Highlight Problems, Offer Practical Solutions
The Black Lives Bermuda group has thanked everyone who came out to the march on Sunday, and explained that their vision is to “highlight the systematic problems impacting the Black Bermudian Community, and to offer practical, implementable solutions to disrupt the status quo.”
A spokesperson said, “Bermuda, thank you! On Sunday we came together as a community and marched in solidarity. Not only for George Floyd, but for each and every black person who has lost their lives at the hands of the police in the United States. Many of us have lived away, have family abroad, or have vacationed in the US. Therefore, we are keenly aware of the racial discrimination that continues to rock that country.
“While our ancestors built a foundation upon which we can live a life free of racial violence, locally we face a different, but equally significant threat – systemic racism. This has led to many black Bermudians living as second class citizens in the only home they know.
“What is abundantly clear is that the time for change is now. Before the march, #BeingBlackInBermuda trended, and voices across the Island shared about how racism in Bermuda has impacted their lives. A common theme expressed was that no matter how hard we work, how educated we are, or what school we attend, attaining a prosperous life seems out of reach for most.
“The cost of living has driven many to move overseas, and with the disparity in opportunities and pay, the very groceries that some take for granted are priced so high that fresh produce for many Black Bermudians is a luxury.
“Depending on our politicians is not sufficient to overcome our struggles. Therefore, as a Community we will need to execute decisive steps to elevate the lives of our people.
“With that, our vision is to ‘highlight the systematic problems impacting the Black Bermudian Community, and to offer practical, implementable solutions to disrupt the status quo’.
“As a young, progressive movement, we are looking to find the most effective ways to achieve this vision. In retrospect, based on feedback from you, we have identified the following areas where we think our People’s lives can be changed the most dramatically. They are:
- 1. The impact of the Cost of Living on Black Bermudians’ Quality of Life
- 2. The Quality and Competitiveness of Public Education
- 3. The Impact of Immigration on Employment Opportunities
- 4. Local Banking and the Housing Market
- 5. Black Businesses and Access to Start-up Capital
- 6. Community Organizations and Criminal Justice
“We see this list as merely a starting point; designed to highlight the consequences to Black Bermudians when the issues above are biased by the legacy of racism and inequality.
“With this intent in mind, we are planning to host an interactive Community Forum through social media. We will circulate a flyer with details closer to the date, and hope that everyone, particularly Black Bermudians who have felt voiceless until now, can join us.
“We will build on what begun this weekend, and mobilize to create the Bermuda that our parents, grandparents, and ancestors fought so hard for.
“Please follow us on our social media profiles to stay up to date.”
I read where a white 3 yr old child was the victim of verbal attacks on social media because he was wearing a gombey cape at pre school on dress up day. The school has released a statement opposing such horrible behavior by adults towards an innocent child. Yes, black lives matter and yes all other lives matter too. The fact that racism is experienced by both races needs to be acknowledged. In order for us to genuinely combat racism we all need to get real and speak the truth. No race is better than the other, we are equal, we are human and bullies are cowards.
“Depending on our politicians is not sufficient to overcome our struggles.”
You got that right. But they do set the framework in which we operate. We currently have a political party that has been in power for 20 of the last 23 years. It has broad Union support, and has significant administrative support via the civil service.
And yet, the PLP has failed to tackle education, employment, immigration and whole host of other issues quite right highlighted above. And they’ve done this against ballooning debt for which they alone are responsible and declining population.
What the BLM movement needs to also do, is some quick mathematics. Figure out what the tax base needs to look like to support both the debt, the oversized civil service and the public services we expect. And then think about how you fix that. Right now, generations of Bermudians will be saddled with the fruits of PLP failure.
Or you could simply elect some adults to run the economy.
The only way to get the cost of fresh produce down is with more locally grown produce. Also not only do we need more locally grown produce to help get the cost down but if people stopped ‘night farming’ then farmers wouldn’t have to allow for a ‘wastage’ percentage in their pricing
Also a major factor that seems to always get lost is the old subject of having kids. Not being able to afford 1 or 2 kids is a problem, continuing and having 3,4,5 kids is plain stupid
Full legalization needs to be on this list.