Bermuda, in terms of crime and social problems, is at the point where the United States was 30 years ago.

And it is up to the people who helped to make this Island what it is today to individually and collectively work to save the next generation.

That was one of several messages Essence magazine's Editor-in-Chief Ms Susan L. Taylor shared with hundreds of adults and youngsters who braved torrential rain to hear her speak at St. Paul's AME's Centennial Hall on Saturday night.

Ms Taylor and husband Mr. Khepra Burns were invited to speak by Successories of Bermuda.

Following performances by Suzette Harvey & the United Production Dancers and uplifting songs by Ms Gita Blakeney, Ms Taylor addressed the hall -- packed mainly with black women -- in the same inspirational, conversational manner in which she writes her magazine editorials.

Born and raised in Harlem, New York, during the 1950s, Ms Taylor recalled that it was "very safe''.

"There weren't the kind of heinous acts of violence that you hear about today. I remember people would sleep on their fire escapes.

"Then suddenly women began to clutch their pocketbooks and children had to go in before dark.'' Ms Taylor noted the neighbourhood became so bad that those who had the resources, including her Kittsian father and her Trinidadian mother, had to leave Harlem.

They moved to Jamaica, Queens, which was full of positive role models and activities for youth, she said. But within ten years the problems that they ran from in Harlem had reached their new neighbourhood.

Ms Taylor said again those with the financial resources fled to Long Island.

But, she said, they soon realised there was nowhere to run and hide.

"What we must do, individually and collectively, is drop our buckets and work,'' she stressed.

Noting the hardships and injustices that blacks' ancestors endured, Ms Taylor urged those in attendance to embrace pain and challenges and empower themselves.

"We are not victims,'' she said. "We are survivors. The history is documented. It is in your libraries. You need to embrace it. History should not anger us, but should empower us.

"When you look back on all the challenges, everything has its purpose. We suffer for a reason, to encourage us to grow, reach deeper within ourselves to have courage and faith.'' But the mother, wife and author -- who experienced divorce and single-parenthood at an early age and earned her bachelor's degree in her 40s -- said people must first take out time to know themselves before taking on life's challenges.

"Quiet and introspective time is the key to getting your life in balance,'' she said, urging everyone to take out 20 minutes for themselves and critical thinking at the beginning of each day.

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,'' Ms Taylor stressed. "We have enough time to do whatever we chose and make whatever we will of our lives.'' Noting that scores of black young people are killing each other, Ms Taylor said: "Everyday we have to remember who we are. We are the survivors. We are the people who refused to die. And if you think Bermuda is great. It is great because your ancestors made it great. You created this beauty.

"So nobody is giving us anything on a silver platter. The strength that helped our ancestors to survive that holocaust is within you.

"We all know that there is a divinity and that he lives within us to do our bidding for that purpose.'' "If our children are losing ground right now,'' she added, "it is because we're raising the first generation of children who are not growing up in churches.'' ROLE MODEL -- Essence Editor Ms Susan L. Taylor: `Fail to plan, plan to fail.'