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St. Croix Source  ::  Source Staff

The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands will hold its first territory-wide training for the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II for all public entities, including all local government departments, agencies and other instrumentalities. The trainings will be held:

• Monday, July 12: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef on St. Thomas.

• Tuesday, July 13: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Carambola Resort on St. Croix.

The ADA, passed into law 20 years ago, was set forward with the hope of eliminating barriers to equal opportunity and participation for individuals with disabilities.

St. Croix Source  ::  Carol Buchanan

St. Croix playwright Imelda "Sandra" Edwards saw more to government work than work -- she saw humor and she saw a play.

With 16 years of government experience behind her, she was inspired to pen the play “8 to 5 – Government Style,” and the Caribbean Community Theater produced the one-act play at Island Center Sydney Lee Theater in 2000. With ten more years experience as a local government employee, she decided to rewrite the original play, adding current material and jokes.

CCT is now closing out its season with the latest two-act version, “8 to 5 – Government Style II.”

The occasional real-life tension between members of the public and government workers was nowhere in evidence at the Friday night opening, whose audience comprised both. Everyone was laughing a lot during the two-hour performance.

Raymond Williams, chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis, was one of those laughing. “I have lived this for 20 years,” Williams said. “This is so theatrical, and it is so true.”

Edwards, who had not attended any dress rehearsals, was also at opening night enjoying the production and she took a curtain call at the end.

She said in an earlier interview that as a young girl she had her eye on the silver screen and dreamed of becoming a movie star. She didn't have the opportunity to pursue acting, but she immersed herself in writing songs, poetry, plays and books.

“I get a natural high from writing,” Edwards said. “I just love the written word and I had it in me to write.” She added she would love to be able to write 24/7.

Edwards, originally from Antigua, won a poetry contest at age 16 and had her poem “My Mother's Warning” made into a song and record that she said got air time on the local radio station. She did end up on stage performing Calypsonian music in competition locally as “Lady Brain.” She had a local hit song about two women who dated married men because of the lack of available single men entitled “Susan & Martha.”

Her writing did not stop there as she is also the author of three self-published novels: “A Caribbean Story of Love, Lust and Lies,” “A Caribbean Story of Hurt, Horror and Healing,” and “A Caribbean Story of Cruelty, Corruption and Compassion.” All the books are available at Treasure Attic book store in Christiansted.

“I have so many ideas, but writing comedy is what I like to write most,” Edwards said. She said she is working on another comedy for CCT's next production.

Her humor sometimes takes a ribald turn, and the theater suggests no one under 18 attend the production. But the ribald turns are likely not anything that the average government worker has not heard. Much of the play concerns gossip in the workplace and conjecture about the big shots making the big bucks, but one probably would not be wrong to assume that much of the conversation that passes in government office between the workers is not gossip and conjecture.

Edwards has written screenplays as well, and says she would like to write a soap opera about St. Croix.

“I am a starving artist right now, but one day I hope to make it big and retire from government service,” Edwards said.

“8 to 5 – Government Style II” is directed by Eileen Bishop Des Jardins. The Crucian comedy features some very strong performances from Irene Cuffy, Xauskya Emmanuel, Carol Frank, Beverly Antoine-Frederick, Carmen Simmonds, Khnuma Simmonds, Xaulanda Simmonds-Emmanuel, Jose Maldonado and Sharon Powell.

The theater is at 18 Estate Orange Grove where tickets are sold at the box office prior to each performance: $15 for adults; $8 for students. The box office and bar open at 7:15 p.m. on show nights, and at 3:15 p.m. for the Sunday matinée.

The performances are July10, 16, 17, 23, and 24 at 8 p.m., and one Sunday matinée on July 18 at 4 p.m.

The Virgin Islands Daily News  ::  Joy Blackburn

In a light hearted ceremony, the 12 members of the Project Link Class of 2010 celebrated their graduation and claimed their high school diplomas Thursday night.

The alternative school — sponsored by the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix and funded through the V.I. departments of Education and Labor — graduated its first class last year. It is a home-school tutorial adult education program.

This year’s students, who are referred to the program through the Labor Department, range in age from 18 to 35 and include men and women, said Sue Diverio, program director.

Before the graduation, student Nackisha Ramirez, 27, who dropped out of high school at 16, said that earning the diploma was important to her — for her children and for her future career possibilities.

“I was missing the most important part of my education,” she said, adding that even though she has years of managerial experience, her resume lacked a high school diploma.

The mother of two said she wants to give her children a better life and set a good example for them.

“I want my son to be able to say that my mom did it, and I can too,” she said of earning a high school diploma.

She said she tells any teen she meets to stay in school and attain their educational goals before settling down to have children — and before they have gotten into the life routine of an adult.

“Stay in school, get a career, get a diploma, and be someone,” she said. Ramirez plans to attend the University of the Virgin Islands in the fall and study accounting.

As the graduation ceremony got under way Thursday night, students in caps and gowns, carrying candles, made their way down the aisle at Caribbean Community Theater to the music of “Never Give Up.”

The ceremony featured several slide shows of students, along with Project Link staff members.

Project Link began when Diverio, who was running the Women’s Coalition afterschool program, found out that the Labor Department was offering a grant for a home-school tutorial adult program.

The Women’s Coalition was only using its Children’s Center in the evening, and, eventually, Project Link was born. Tutorial assistance is available to Project Link students from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays at the center.

Clema Lewis, Women’s Coalition co-director, said the alternative school fulfills part of the Women’s Coalition mission: violence prevention.

She noted that young men armed with high-school diplomas may be less likely to become involved in crime and that one of the reasons some women stay in abusive relationships is because they do not have the education and basic skills to get a job.

“This is an opportunity for us to catch them before they become victims — before they become criminals — before their lives turn into violence,” she said.

The program is based through the American School in Illinois, which is fully accredited, Diverio said.

“It was an exciting, rough and fun experience,” said graduate Leila Armstrong, who addressed her classmates during the ceremony.

Armstrong said they all had hard times but stuck with it and have now opened themselves to endless opportunities.

She thanked everyone who helped the graduates along the way and encouraged her classmates to follow their dreams, never give up, and continue to be a success.

Diverio told them: “Believe in yourselves. Come back if you need us. We’re here; we will work with you; we will help you get to the next step.”

St. Croix Source  ::  Carol Buchanan

Fun, food and games were the highlight of the day Saturday for a couple of dozen boys at the 3rd annual Men's Fun Day.

“We achieved our purpose of bringing parents, mentors and kids together for a meaningful fun-filled day,” said Etherero Akinshegun, chairman of the event. “Spirits were high and the children enjoyed the day immensely.”

The children played and competed in games of all sorts from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the St. Croix Career and Technical Education Center.

The boys appeared to be having a ball hitting plastic golf balls with all their might in the golf clinic put on by Carts Unlimited Inc. In the courtyard at CTEC boys got instruction on the proper handling of drivers and how to tee the ball up. The boys put their skills to the test in a closest-to-the-pin competition, a longest-drive competition, and a target shot. Paul Crump Sr. and his son Paul Crump Jr. came in first place taking home a gift certificate for a round of golf at the Reef Golf Course.

“I loved playing golf,” said Christopher Brown. “It was my first time but people thought I had played before because I did so well.”

A Tug-of-Peace, not war, was held with the women's team winning after a real struggle.

Trophies were given for first place winners in dominoes, chess and checkers.

Conrad Jarvis and his mentor Sarah Joseph were the dominoes champions. Neil Morris was the chess master and Orion Browne took first place in checkers. Dwayne Samson lead in the basketball free throw competition.

“My favorite game was basketball,” Mathias Samson said with a big grin. “I had such a good time I would like come here and do this again some day.”

Men who serve the community were honored at the close of the day.

Bien Brignoni was honored for mentoring young people in the art of wood-turning. VIPD Officer Charles Nibbs was honored for his work with parents and troubled youth bringing peace, love and harmony to their lives. Chris Finch commissioner of the Department of Human Services was honored for all he does in the community. Cyril Levine,Wallace W. Phaire and Richard Austin were also honored for their contributions to the community.

The children feasted on donated submarine sandwiches from Peter's Rest Subway and huge slices of pizza from Napoleons Pizza.

American Red Cross Youth Volunteers and parents lent a hand helping wherever they were needed before and during the fun day. D.J. Heart provided clean wholesome music throughout the day.

Sponsors of the fun day were CTEC and PINNACLE, a Lutheran Social Services program under the direction of Akinshegun. The founder of the event is Carolyn McKenzie, a soon to retire guidance counselor in the Department of Education. The event was originally scheduled for Father's Day but was postponed because of rain.

The Virgin Islands Daily News  ::  Joy Blackburn

The Virgin Islands government is moving to coordinate its response to an explosion of complaints about feral chicken nuisances and also announced that it will be taking steps to boost enforcement on a variety of animal issues territorywide.

In a prepared statement, the Virgin Islands departments of Planning and Natural Resources and Agriculture recently announced plans to work together — and with the public — to address some longstanding animal control issues.

Part of the effort includes the Agriculture Department’s move to create animal warden positions for each district and DPNR’s focus on enforcing zoning violations for those who are raising livestock — or chickens — in residential areas.

There are no estimates on the actual number of feral chickens roaming the territory. Officials said they could not say for sure whether the rising number of complaints was the product of a wild chicken population boom or more public awareness.

“There does seem to be increased awareness, particularly among individuals in residential areas,” said DPNR Commissioner Robert Mathes.

Mathes said that DPNR will be investigating complaints about people raising chickens or livestock in areas zoned residential.

Under current law and regulations, livestock and poultry can only be raised on land that is zoned “A,” for agricultural, V.I. Agriculture Commissioner Louis Petersen said.

Mathes said that those who want to report possible zoning violations related to livestock or chickens can call DPNR at 773-1082 on St. Croix or 774-3320 in the St. Thomas-St. John District and ask for the planning office.

If DPNR enforcement officers determine a zoning violation is occurring, they will use progressive enforcement, first providing a warning and then, if the violation continues to occur, issuing a formal notice of violation, which is then turned over to the V.I. Attorney General’s Office, Mathes said.

Agriculture will also be appointing animal wardens in both districts, according to the statement.

Although V.I. Code has long allowed the Agriculture commissioner to appoint animal wardens to enforce animal protection and control laws, Petersen said that no one currently working for the department recalls a warden ever being appointed in the past.

The department is in the process of changing that, he said.

At this point, Agriculture is working with the Police Department to develop job descriptions and salary ranges for the animal warden positions, Petersen said. The central government will also have to go through the sometimes cumbersome process of creating the positions.

The animal wardens will be trained peace officers, enabling Agriculture to enforce local laws against animal cruelty and neglect, as well as animal confinement regulations pertaining to large livestock, Petersen said.

According to the release, the wardens will also be tasked with doing some community education.

Petersen said that as far as he knows, the government plans to continue its animal control contracts with the Animal Welfare Center on St. Croix and the Humane Society on St. Thomas. Those contracts pertain mostly to domestic animals.

The animal wardens would be dealing with larger livestock and with enforcement issues that the two shelters currently have to call police to address, he said.

“The animal wardens are going to be supportive of what the department does, as well as what the shelters do,” Petersen said.

Gretchen Sherrill, executive director of the Animal Welfare Center, said that she welcomes the appointment of animal wardens and believes they will address a gap that currently exists with enforcing animal welfare laws.

“This position that’s going to have warden status will bridge the gap between what we’re able to do and what the police are able to do,” she said. “This would be truly an animal cop.”

Currently, if either nonprofit encounters an animal situation that may cross into a criminal investigation, police must be called in, she said.

Petersen said the animal wardens will be appointed as soon as possible. Even though times are hard, the department will have to find the money to do so, he said.

“It’s not easy at all. I think that one of our issues is that there are very limited resources for all of us to share, and at the same time, if this problem goes unchecked, it’s going to continue to degrade the quality of life for all of us,” he said.

Meanwhile, the government is urging private individuals and businesses that are having problems with feral chickens to purchase their own traps or other capturing devices.

The Agriculture Department will receive birds from those traps, the release states.

“If you’re looking for a way to dispose of the chicken, bring it to us,” Petersen said. “My No. 1 preference is to give them to poultry farmers to incorporate into their own operations. That way, it becomes a win-win situation.”

Agriculture has a limited number of traps to catch chickens, but the feral chicken problem in the territory far exceeds the number of traps, he said, noting that Agriculture has also had a problem with people stealing the traps once they are set.

St. Thomas-Water Island Administrator Barbara Petersen started a feral chicken trapping program in her district almost two years ago, with volunteers doing the trapping.

But the problem has mushroomed beyond what the volunteer trappers can handle, she said. “That’s the operative word — it’s mushroomed into a bigger problem than we anticipated,” she said, adding that it will take the administrators’ offices, along with Agriculture, DPNR and the residents of the territory working together to get it under control.

St. Croix Source  ::  Source Staff

With a flourish of pens, Christiansted, Frederiksted and Charlotte Amalie finalized a twin-city agreement with the Italian city of Montescudaio, Italy.

Sen. Wayne James represented the territory at the signing in the Italian city. Joining him in the event, which took place Sunday, was Montescudaio Mayor Aurelio Pellegrini.

The agreement between the wine-producing city and the rum-producing Caribbean territory allows both to explore mutual trade and cultural exchanges.

The relationship sprang from discussions starting March 2009 when Pellegrini extended the invitation to James through a mutual friend. In late November and early December, James visited Montescudaio, where as Pellegrini's guest, he was goodwill ambassador at a series of gatherings— from a tribute to the American soldiers who died during the liberation of Montescudaio on D-Day, to winery tours and meetings with the village's municipal council.

A delegation from the town repaid the visit in January and were feted throughout the islands.

James introduced a resolution to the Legislature to formalize the relationship and Pellegrini introduced a similar initiative to secure the relationship under Italian law. Both were approved, formalizing the relationship. Sunday’s signing ceremony finalized the agreement.

St. Croix Source  ::  Carol Buchanan

If you're going to go green, go all the way. That was the message delivered by Premier Homes President Richard Borck, who spoke Thursday at the Rotary Club of St. Croix's meeting at Getrude's Restaurant.

During the talk, Borck described his home-building projects, including one that earned the top five star-rating certificate from Island Green Building Association.

According to Borck, Premier Homes has created six models utilizing green methods, which include using recycled materials, alternative energy generation (wind and solar), gray water and insulated materials.

Borck's home is built so he does not need air conditioning. However, for people who do want air conditioning, he said his building methods would cut their air conditioning energy use by 75 percent.

He added that the solar power and solar water systems provide 50 to 60 percent of the home's energy use. “Combined with energy conservation methods, such as low-voltage lighting, we are greatly reducing the typical household carbon footprint,” Borck said.

He also pointed out that his company plans to start installing 1-kilowatt Urban Green Energy Turbines. He says the plans are to install six within the next four months. He says when one is installed at his home it will reduce his WAPA bill "to nearly zero.” The Urban Green wind turbines are a modernistic design that claims to produce power from a low-wind resource.

Don Buchanan of the V.I. Energy Office, who was in attendance Thursday, said he was unaware of any being installed in the territory yet. He added that he was eager to see how they worked.

Borck emphasized that V.I. residents should definitely measure their wind resource and determine that it is constant before investing in a wind turbine.

Part of Borck's talk focused on the benefits residents get from the Energy Office's rebate program. He added that residents could even get a federal tax credit for purchasing solar and wind systems this year.

Club President Gail Jagroop Bourdon asked whether the Energy Office rebate program was always going to be there. Borck deferred the question to Buchanan, who said that though most programs were not scheduled to end until 2012, the programs were also dependent on funds being available.

He went on to say that the main appliance rebate program being funded through stimulus funds was “a victim of its own success.” He said many residents had taken advantage of that program, and that due to depleted funds, the Energy Office was planning to shut that program down on Aug. 15.

Mike Bruno, owner of Energy Wise Strategies, also spoke for a few minutes. He focused on how much money people can save over time by switching to LED lights.

St. Croix Source  ::  Carol Buchanan

When Jacky and Carole Dastugue moved to St. Croix five years ago they had planned on opening a restaurant. After working in the local hotel, food and beverage industry they decided a full-scale restaurant was too risky, so they went small and opened Jaccar Organic & Natural Sorbets.

“Opening a restaurant was just too risky of an adventure,” Carole says. “Since we moved here, we have seen a lot of restaurants open and close. This was small and easy, and I like to make sorbet.” Carole says she has been making sorbets and ice cream for friends and family the past 20 years and they have told her she does a good job getting flavors and consistency just right. “People suggested to us that we open the shop,” Carole says. Jaccar is a combination of their names.

The couple moved here from Southern California, where Carol graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. Jacky is originally from Senegal in Western Africa. Jacky, who still has a French-sounding accent, said he fell in love with St. Croix the first time they visited.

“It reminds me of Senegal with the same weather and foliage like the baobab trees,” Jacky says. “Many customs are similar too, like the mocko jumbies.”

Jacky was trained in food and beverage management at Ecole Hotelier in Nice, France, where he says he was taught to treat every business as his own.

Jacky says it has actually been a pleasure working with government agencies getting the business set up.

“Every government agency worker went out of their way to help us,” Jacky says. They officially opened the shop in mid-June with a soft opening to get the kinks out. “We are very pleased with business so far with a lot of repeat customers,” Carole says.

Jacky is the taste tester, bookkeeper and marketing manager in the business. Jacky says he also helps clean the fruit. Carole makes the sorbets out of locally grown fresh fruit.

“We want to support St. Croix farmers by buying locally grown fruit,” Carole says. At this time she has a freezer full of frozen mango pulp and carambola pulp. She says she will be ready to still serve mango sorbets when mango season is over.

The sorbets are made with fruit pulp that has been processed in a juicer, lime juice and Volcanic Nectar Blue Agave, a low-glycemic natural sweetener that is okay for diabetics. Carole says parents like the fact that the sorbet isn't made with sugar, and it is a good way to get kids to eat fruit.

“American sorbets are too sweet, all you taste is the sugar and not the fruit,” Jacky says. The cold ingredients are mixed together and churned about 20 minutes in an ice cream maker and then stored in a freezer.

The containers and spoons are made from corn and are biodegradable, and the napkins are made from recycled paper. “We are trying to be totally 'green,' buying locally grown organic fruit and not adding plastic and Styrofoam to the landfill,” Carole says.

Carole says she loves to experiment mixing different fruits, herbs and spices. Some of the tasty mixes she has come up with are a mango, pineapple, and soursop combination, a mango mint and an orange basil mix just to name a few.

The sorbets are available in containers in sizes from four to 32 ounces. They also make frozen fruit pops and homemade organic butter cookies sold in half-pound containers. They also have organic unsulfured fruits and organic gummy bears and worms.

They entered for their first time the 2010 Mango Dis and Dat cooking contest at Mango Melee for exposure and won first place for sweets and desserts in the professionals category.

The shop, painted in a soft melon and pale grape color, is located at Gallows Bay in the Arawak Building across from Gallows Bay Appliance store. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more about other flavors and products, call 719-6999.

“We want to stay small and have personal contact with our customers,” Carole says. “The only thing we need is a couple of chairs.”

St. Croix Souce  ::  Bill Kossler

The National Park Service has completed a study endorsing the creation of a St. Croix National Heritage Area over several other options and Thursday through Saturday will be holding meetings to get public input.

The study includes extensive discussion of St. Croix colonial and pre-Columbian history, slavery and emancipation, geography, environment, and modern society. It looked into how best to promote the historic, natural and cultural resources of St. Croix, weighing the likely effects of three courses of action: doing nothing, designating the entire island of St. Croix a national heritage area, and creating some form of private, unaffiliated heritage area.

The study concludes all three are viable options, but finds that "a national heritage area designation has the greatest potential for heritage resource protection, raising funds from diverse sources, and building reciprocal partnerships and bringing groups together."

The national heritage area label or designation is a conservation strategy devised by Congress to support local residents in the preservation of their own natural and cultural heritage, according to the National Park Service. The designation would be permanent but has no restrictions or rules or authority over residents and does not supersede or change local laws, according to Park Service officials.

A local organization would coordinate with stakeholders like the local government, the St. Croix Landmarks Society, the National Park Service and so forth, to work collaboratively on projects that promote the heritage of the area. The area so designated is not a park, and people's property rights are not affected. It would, however, make various historical and cultural preservation projects eligible for federal grants.

Only about 20 percent of funds for heritage area programs would likely come from the federal government, Park Service representatives said while the study was under way. The rest must come from private organizations and non-profits. It is a national designation with locally run programs. In the United States, there are about 40 national heritage areas.

A longtime advocate of the creation of a St. Croix National Heritage Area, Delegate Donna Christensen first began prodding Congress to pass funding for a feasibility study some years ago. Congress approved the St. Croix National Heritage Area Study Act in October of 2006 but didn't authorized funding until 2008.

"It took three congresses and six years," Christensen said back in 2008. "Probably close to eight years now. But the Senate logjam finally broke, and we've begun." According to both Christensen and Park Service officials, Congress has rarely, if ever, turned down a request for heritage-area status, but funding varies.

Public meetings are scheduled for:

•Thursday, 6 to 8 p.m. at American Legion Post No. 85 in Christiansted;

• Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Rotary West Community Center in Frederiksted; and

• Saturday at the Great Hall on the St. Croix campus of the University of the Virgin Islands from noon until 2 p.m.

There is also a meeting for the small business community Saturday in the Great Hall at 10:30 a.m.

To view the draft study online, click here. To request a copy be sent in the mail, contact Christensen’s office at (340) 778-5900 or send an e-mail to Makeda.okolo@mail.house.gov.

The Virgin Islands Daily News  ::  Joy Blackburn

Enslavement. Oppression. Deprivation. Rebellion.

And finally, emancipation.

Those were the themes Saturday as historian and community activist Mario Moorhead told the story of Emancipation Day to hundreds gathered at Frederiksted’s Buddhoe Park, on the spot where thousands of slaves from the island’s West End rallied to demand their freedom 162 years earlier.

People of all ages — sitting in camp chairs and on park benches or standing along the fringes — listened in rapt attention as Moorhead described the political and economic climate surrounding the events that occurred on July 3, 1848, a pivotal day in Virgin Islands history.

Moorhead’s talk was only one of the activities on a full slate of events — starting at 5 a.m. and continuing well into the night — to celebrate the day that enslaved Africans in the territory won their freedom in 1848.

The Emancipation Day celebration on St. Croix began with the ninth annual Fort to Fort Walk to Freedom, starting early in the morning at Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted and continuing along Queen Mary Highway to Emancipation Drive and Fort Frederik in Frederiksted.

“It was an empowering walk, as usual,” said Sen. Terrence Nelson, who sponsors the event annually. The walk began with more than 100 participants and, 15 miles later, ended with more than 500, he said.

A cultural food village in Buddhoe Park, a cultural parade, a Constitutional Convention panel discussion, as well as Moorhead’s speech and a street quadrille rounded out the activities in Frederiksted, while on St. Thomas, the Pan-African Support Group and Emancipation Day Coalition hosted its 23rd celebration of Emancipation Day in Emancipation Garden.

Dozens of people watched or took part in the event on St. Thomas, which featured the tolling of the replica Liberty Bell for one hour in the park, a wreath laying ceremony, poetry, music and discussions of self-determination and history.

“When I hear the word Emancipation, I feel the strength of my ancestors,” said Jahweh David during the event. “The word brings up deep feelings.”

Leba Ola-Niyi spoke to the crowd about the theme of Emancipation Day on St. Thomas, “the road to self determination.”

He also spoke of a sense of pride in ancestors that brought an end to slavery in the territory.

On St. Croix, the Superior Court Rising Stars steel orchestra led off the Emancipation Day Cultural Parade — a revived tradition from the 150th commemoration of Emancipation Day 12 years ago — starting in front of Claude O. Markoe Elementary School in Frederiksted.

Mocko jumbies, masqueraders, quadrille dancers and the quelbe band from St. Croix Educational Complex participated in the parade, along with the Rising Stars, making their way slowly from the school down Fisher and King streets to Buddhoe Park, while people watched, cheered and took pictures.

“Today being Emancipation Day, we wanted to bring back what used to happen in the past and encourage our youth to learn their culture and participate in their culture,” said Educational Complex band director Valrica Bryson, who, with Kendall Henry, organized this year’s parade.

The Constitutional Convention panel brought many out, and led to a lively discussion.

Then, as afternoon turned to evening and the light softened, keynote speaker Moorhead began telling the story of Emancipation Day, taking those at the park back 200 years, to when the British controlled the island.

He spoke about the political situation, the conflicts among European countries and the rise of beet sugar production in Europe, which diminished the continent’s reliance on sugar cane produced by slave labor in the Caribbean.

In the years after the island returned to Danish control, the British abolished slavery in 1834 in their colonies, finding the use of indentured servants more cost-effective, Moorhead said.

He talked about the economic downturn that Denmark and its colonies were experiencing at the time, as well as a significant drop in the price of sugar, followed by a drop in the production of sugar on St. Croix, with the enslaved laborers experiencing even more hardship in the fallout from the downturn, through no fault of their own.

In the summer of 1847, Gov. Gen. Peter von Scholten announced that slaves would be gradually freed in the territory, with the children of slaves being freed, but adults having to wait 12 years.

“This is what lit the fuse,” Moorhead said.

At that point, Moses Gottlieb, a freed slave and master sugar boiler who was commonly referred to as “General Buddhoe,” and his comrade Martin King began organizing slaves on the island’s West End. Buddhoe’s services were in demand, and because of that, he traveled freely from plantation to plantation.

“He used the opportunity to pass word that this cannot stand,” Moorhead said.

Word circulated and gradually, a plan was devised.

Once everything was in place, word went out. Many who lived from Kingshill to the West End of the island were involved in the rebellion, Moorhead said. They were rallied by drums beating, conch shells blowing and bells ringing.

By the early morning on July 3, thousands of slaves had marched into Frederiksted to demand their freedom. Buddhoe, in a “splendid” red uniform, rode a white stallion into town, Moorhead said.

They gathered at Fort Frederik and Buddhoe delivered an ultimatum — demanding their freedom by noon or they would burn the town down.

The military sent word of the situation to von Scholten, who was in Christiansted.

Von Scholten missed the deadline. The crowd in Frederiksted ransacked the judges’ and police offices and tore down the whipping post — which was located in the area that is now Buddhoe Park — and threw it out to sea.

Buddhoe extended the deadline and von Scholten arrived in Frederiksted later that afternoon.

He asked his troops why they had not fired on the crowd, Moorhead said.

But part of the planning involved disarming the fort, replacing the gunpowder that fueled both cannons and firearms with sand.

“Without gunpowder, not a cannon, not a musket, not one weapon could fire,” Moorhead said.

Seeing the thousands gathered around the fort, von Scholten then declared all in the Danish West Indies free, Moorhead said, as the crowd in the park on Saturday erupted into applause.

The Emancipation Day festivities continued into the night, with a street quadrille in Custom House Square.