August 29, 2002

Dear Sir,

Mr. Toppy Cowen (Royal Gazette, August 27) recalls the forum at the Bermuda College shortly before the election of November, 1998. One of the significant factors about that forum was that, in addition to those who envisioned it, there was considerable Government funds (UBP at the time) which were invested. That made it possible to do a great deal of imaginative advertising throughout the community. It also made it possible to hire additional assistance for the numerous functions that were necessary.

While the election of 1998 distracted those who were immediately involved, there was another very serious effort made in 2000 to follow through on the proposals which came out of that forum. However, by that time another Government (PLP) was in place and there was an absolute refusal to invest anything, even for reprinting the summary of the conclusion!

Having been associated with the National Association for Reconciliation for more than a decade, it has been very apparent that, whatever the reasons, very few in either racial community are sufficiently concerned to commit either time or effort to addressing this issue. Black people, generally, get very furious when they experience racism directly and personally but that does not motivate them to consider addressing the issue consistently and collectively. They are likely to be very careful how they respond to subtle, or not so subtle, evidence of racism because they are likely to be called “a trouble maker” and “blacklisted” not only by whites but the blacks, in some way or another.

The very fact that in 2002 some blacks are doing very well, despite the continuing racial divide, those blacks who might, or should, be taking the role of leadership in confronting the situation, are not going to jeopardise their own possibilities by doing so. It says something to us that is both sad and ironic that the most that we are prepared to do about racism today is to memorialise an event that happened forty odd years ago, rather than being prepared to confront the present much more subtle, much more difficult, racial divide. We would rather pretend that it is only one of many kinds of diversity that we may, or may not, address sporadically.

This lack of sacrifical concern on the part of the black population has meant that the black leadership of a “black” Government has behaved very much in the same fashion. Individual “integration” or social interaction is all that matters. Any suggestion that the Government hierarchy should be more proactive is likely to be met with the rationalisation that “it existed long before 1998 and we cannot be expected to solve all of the problems overnight”! For those Blacks who have not benefited and have no hope of their lot being improved are “comfortable” with the familiar, just as most slaves were not Sojourner Truth.

If the leadership in this Government was not even prepared to finance the reprinting of the proposals from that forum which made such widespread impact, nor prepared to make even a token contribution to the Conference on Racism in South Africa, it is obvious that the racial divide which so concerns Mr. Cowen is not a priority. It may strike some as odd that a PLP leadership has not been more proactive in the matter of race relations but the media suggests that there are others who have found it odd that a PLP victory has led the PLP hierarchy or leadership to make enemies of, or alienate, so many long time black PLP supporters. Nevertheless, as Larry Burchall points out (Bermuda Sun, Aug. 14), despite the outcry there is validity to Toppy Cowen's argument that a predominantly black country should have a black leader - even though many Blacks have been more than willing to vote for a white person.

Most whites are likely to agree with “Observer” and say “Get-over-it” rather than with Toppy Cowen who is concerned about the racial divide.

N.A.R. cannot profess to have made very much difference in the racial climate, but we still do exist and if there are enough of those who are willing to commit time, or effort, to come up with creative ideas we have to believe that we still could do more than simply memorialise an event that took place forty years ago. You would be welcome. N.A.R. P.O. Box HM 262, Hamilton HM KX

N.A.R. REP.

City of Hamilton