National Heroes Day: Premier’s Address
Below follows the full address from Premier Dr Ewart Brown at the Church Service today [June 21] for National Heroes Day:
Good afternoon. Three years ago, from this very podium I eulogized the woman some have rightly termed “Mother of the nation”. Her life, her sacrifice and her “firsts” have become the stuff of legend. As our democracy matures so does our understanding of true service and real impact on our society. The discussion on when we will have another national hero, who should select heroes and even if we should have a day for such an observance is healthy. It is a discussion that shows growth. These and many other issues reveal our fears, give voice to our caution and thankfully also encourage us to be bold.
Bermuda is confronted by many of the same problems that beset every other developed country. Crime, anger, economic troubles and social dysfunction seem to manifest their presence at the root of every unfortunate occurrence. In the midst of the clamour for action, the cry for peace and the demand for justice, is there a place for heroes? Is there time to pause and salute one who no longer works, lives and breathes among us? What does a day like this add to the equation so desperately sought by those of us searching for solutions?
This is no eulogy and I am no preacher, but this life, this hero, this “Mother of the Nation” still speaks hope, determination and challenge.
Hope cannot be purchased from the supermarket. Hope is seldom innate and more often than not it is impossible to explain. The hope we need in our communities is a commodity that must be poured into the spirits of our people by those of us who know that struggle has an end. It does not come by our example alone, but it comes through proudly declaring “Look at Browne-Evans; look at this life; look at this struggle; compare it to your own; see the end and the triumph; hope is real…”
In the midst of the lesson that this hero’s life teaches us about hope, the bass drum keeping time in her life’s march was determination. In his Easter Sunday address to Morehouse College, Dr. Otis Moss Jr. declared that martyrs and heroes, men and women of conviction will always “get up”. He cited Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Anne Frank in this context and even the fleeting examination of our national hero’s milestones shows that she always “got up”. As a country we may feel paralyzed by the senseless violence that has become so frequent and we feel helpless and resigned to a change in our way of life that we never thought we would see. This service of thanksgiving is for the eternity of the example that Dame Lois’ living provides. Her spirit of determination can inspire us to solutions, empower us to action and drive us to banish thoughts of surrender.
Look for a moment at the cover of today’s programme. Attired in battle dress the Dame sits in the penthouse Chambers of the country’s Attorney General. Among the thousand words that photograph speaks is the challenge: “look at where I sit…look at what has become of my struggle…..nothing stands between you and your success but your own desire to check your boldness…” That is the heroes’ challenge. Dame Lois’ work is not over. She challenges our country even today. The challenge is to continue striving; the challenge is to meet the troubles of our age with the conviction of a commitment to always improving the lot of our people. The challenge to those of us who hold or aspire to high office is to govern without fear, true to our core beliefs and to risk unpopularity in the name of doing what is right and necessary.
In a speech to the Congressional Black Caucus entitled “It’s Not the Man, It’s the Plan” in June of 1971, the great African-American actor and activist Ossie Davis said:
“Let us stop making history by ad hoc methods and impromptu improvisations. Let us plan the whole thing out, give everybody his assignment, and hold him strictly responsible if he doesn’t carry it out. That’s what is called for. We are capable of doing it, and now is the time to do just that.”
This creed easily suits our beloved Dame Lois. As we remember her and mark her life as the only Bermudian to date afforded iconic status as national hero, the riches of her legacy are sufficient to share among us all. Let our memories be our call to action.
Thank you.
