ST. THOMAS – Virgin Islands students and teachers got a glimpse into a new resource book for Virgin Islands history at a launching by the Department of Education on Friday which Senator Myron D. Jackson, chairman of the legislature’s Committee on Culture, Historic Preservation, Youth & Recreation, spoke.
The book is titled, “Today in VI History: Notable People, Places and Events That Shaped the History of the United States Virgin Islands – Selected Dates July 30 to January 25.”
It is a printed compilation of one-minute broadcast scripts from July 30, 2012 to January 25, 2013, examining several dates in the territory’s history from which were produced and researched by Austin Advertising and ran on WSTA 1340AM.
Over the course of six months, listeners were treated to a slice of Virgin Islands past, by exploring notable personalities, places, and events dealing with architecture, art, science, medicine, telecommunications, finance, politics, education, and civil rights to name a few topics.
For example, on July 30, 1753, a mutiny broke out on the Patentia, a Danish West India Company slave ship with 275 enslaved Africans in route to these islands. On January 25, 1690, all charges were dropped against former governor Adolph Esmit, whose administration had a reputation of turning St. Thomas into a safe haven for pirates.
The special broadcast was funded by a grant from the Department of Planning & Natural Resources – V.I. State Historic Preservation Office, with federal funding from National Park Service, and the U.S. Department of Interior.
“The students are going to benefit enormously and will create a better understanding of their own identity,” Jackson said.
One of Senator Jackson’s lifetime commitments has been to expand the number of curriculum materials in cultural education.
“We will utilize whatever resources there will be available for relevant cultural education,” Jackson said.
Senator Jackson’s remarks were part of a presentation that included speeches by Education Commission LaVerne Terry, V.I. State Historic Preservation Office Acting Director Sean Krigger, Education’s Public Relations Director Ananta Pancham, and others.
Although research sources for the book are not cited, the intro states that “it is our hope that this information will educate as well as inspire and generate interest in the people, culture, traditions, holidays and events that .have brought us to this place in history.”
