For years the Island avoided discussions on race and created an "illusion of peace" that many were afraid to jeopardise, said Premier Ewart Brown.

His comment was made at the Trailblazers Awards dinner on Saturday, where former PLP Senator Calvin Smith, activist Eva Hodgson and the late lawyer Julian Hall were honoured.

Organised by the Bermuda Race Relations Initiative (BRRI), the event singled out the three for their willingness to speak up about racial injustice and inequality despite the risks involved.

Mr. Smith was praised for breaking down educational and economic barriers to become the Island's first black chief statistician in that role he conducted Bermuda's first census.

Dr. Hodgson, who rebelled against racial oppression through her writing, was called a "woman and warrior queen" by Deputy Premier Paula Cox.

Mr. Hall, considered one of the greatest legal minds the Island has ever known, was paid tribute to by Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess.

Mr. Burgess recalled him being a "dynamic" and "outspoken figure" whose "pursuit for justice" was only surpassed "by his individual brilliance".

Dr. Brown told those at the dinner at the Fairmont Southampton that Bermudians historically were taught it was "wrong, impolite and dangerous" to talk about race.

People grew to be intimidated and fearful about the topic and as a result kept silent, he said.

"This wall of silence that has long reigned supreme in Bermuda is one of the many walls that I knew had to be challenged, confronted and crushed when I took office as your Premier.

"As a people we had tried quiet and many of us had grown to like it, but quiet is merely the absence of noise. Quiet does not mean harmony and it is harmony that we seek, harmony we must have and harmony we will achieve by talking openly, frankly and yes, sometimes painfully, about race.

"The Bermuda Race Relations Initiative, or the 'Big Conversation', was an attempt to get white and black Bermudians to stop talking about each other behind each others' backs, to stop talking at each other and to begin talking to each other openly and honestly for the first time in our history.

"We are one people, united by the Country of our birth, united by our history and united by our traditions. But when it comes to opportunity, equality and justice despite all our progress and despite the quiet we remain two Bermudas separate, divided and unequal."

Dr. Brown said the BRRI, spearheaded by Rolfe Commissiong, has begun to heal old wounds by giving people the strength to talk about race. As a result, the Island is closer to being unified than ever before, he said.

"The wall of silence has been torn down and day by day, Bermudian by Bermudian, we are beginning to stop talking about each other and stop talking at each other and engaging in dialogue at a level unheard of in old Bermuda," the Premier said.

"When I look across Bermuda, what I am most proud of is the change in our people. There was a time when you would see our people walking with their backs stooped, their heads bowed, their eyes cast to the ground and their voices mumbling inaudibly.

"Today I see young men and women with their heads held high, speaking confidently and hope that in some small way my leadership and the Big Conversation have helped our people to progress in that way.

"Now that we have become more comfortable discussing race, we will now be more comfortable addressing the legacy of race, the eradication of institutional racism and unearned privilege and how we can form one people out of two Bermudas. This work will be the challenge facing new leaders and a new generation of politicians."