Over 100 Attend ‘Enslaved Black Capitalists’ Talk

Earlier today [Feb 15] Bermudian Dr. Clarence Maxwell presented a speech about The Contradictory Lives of Enslaved Black Capitalists, 1600-1700s. This marked Business Bermuda’s fourth community luncheon seminar and provided attendees with a unique, historical focus in honor of Black History Month.

With over 100 people in attendance, this was by far the largest group Business Bermuda has hosted at its monthly, informative series. After a light lunch, Dr. Maxwell presented a history rarely brought to light in a contemporary context as he explored topics such as Bermuda’s one-time maritime-based society and the uneasy relationship of trust that sometimes existed between Bermudian owners and slaves in their role as enslaved merchant-mariners.

Dr. Maxwell was well received by the audience eager to understand Bermuda’s smuggling-based economy, and its provision for slaves capitalizing on the freedom given them as merchant-mariners to undersell their owners and provide a means of income for their families. This practice stood in direct competition with the interests of slave owners that resulted in the passing of many laws to quell the entrepreneurial endeavors of Bermuda’s enslaved population. He also delved into Bermuda’s unique historical position as being one of the few colonies where the majority of the population was female. This allowed women to comprise a large portion of Bermudian land and slave owners.

The audience had more questions than could be answered in such a short amount of time and many stayed after for discussion with Dr. Maxwell. Several even suggested that he bring his knowledge into the local schools for students to learn and appreciate their rich and diverse history. He plans to return to Bermuda to further local knowledge of history, and hopefully, craft solutions for future and present problems by observing the patterns of the past.

“It was a distinct privilege to welcome home to Bermuda, American college professor, Dr. Maxwell, and to have him deliver his speech to a standing-room-only audience,” said Cynthia Wright, Marketing Manager at Bermuda Gas & Utilities Company Ltd./ PureNERGY Renewables, Ltd., and Chairman of the Business Bermuda Local Awareness Committee. “I enjoyed his talk immensely, particularly his reminder that, ‘Civilization was built on diversity’.”

Dr. Clarence Maxwell, former Registrar and Director of Historical Research at the Bermuda Maritime Museum, is presently assistant professor of Caribbean and Latin American History at Millersville University in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

Due to overwhelming response, Business Bermuda will post the presentation online as made available from Dr. Maxwell. The next Luncheon Seminar will be held on March 17th, 2011. The topic is, “How To Make Money From Your Property: Your Property Could Be A Goldmine”. For more information, visit www.businessbermuda.org.

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