
To the commented calling himself” Serengeti “,please change your name from Serengeti to a name that fits you.Maybe punk,coward,wuss,or one more befitting your obvious snake like cunning mentality.Read the history of the blood drenched plains of Serengeti of people fighting for their liberty.Also read the history of Chaka Zulu and the freedom Fighters of Africa and in Zululand.Read the history of black slaves fighting for their freedom for over 400 years.Read the Bermuda history as recent as 1959 to 1970 until today about blacks fighting for our freedom,justice,and equality.You accuse me of advocating violence.Bet your boots I advocate violence to any oppressed people fighting for legimate rights and their protection of those rights gained.Blood to the horses bridle and do,nt spare the horses.Peace.
This needs to be said…and I am saying it…there is no exclusive right or dominion!
Other than original settlers!
how many of these PRC candidates are on financial assistance, drawing a cheque from the taxpayer’s purse…let me guess – Zero????
with that being the case and the fact that they have stayed with this country through good and bad times, paid taxes, employed Bermudians, spent money in Bermuda for goods and services for at least 20 years, we Bermudians should be welcoming them with open arms.
WTH is wrong with people?
People these days are hateful of others and only interested in themselves!
This comes from people not going out there and earning their future! I worked 3 jobs all my life and no one gave me anyhting other than the opportunity to work, and for that i am grateful. There is no fast track people! You have to earn it one day at a time and to deny others who have been here earning a living is just plain spiteful!
Lets hope that when you get in front of St. Peter that he does not hold your hate for someone else or your envy of their situation in life against you! You define your outcome. If you want it badly enough you will make a sacrifice for it! So stop with the hating – all it does is make you feel better for the pain that is inflicted on someone else!
Is that what you want out of life? Is that living?