Press Releases

For Immediate Release                             Contact: Tionee Scotland

March 4^th, 2024                                                    340-201-6453

Press Release

PLASKETT HOSTS CEREMONY IN CORAL BAY, ST. JOHN TO COMMEMORATE RAM HEAD PLAQUE INSTALLATION

Washington, D.C. – On Sunday, March 3^rd, 2024, Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett, with the support of the Virgin Islands National Park hosted a ceremony at Salt Pond in Coral Bay, St. John to recognize the permanent installation of a plaque at the peak of the Ram Head trail to commemorate the 1733 slave rebellion. During the ceremony, Dr. Hadiya Sewer of the St. John Collective provided a keynote, along with remarks from Senator-at-Large, Angel Bolques, Jr. and Congresswoman Plaskett, with the benediction provided by Pastor Kendrick Glasgow, Jr. of the Cruz Bay Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Also, in attendance was a group of students from the Eudora Kean High School’s JROTC program as well as local residents of St. John and visitors.

“Up until now, there was no public acknowledgment of what happened in the 18th century on St. John, and unlike elsewhere on the island, the Ram Head trail contains very little to no signage about the historic significance of the location or the rich history of the people of St. John generally,” shared Congresswoman Plaskett, “The establishment of the Ram Head plaque represents a proper and meaningful acknowledgement of the historic and pioneering rebellion against slavery that occurred on St. John 115 years before the abolition of slavery in what is now the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 132 years before the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery everywhere in the United States.  And, how fitting that we stand here today at the beginning of Virgin Islands History Month to acknowledge the incredible sacrifice made by our ancestors so that we can live and prosper today.

“Right now, there’s such a drive to wipe out history in our country and without our history and that truth, our children can’t be strong. Even the children whose ancestors may have exacted some of the violence that took place during times of slavery—it’s important for those children to know that they are not that. I’m grateful that we have black, brown, white people who want to acknowledge and be a part of truth—history is truth.”

The Congresswoman expressed thanks to her colleague, Republican Congressman, Representative Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania’s 14th District, who had visited St. John and learned of the 1733 slave rebellion and expressed that he would support and co-sponsor the bill, as well as the Virgin Islands National Park Deputy Superintendent Scott Simmons and his team for their assistance with the event, Senator Bolques and the office of Senator Marise James, along with Dr. Sewer and Malachi Thomas.

The ceremony was followed by a 2-mile hike of the Ram Head trail to witness the unveiling of the plaque honoring the collective sacrifice of the enslaved people on St. John during the 1733 rebellion. At the unveiling, there were remarks by Virgin Islands National Park Visitor Service Program Manager Ahmed Toure and a libation and Yoruba prayer offered by Malachi Thomas.

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