On November 13, Carolyn Young, the wife of labour icon Kenyatta Young, who predeceased her, was laid to rest at St John’s Church in Pembroke. Sister Carolyn may not have been known to some Bermudians, but I can assure you that to most black Bermudians over a certain age, whose families were touched by our decades-long quest for economic, social and racial justice, she was a well-known, admired and revered figure.

Not that she sought notoriety, fame or undue recognition; she was far too modest and self-effacing for that. Even now I can see her blushing with that wan smile of hers and quietly protesting that she did not need the attention or fuss that these words would likely bring.

She was, as noted, a humble woman whom I saw for years quietly going about her work at the Bermuda Industrial Union on Union Street.

Yet, rest assured that behind every Molly Burgess, Barbara Ball and Dame Lois Browne-Evans, there was a Carolyn Young.

More importantly, she epitomised those anonymous but not forgotten black Bermudian women of the 1960s and 1970s whose resiliency and strength not only kept our families together, as if by some miracle, but played as much of a role as those well-known male leaders in ensuring the success of the political and labour movements that informed our democratic norms and defined modern Bermuda.

These were the seamstresses, the clerks, the waitresses and the chambermaids who only wanted a fair deal for themselves and for their families.

The same women, now much older, who on December 2 were out in force to protest against the Government’s intention to proceed with the airport Bill in the House of Assembly.

Women such as former educator Esme Williams, who is legally blind but was there, too, at the main gate on Parliament Street, wedged in between myself and colleague Michael Weeks, as acrid pepper spray wafted through the still, humid air.

The same Esme Williams whose mother and father were members, like my own, of the Progressive Group. The same Progressive Group that 57 years ago led the effort to dismantle Bermuda’s Jim Crow-like system of racial segregation that advantaged and privileged whites at the expense of the black majority.

That is why I am sure that Sister Carolyn would have been very pleased to hear the Progressive Labour Party in the person of Opposition leader David Burt on the day after her homegoing service, reaffirm and convey by way of the Response to the Throne speech the party’s commitment to progressive values and ideals that promise a fairer deal for all Bermudians.

And while the Government’s Speech from the Throne was generally pedestrian in its approach, it was out of touch with the reality of the “two Bermudas” that does exist on our island and was decidedly unambitious in its scope and intent, Burt boldly asserted a compelling case for the future of Bermuda by way of the “Vision 2025” plan.

This blueprint for Bermuda, which is a follow-up to the PLP’s Reply to the Budget in 2016, among others things will promote on the economic front a more diversified economy. It promises to do so by supporting and incubating a financial technology, or “fintech”, sector in Bermuda. Fintech, which was first touted by former leader Marc Bean, more than a year ago, is one of the fastest-growing areas in the provision of financial services globally.

We believe that if we can provide the proper tax incentives, regulatory environment and reduce the cost of energy and broadband services, Bermuda can position itself as the regional hub for a range of financial technology companies.

In addition, we intend to “promote entrepreneurship” by way of tax relief for first-time entrepreneurs and liberalise the 60-40 regime to provide access to foreign capital for novice business owners.

We will also increase the lending cap at the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation for small-business owners and ensure that those who have been historically shut out will have an expanded opportunity to exercise their talents, bring new innovations to the marketplace and realise their aspirations for business success.

Those who need only a helping hand will get one from a future PLP government.

In the area of what I call family first policies, we have committed to “tackling child poverty” with the introduction of a “Child Poverty Act”, which will establish targets to facilitate the elimination of child poverty in Bermuda.

This is critical because it is clear to me and many others that poverty in general has grown over the past few years, driven in large part by the growth of income and wealth inequality to levels that we have not seen in decades, as outlined by economics lecturer Craig Simmons and more recently by John Wight, the president of the Chamber of Commerce.

Certainly, Sister Carolyn would also would have given a strong thumbs-up not only to the commitment of the PLP to strengthen anti-discrimination laws by toughening penalties for acts of discrimination more broadly, but to the determination to strengthen the investigative and sanctioning powers of the Human Rights Commission, with respect to those businesses that we believe discriminate against Bermudians.

One need look no farther than the case of Pernal Grant v Apex Construction to understand that this form of discrimination is real and pervasive, and has been for some time.

In that appeal, Chief Justice Ian Kawaley affirmed and upheld a prior ruling of the Employment Tribunal that Mr Grant, who is black, was discriminated against along with other black employees at Apex Construction on the grounds of nationality, as Bermudians, and because of their race — as persons of colour — in favour of foreign workers.

Moreover, he also affirmed that the black employees were essentially there only as window dressing, if you will, restricted to low-level occupations at the company to curry favour with immigration officials in the company’s pursuit of continuing work permits on behalf of foreign workers.

And, finally, the PLP has committed to introduce “Equality Impact Assessments as a component of our legislative and policy development process to ensure that present and future laws and policies do not expand or encourage racial discrimination”.

Sister Carolyn would have been proud of the Reply to the Throne as a committed statement of intent delivered by the PLP’s leader. From structural reforms to our healthcare system and education, to tackling the underlying causes that are informing gang formation and violence, while affecting the life chances of too many black males in this society, this is a document that addresses 21st-century challenges with 21st-century solutions.

There is so much more that I would like to share but space will not allow. Suffice to say that I encourage you to access the response to the Throne Speech at www.parliament.bm.

To the family of Carolyn Young you have my deepest condolences, but take solace that your mother’s life was not in vain and that we in the PLP will ensure that her legacy survives.

The “Vision 2025” document is our down payment on that promise to you and the Bermudian people.

She, and the people that she fought so hard on behalf of, will not be forgotten.

•Rolfe Commissiong is an opposition backbencher and the MP for Pembroke South East (Constituency 21)