Column: Williams On CURB, Racism & More
[Opinion column written by Stacey-Lee Williams]
Racism leaves deep scars – socially, economically and emotionally. In Bermuda, those scars are still visible. But so is something else: the will to heal, transform, and build a future rooted in equity and unity.
Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda [CURB] exists to make that future possible. As a non-governmental organisation, CURB works at the intersections of advocacy, education and community healing to advance racial justice across the island.
CURB’s programs are not abstract theories. They are real, evidence-based and rooted in community. Each year, CURB reaches over 700 individuals through youth initiatives, workshops, training and community dialogue.
Our work spans all levels of society – from grassroots to government – delivering racial equity education, restorative justice practices, and truth-telling forums that challenge Bermuda to confront its history and chart a better path forward.
Programmes like our Fair Play Sports Club Initiative equip coaches, parents and young athletes with tools to model equity and fairness on and off the field. Our public speaker series, position papers, and policy recommendations continue to elevate reparative justice as a national conversation. CURB is laying the foundation for change. We are proactively working to create a culture where equity is expected and dignity is a right, not a privilege.
But what makes CURB’s work truly distinctive is its commitment to truth and reconciliation. In a society shaped by centuries of racial inequity, silence is not neutral – it is complicit. CURB’s dialogue spaces allow painful truths to be spoken, heard and transformed into collective growth. These are spaces where stories become strategies and where understanding leads to action.
Our vision is as bold as it is beautiful: a Bermuda where race is no longer a barrier to opportunity, and where every resident feels seen, valued, and empowered to thrive. A Bermuda where we rise together, united by shared purpose, equity and opportunity. CURB believes that this change is possible – not through confrontation alone, but through connection, education, and shared responsibility.
As Bermuda continues to reckon with its past and shape its future, CURB’s work is not just relevant – it is essential. Racial justice isn’t achieved once – it’s built and rebuilt, together.
Let us support this vision. Let us be part of the conversation. And let us rise, together.
- Stacey-Lee Williams, Executive Director of Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda [CURB]
Half o the citizens of Bermuds are of mixed parentage.
CURB has the most blinkered view on racism: I remember a white football referee suffering horrendous racial abuse: the response from Curb – crickets. I also remember racist graffiti against Filipino residents daubed on the walls of a supermarket on the North Shore: response from CURB – crickets once more. They cherrypick one race only to defend.