Virgin Islands
Humanities Council
"We the People" Project
2006
The
National Endowment of the Humanities [NEH] supports a national initiative called
“We The People.” Its goal is to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study
and understanding of American history and
culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and
themes and advance
knowledge of the principles that define America. In September 2005, NEH awarded
the Virgin Islands Humanities Council a grant of $30,980 to support a state
project, entitled “U.S.
Virgin Islanders: A People’s Continued Quest for Self- Governance.”
As the discussions
about the islands’ political status and constitution heighten, the Humanities
Council continues to educate our citizens about issues that advance their
understanding of self-determination. The V.I. Humanities Council will support a
variety of engaging and empowering “We The People” events by the way of a
television forum, a Chautauqua Series, a Website and a lecture.
February
28, 2006
“An
Objective Overview of the Virgin Islands Constitutional Conventions”
TV2
/ Talk2
Time:
8:30 p.m. – 10:00p.m.
The
first “We The People” event will be a live televised forum airing on TV2 /
Talk2 with host Mr. Amos Carty, Esq. The forum is intended to give an objective
overview of the previous Virgin Islands Constitutional Conventions.
The panelists will include: Mr. Basil Ottley, Jr. – Political Analyst,
Mrs. Rosalie Simmonds Ballentine – Legal Scholar, Dr. Ruth Beagles – Former
Convention Delegate, and Mrs. Lorna Thomas – Board of Elections
Representative. This
live televised forum is intended to create public awareness on the past
constitutions drafted for and by the people of the Virgin Islands.
Click here to fill out the audience survey.
May 2006
Chautauqua Series: “The Three Queens”
St.
Thomas, St. John & St. Croix
Location TBA
A Chautauqua Series will present three of the six
Virgin Islands “Queens:” Queen Breffu of the St. John Revolt of 1733-34,
Queen Mary of St. Croix’s Fireburn of 1878 and Queen Coziah, who started the
St. Thomas Mexican Silver Riot of 1892. A
Chautauqua is a first person historical characterization or monologue based on
biographies and historical information. It
includes questions and answers during the performance.
The Chautauqua Series is scheduled to tour all three Islands.
September
23, 2006
Heftel
Lecture Series: “Women’s
Suffrage and Role in Self-Governance”
Location
TBA, St. Thomas
The 2006 Heftel Lecture will focus on women’s
role in the past, present and future of Virgin Island Self-Governance.
The Council will invite a notable speaker to present on women’s
suffrage, and joining her will be a local scholar to focus on local
suffragettes. They will also
present the roles that women have played and will continue to play, in
self-determination
October
2006
WTP
Webpage
A
WTP Webpage will be brought on line that will include both 2005 and 2006 “We
The People” documents and source materials.
The WTP Webpage will be linked to other educational institutions in the
community and will contain a chronology of Virgin Islands historical events and
persons related to our quest for self-governance.
A WTP Webpage workshop designed for teachers will be conducted at
MiniQuest.
For
more information, please call the Virgin Islands Humanities Council at 776-4044.
The
Virgin Islands Humanities Council is a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization.
Its
mission is to provide opportunities for the diverse population of the
Virgin Islands to participate humanities programs, which promote a love of
learning, encourage dialogue, enhance understanding and broaden people’s
judgment.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
