ADHTF Highlights Pilot Darrell During Walkabout
The African Diaspora Heritage Trail Foundation [ADHTF] will highlight the legacy of Pilot “Jemmy” Darrell during its cultural activation at the Bermuda National Trust’s annual Christmas Walkabout.
A spokesperson said, “The African Diaspora Heritage Trail Foundation [ADHTF] will showcase the legacy of Pilot “Jemmy” Darrell during its cultural activation at the Bermuda National Trust’s annual Christmas Walkabout. Pilot Darrell’s descendants have opened their historic St George’s property to allow the ADHTF to set up an educational station and a tasting experience celebrating African diaspora food traditions.
“Pilot Jemmy Darrell [c. 1749–1815] was one of Bermuda’s most skilled and respected maritime pilots, a formerly enslaved man whose mastery and leadership transformed the island’s maritime history. In 1795, while still enslaved, Darrell expertly navigated the British naval ship HMS Resolution, a 74-gun vessel, through Bermuda’s dangerous reefs into what is now Murray’s Anchorage. Rear Admiral George Murray was so impressed that he recommended the government purchase Darrell’s freedom, which was granted in 1796. Darrell became one of Bermuda’s first King’s Pilots and went on to purchase his home and land in St George’s, making him the first known Black Bermudian to own property. As a free man of colour, he challenged discriminatory laws that restricted Black property rights and attempted to reduce the wages of Black pilots. His life is honoured annually at St Peter’s Church, where a plaque at his gravesite recognises his “usefulness and integrity”.
“The ADHTF’s participation in the Walkabout reflects the Foundation’s renewed commitment to expanding cultural and educational engagement across Bermuda. The Foundation is restoring a building at Admiralty House Park to serve as a community learning space and continues its partnership with the Department of Education to provide professional development for teachers, student tours and curriculum resources that deepen understanding of African diaspora history.
“Visitors to the Walkabout are invited to stop by the Pilot Darrell site for educational insight and light bites inspired by culinary traditions from across the diaspora, including Jamaica, Belize and Africa. Food tastings are supported by community partners such as Barritt’s, Fish N Tings, Yardie Kitchen, Jamaican Grill, Cindy Swan and members of the ADHTF Board. In recognition of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, the ADHTF has also partnered with the Jamaican Association of Bermuda to collect donations for relief and recovery efforts in the hardest-hit Jamaican communities.”
