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)}}\pard\plain \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 \f2\fs20\lang1033\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp1033\langfenp1033 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 1 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 1 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 2 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 3 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 4 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 5 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 6 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 7 \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 8 CULTURAL HERITAGE TOURISM CONFERENCE \par \par 9 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par \par 10 \par \par 11 \par \par 12 \par \par 13 \par \par 14 \par \par 15 \par \par 16 \par \par 17 \par \par 18 \par \par 19 \par \par 20 \par \par 21 \par \par 22 \par \par 23 \par \par 24 \par \par 25 \par \page \par 2 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 MS. HENNEMAN: Good afternoon. I am Carol \par \par 2 Henneman. For those of you who may not know me, I am the \par \par 3 Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Board of Education, \par \par 4 and I am here to moderate this very, very interesting \par \par 5 discussion on the role that education and training will play \par \par 6 in our cultural heritage product, project, whatever you want \par \par 7 to call it. \par \par 8 Somehow, I think this should have been the \par \par 9 opening discussion, simply because if our children don't get \par \par 10 it all will be lost, and we'll be talking to ourselves while \par \par 11 we're in the nursing home with no teeth, and there will be \par \par 12 no young people who will follow our cultural traditions and \par \par 13 so on to make certain that they are preserved. \par \par 14 So it's indeed an honor and a privilege, and \par \par 15 we have an outstanding set of panelists who I'm going to \par \par 16 allow to introduce themselves. And I'm not going to talk \par \par 17 very long, because I'm the moderator, not the panelist. \par \par 18 Can't confuse the roles. Okay? \par \par 19 My one premise is this: The reason that our \par \par 20 project and our product are still confused is that we don't \par \par 21 have a clue who we are as a people, and everybody comes with \par \par 22 a pen and writes on our slate, and we take it on as who we \par \par 23 are, and so they market us, we don't market ourselves. \par \par 24 It's time for us to get the definition of \par \par 25 self in place, and then say to the world, Here is our \par \page \par 3 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 definition. Now you can come and live with us, you can come \par \par 2 and work with us, you can come and marry us, you can come \par \par 3 and cooperate with us, you can come and collaborate with us. \par \par 4 But the bottom line is, this is who we are. \par \par 5 Everything cannot go in kalaloo. You cannot \par \par 6 have every fruit and vegetable in kalaloo. I had kalaloo \par \par 7 the other day from a place that will remain nameless, and \par \par 8 there was macaroni in it. I took it back. I said, Sister, \par \par 9 with all due respect to you, macaroni is not in my kalaloo. \par \par 10 I actually am going to write a poem. We can't be everything \par \par 11 to everybody in every season in every time. And as a \par \par 12 result, if we are confused, how do you think the children \par \par 13 feel? \par \par 14 If you look at our curriculum, and this is \par \par 15 year number thirty-one for me, the curriculum looks like our \par \par 16 children go to school in Minnesota. Okay? And to make the \par \par 17 situation even more complicated, now we have a lot of people \par \par 18 teaching our children who don't have a clue about our \par \par 19 history and culture. It's not their fault, because, like \par \par 20 every place else, with the global economy and with the \par \par 21 shortage of teachers, we're going to get people from all \par \par 22 over the world. \par \par 23 It's our job to anchor their educational \par \par 24 experiences with our children, in our truths and our \par \par 25 understanding of self, so that we don't have confused \par \page \par 4 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 children. A lot of our children can't attach to our way of \par \par 2 living because they don't know what they're attaching to. \par \par 3 They have not a clue. They don't know who Hubert Harrison \par \par 4 is. They don't know who Karen Samuel is. They don't know \par \par 5 anything about us. They know Michael Jordan and Kobe \par \par 6 Bryant, and they might know Timmy Duncan because he happens \par \par 7 to be in that arena. But you ask them who Hubert Harrison \par \par 8 is, ask them. Ask any Virgin Islands}{\insrsid13660274 \rquote c}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 ild you see on the \par \par 9 street. I even dare you to ask adults, who claim they're \par \par 10 from the Virgin Islands, who Hubert Harrison is. I bet you \par \par 11 they can't fill in the blank. \par \par 12 And you know whose fault it is? It's ours. \par \par 13 Because if we thought we were important enough, we would \par \par 14 teach our children what is important to us. But we }{\insrsid13660274 are }{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 so busy \par \par 15 trying to look like somebody from California, and I love \par \par 16 California, it's a beautiful place, but it's not home for \par \par 17 Carol Henneman. \par \par 18 We have problems defining self. We have to \par \par 19 face it. We have a lot of problems. There are Virgin \par \par 20 Islanders that look like me who are telling me that they're \par \par 21 not Africans. So where did you come from? You weren't a \par \par 22 Taino or Carib Indian. But if you say the word "African" \par \par 23 to them, }{\insrsid13660274 they so \'93}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 no. I born in the Virgin Islands. That's where I \par \par 24 come from.}{\insrsid13660274 \'94}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 But that's not true. It's not true. Other \par \par 25 people have to tell us what our truths are. We need to \par \page \par 5 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 really begin here with education and training. \par \par 2 So now, what I'm going to allow is for \par \par 3 fifteen minutes for each panelist. I'm going to ask them, \par \par 4 just for time constraints, to come to the mic and to \par \par 5 introduce themselves. If you have questions, wait until the end. }{\insrsid13660274 \par }{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 I'm going to try to save a \par \par 7 half an hour for you to ask }{\insrsid13660274 questions }{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 and to get involved, because I \par \par 8 see some outstanding educators in here who I'm sure are \par \par 9 going to have some things to say about how we work and train \par \par 10 our children. \par \par 11 So I'm going to start with Mr. Davis, Glenn \par \par 12 "Kwabena" Davis. I don't know what he's doing here without \par \par 13 his guitar, but I'm going to forgive him because I have to \par \par 14 let him talk for fifteen minutes. Then we're going to go on \par \par 15 to Mr. Willard John, our principal of Elena Christian High \par \par 16 School, and to Mrs. Anna Wallace-Francis. Senator Shawn \par \par 17 Michael Malone is someplace wandering around trying to get \par \par 18 here, so he'll have to be last because he's late. \par \par 19 MR. DAVIS: Thank you very much, Carol. I \par \par 20 prefer to use this one because after putting down \par \par 21 whirriating and dancing last night, my one instep killing me \par \par 22 now. So bear with me. \par \par 23 Good afternoon, everybody. \par \par 24 I once asked a student who was in my cultural \par \par 25 heritage class, "Can you cook fish?" The answer was, "Who? \par \page \par 6 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 My mother does do that." \par \par 2 I asked another student on another occasion, \par \par 3 because I was teaching the cultural heritage class for ten \par \par 4 years, "Do you know any Bro' Nansi stories?" It was like, \par \par 5 "Who he is?" \par \par 6 The point here is, there is a disconnect that \par \par 7 we have had for a number of years. From the turn of the \par \par 8 century, the turn of the twentieth century, the cultural \par \par 9 hero of the Virgin Islands was one who had an uncompromising \par \par 10 sense of self. Government employment was not an option in \par \par 11 those days, so it was a matter of being able to sustain \par \par 12 himself through some type of economic venture. He always \par \par 13 wanted to build himself a decent home, he wanted to be \par \par 14 married, to have a family of his own. It was an \par \par 15 independent-type individual. \par \par 16 But then with the coming of the island films, \par \par 17 and then the other types of movies, the cultural hero began \par \par 18 to change. He became the sharp boy. Appearance was the \par \par 19 most important thing. He had a very superficial premise \par \par 20 upon which he stood. And from there, you would find the \par \par 21 cultural disconnect, because the sharp boy no longer had the \par \par 22 deep interests of family and the passing on of tradition. \par \par 23 The focus was on appearance, and the value of cooperation \par \par 24 changed to rugged individualism. Not to rugged \par \par 25 individualism in the sense of venturing out into things \par \page \par 7 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 creative, but rugged individualism in the sense that every \par \par 2 man for himself, and God for us all. \par \par 3 With this in mind, we would find that the \par \par 4 extended family, again, because of this type of cultural \par \par 5 hero, shifted. There was no appreciation for the \par \par 6 grandparents, unless the grandparents could have done \par \par 7 something for the family; they could a get something out of \par \par 8 their grandparents. \par \par 9 So those adults, instead of seeing the \par \par 10 connection between their children and the generation before, \par \par 11 there was that clear disconnect. To the extent that you \par \par 12 would hear people saying, and grown people, "The only family \par \par 13 I have is my husband and my children them, and my brothers \par \par 14 and sisters." Disconnect. And from the time you have that \par \par 15 disruption by the type of cultural hero that eventually \par \par 16 became the main social image, you will find the destruction \par \par 17 of the society. \par \par 18 Now, this is the second cultural and tourism \par \par 19 type forum that I have been in. One was twenty years ago, \par \par 20 done by the St. Thomas Historical Trust, where they had the \par \par 21 very same ideas in mind. And I was vice-chairman of the \par \par 22 Historical Trust at that time, and I remember they brought \par \par 23 in Jamaica's definitive cultural icon, Rex Nettleford, to \par \par 24 give the keynote address. \par \par 25 And the thing that he said was, it was as if \par \page \par 8 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 he was echoing what I have been saying for years, and it was \par \par 2 simply that, unless the people are fully involved, your \par \par 3 tourism success is going to continue to be an uphill battle. \par \par 4 We have been faced with this all the time. \par \par 5 Willard John, right here with me, and Janice Pemberton, went \par \par 6 to Canada, where we were representing the Virgin Islands. \par \par 7 The first thing we did was ask, Where is the booth? When we \par \par 8 went, when they showed us where the booth was, they had a \par \par 9 piece of fabric up there that was an interesting cross \par \par 10 between the southern Confederate flag, and the British flag. \par \par 11 Right away, I think it w}{\insrsid13660274 as}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 Mr. John}{\insrsid13660274 who said}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 , "Get \par \par 12 that thing out of here. That does not represent the Virgin \par \par 13 Islands." And so the three us, }{\insrsid13660274 had }{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 to actually strip \par \par 14 the entire thing and come up with something that barely \par \par 15 represented the Virgin Islands. The closest thing they had \par \par 16 to represent the islands at that point was the image of a \par \par 17 sailboat, and that was it. \par \par 18 Well, Janice got out -- I mean, she is so \par \par 19 resourceful -- Janice brought out a bunch of seasonings that \par \par 20 she had, and a variety of native crafts, and she started \par \par 21 packaging little things, Here is the taste of the Virgin \par \par 22 Islands. You know? And before you kn}{\insrsid13660274 e}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 w it, a bunch of \par \par 23 people came around our booth. It was so much so, that when \par \par 24 Willard did his magnificent mocko jumbie performance, I mean \par \par 25 he almost had the people like in a conga line behind him. I \par \page \par 9 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 did some quelbe music, and then I had them do a spot \par \par 2 quadrille, and the people had a ball. Janice did some \par \par 3 storytelling. \par \par 4 These are the kinds of things that are \par \par 5 missing whenever we go out and say that we are promoting \par \par 6 tourism for the Virgin Islands. The people are not fully \par \par 7 involved. But, you see, we have to look at the thinking of \par \par 8 the adults, and then try to make some changes regarding \par \par 9 that. \par \par 10 At the high end of the tourism industry, and \par \par 11 I'm speaking about the hotels, the marine industry and these \par \par 12 folks, they speak, as everybody has been saying, sun, sand \par \par 13 and sea. They speak nothing about the culture of the Virgin \par \par 14 Islands. It's as though it is -- it is something that we \par \par 15 need to keep on a shelf and pull down occasionally, just to \par \par 16 remind people that there is some little thing, peculiarity, \par \par 17 that we can share with people. And if we do not get these \par \par 18 people to buy into the fact that they have to start \par \par 19 involving the native and the local people, our tourism \par \par 20 product is going to continue to be an uphill battle. \par \par 21 These are the people who are in the \par \par 22 policy-making levels of this industry, and they continuously \par \par 23 feel that it must be about them, and what they have to give \par \par 24 to the economic development, and not what the people have to \par \par 25 give to the tourism industry. If this continues, we are \par \page \par 10 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 going to end up failing miserably. \par \par 2 Again, the policymakers at the high end of \par \par 3 this industry, they must recognize and appreciate the \par \par 4 importance of the people being a resource that must be \par \par 5 tapped to completely sell the package. \par \par 6 MS. HENNEMAN: Mr. Davis, before you go on, I \par \par 7 have a question. I just taking on my role as moderator. \par \par 8 Since you are now in a policymaking position \par \par 9 as Director of Cultural Education, I want to know what you \par \par 10 are going to do to make sure that we have a cultural \par \par 11 connection now, and not a cultural disconnection. \par \par 12 MR. DAVIS: Good. \par \par 13 MS. MOORHEAD: Thank you. \par \par 14 MR. DAVIS: And thank you, Mistress Moorhead, \par \par 15 for saying thank you. Sometime you have to get a little \par \par 16 carried away, so thank you for saying that. \par \par 17 Now, as the director, the law is, to me, very \par \par 18 limited. It speaks mainly to the history, to the heroes, \par \par 19 and, minimally, to the traditions of the island. I have \par \par 20 been teaching a cultural heritage course for ten years at \par \par 21 Kean High School, something to me that should have been a \par \par 22 part of the curriculum, but apparently nobody was listening. \par \par 23 But now, they have no choice but to listen, because I'm in \par \par 24 this position where I am going to make spreading the \par \par 25 cultural heritage course throughout the curriculum. \par \page \par 11 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 I intend to get our curriculum and \par \par 2 instruction division, of course, on board with this idea \par \par 3 because, to me, that is the priority. \par \par 4 MS. HENNEMAN: Just remember that the board \par \par 5 approves all, so now you're talking to the executive \par \par 6 director. \par \par 7 MR. DAVIS: Oh, of course. \par \par 8 MS. HENNEMAN: Make sure we make the link so \par \par 9 we can jump-start what needs to happen curriculum-wise. It \par \par 10 doesn't have to go through all the vines and waves of the \par \par 11 department. It can come to the board. \par \par 12 MR. DAVIS: Okay. Thank you very much. \par \par 13 One of the things that I have started to do \par \par 14 and that I'm going to be doing on St. Croix, as well, I've \par \par 15 started to meet with a lot of the entities, Planning & \par \par 16 Natural Resources, Historic Preservation, Council on the \par \par 17 Arts, Humanities Council. We have had a meeting just to let \par \par 18 them know who I am, who we are, and where we need to go with \par \par 19 this. \par \par 20 I have to come to St. Croix, of course, and \par \par 21 do the same thing, so that we can begin to start, mention \par \par 22 some thoughts, because it isn't about Glenn Kwabena Davis \par \par 23 and what he wants to do. It's about what we have to do for \par \par 24 the Virgin Islands. \par \par 25 MS. HENNEMAN: And while you're planning it, \par \page \par 12 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 think of phase one, phase two, and phase three, first phase \par \par 2 being history, heroes and tradition. Then give us a second \par \par 3 level course to approve, a third level, so the child who \par \par 4 wants to become a culture bearer in his society can leave \par \par 5 high school with the information, ready to perform with a \par \par 6 product that he or she can market when they get out of high \par \par 7 school. \par \par 8 I want to thank you. I want to stop you \par \par 9 there, I want to make sure we get through everybody today, \par \par 10 but your point is well taken that the cultural disconnect is \par \par 11 where we have to start to bridge the gap and to -- \par \par 12 MR. DAVIS: I just, if you don't mind, I just \par \par 13 want to wrap up. \par \par 14 MS. HENNEMAN: Yes. Go right ahead. \par \par 15 MR. DAVIS: It is very important that we stop \par \par 16 having our young people, who are involved in the culture, \par \par 17 feel that there are no financial opportunities nor rewards. \par \par 18 I had a meeting a few years ago at Government House where \par \par 19 the quadrille dancers from Kean High School and Lockhart \par \par 20 School, they were asked to perform at an event. And I \par \par 21 asked, Are you going to give them some sort of financial \par \par 22 reward? The response to me was that, They should be honored \par \par 23 to come to Government House to dance. But being honored \par \par 24 does not pay for their costumes when they're rotting and \par \par 25 falling off. \par \page \par 13 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 MS. HENNEMAN: And, you know what that is, \par \par 2 that is cultural disrespect for our product that is supposed \par \par 3 to be a superb product that we should be willing to pay for. \par \par 4 If we're not willing to pay for it, why should anybody else? \par \par 5 MR. DAVIS: Thank you. \par \par 6 MS. HENNEMAN: Okay. Mr. John, I'm going to \par \par 7 ask you to make your comments. \par \par 8 MR. JOHN: Good afternoon, everybody. My \par \par 9 name is Willard John. I'm currently principal of Elena \par \par 10 Christian Junior High School, but I've had an interest in \par \par 11 career as it relates to culture. Let me tell you a little \par \par 12 bit about my experience, and then you will know where I'm \par \par 13 coming from and we will move forward. \par \par 14 I grew up in St. Thomas. My mother was a \par \par 15 devout Catholic, so she sent me to the Catholic school. I \par \par 16 graduated there, and in the course of my education in the \par \par 17 Catholic school, I did not get any courses in history or \par \par 18 culture of the Virgin Islands, so I knew very little. What \par \par 19 I knew of culture is what I knew of my grandmother. That's \par \par 20 all I could say. \par \par 21 I then went on to Lincoln University in \par \par 22 Pennsylvania. It's an historically black college \par \par 23 university, and in that particular school we had a \par \par 24 significant amount of international students. We had \par \par 25 students from all over the world, and we spent many, many \par \page \par 14 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 hours sitting together, talking about our cultures and our \par \par 2 experiences. \par \par 3 I felt very shorthanded, because I knew \par \par 4 little about my culture and my history. And I said to \par \par 5 myself, When I go back home, I'm going to immerse myself in \par \par 6 something that relates to culture, and become an expert, \par \par 7 because I really feel shorthanded. \par \par 8 I then graduated and came back home to \par \par 9 St. Thomas. I met a cousin of mine, and he taught me to \par \par 10 dance Mocko Jumbie. I made my first appearance in a parade \par \par 11 in 1975, and I'm still performing. You will see me tonight \par \par 12 right here at this hotel at 8:30 this evening. \par \par 13 I've been all over the world representing the \par \par 14 Virgin Islands. I've been to Africa on three or four \par \par 15 occasions. I've been through South America, I've been \par \par 16 through Europe, and I've been through most of the Caribbean \par \par 17 and most of the United States. And in eighty percent of the \par \par 18 time that I've made those travels, it was to represent the \par \par 19 Virgin Islands. \par \par 20 So I have an idea of what it takes and what \par \par 21 it is. And, by the way, up until maybe five, six, seven \par \par 22 years ago, I was never paid to do it. They told me I should \par \par 23 be proud to represent the Virgin Islands. \par \par 24 I then got involved in event management. I \par \par 25 do a lot of event management. I also, I produce several \par \page \par 15 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 cultural shows. I've done a cultural production that I \par \par 2 researched, wrote and produced called Mockolution, which is \par \par 3 the evolution of the Mocko Jumbie. I do a narrative, and we \par \par 4 take you back from Africa and bring you through the old West \par \par 5 Indian to the modern Mocko Jumbie show; how the music, the \par \par 6 dance, everything else that relates to it, how it evolved \par \par 7 into what it is today. \par \par 8 I've also done a production called }{\i\insrsid2185620\charrsid14048135 The \par \par 9 Development of Quelbe Music in the Virgin Islands}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 , where we, \par \par 10 again, did the same thing: }{\insrsid14048135 We c}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 hronicled how quelbe music was \par \par 11 born in the Virgin Islands, and how it developed into what \par \par 12 it is today. And I've had several other productions, but \par \par 13 the point is, I do have that experience, having done that. \par \par 14 So it is with this experience that I come here to you today. \par \par 15 I think, first and foremost, I'm going to \par \par 16 echo a number of things that Kwabena has said, and other \par \par 17 panelists have said, throughout today. Our first task is \par \par 18 for all the segments of this community to decide on what our \par \par 19 product is. Who are we, what are we about, what is it that \par \par 20 we want to focus on as a tourism product? \par \par 21 One of the problems is that we haven't had \par \par 22 agreement on that. Now, many of us hear, Oh, it's some \par \par 23 culture and cultural tourism, but how much of it do you \par \par 24 actually see? Let me ask a question. When was the last \par \par 25 time you went into a hotel and see a quelbe band playing? \par \page \par 16 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 Tell me. Somebody raise their land. \par \par 2 AN AUDIENCE MEMBER: Today. \par \par 3 MR. JOHN: But, you know what, that was \par \par 4 because of this conference, that's not because of the \par \par 5 efforts of the hotel. \par \par 6 AN AUDIENCE MEMBER: Exactly. That's what \par \par 7 I'm saying. \par \par 8 MR. JOHN: So every segment of our community \par \par 9 must buy into what the product is. And if it's culture and \par \par 10 heritage tourism, then let's decide that. Once we all \par \par 11 decide that, then we've got to develop that product. And to \par \par 12 echo what Kwabena says, the grass roots people must be \par \par 13 involved in that development. If they are not, you don't \par \par 14 have a product. Trust me. \par \par 15 Yes. \par \par 16 AN AUDIENCE MEMBER: I just wanted to say, \par \par 17 when did you last see a hotel owned locally? \par \par 18 MR. JOHN: Doesn't matter. If they're here, \par \par 19 you know, I mean -- \par \par 20 AN AUDIENCE MEMBER: That could be part of \par \par 21 the problem. \par \par 22 MR. JOHN: When was the last time you went \par \par 23 into a restaurant, and someone wearing madras with their \par \par 24 head tie came up to greet you and ask you what you like to \par \par 25 eat? Is that a problem? Can our people learn? Can we \par \page \par 17 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 train them? Can we train them to be professional waiters \par \par 2 and waitresses in service? They're not trainable? They \par \par 3 can't learn? Why can't it be done from our cultural \par \par 4 perspective? What is the holdup? What is the problem? \par \par 5 All I'm saying is that we have different \par \par 6 segments of this community. For example, the hotel segment. \par \par 7 In my eyes, they think that people come to the Virgin \par \par 8 Islands to stay in a hotel. I got news for them, they come \par \par 9 to meet, greet and experience our people and our culture. \par \par 10 So all our hotels should be involved in developing that \par \par 11 aspect, and in turn, they will benefit. People will want to \par \par 12 stay on their properties. \par \par 13 The private sector has to be involved. The \par \par 14 government has to be involved. Our legislature has to be \par \par 15 involved. \par \par 16 Thank you, Senator, for the legislation, but \par \par 17 we want more. We don't just want legislation saying that \par \par 18 quelbe music is our official music of the Virgin Islands. \par \par 19 How about providing some scholarships for four, five, six \par \par 20 students to go and get a Ph.d. in music and come back and \par \par 21 take quelbe to the next level now? \par \par 22 Just about every country I know have a \par \par 23 national dance group or performing group. We don't have one \par \par 24 here. Why not? Why can't we fund one, and let them go on \par \par 25 tour for two years. And after those two years, they'll \par \page \par 18 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 probably be self-sustaining. But they would be our \par \par 2 ambassadors. They will represent the Virgin Islands through \par \par 3 our arts. \par \par 4 The accomplishments that we've made in \par \par 5 culture and history in the Virgin Islands lay strictly on \par \par 6 the back of individuals that have pushed it. By in large, \par \par 7 the government and the private sector have not helped us. \par \par 8 My craft is Mocko Jumbie. I remember years \par \par 9 ago, when I moved to St. Croix in 1978, in '79, I went to \par \par 10 the Council of the Arts -- and this is nothing to you, \par \par 11 Betsy, you weren't around. You were young like me then -- \par \par 12 and I asked them for funding to start a Mocko Jumbie group. \par \par 13 You know what they told me? Oh, you have to be in existence \par \par 14 for four years before we can fund you. \par \par 15 I asked them, "Why do I need you if I'm in \par \par 16 existence for four years? I want to start a group." All I \par \par 17 needed was money to make the stilts and the costumes and \par \par 18 then get going. But you know what? I did it anyway. I did \par \par 19 it anyway. \par \par 20 MS. HENNEMAN: Ask you a question now, \par \par 21 Mr. John. Now I want you to put on your principal's hat. \par \par 22 What can you do now, as the instructional leader of \par \par 23 Elena Christian Junior High School, to ensure that, when \par \par 24 your students leave your campus, that they have a better \par \par 25 understanding of who they are and what their cultural \par \page \par 19 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 product should be? \par \par 2 MR. JOHN: I'm coming to that. I was on my \par \par 3 way, but I'll fast forward, and then I'll back up again. \par \par 4 And I'll wrap it up in about three or four minutes. \par \par 5 MS. HENNEMAN: No problem. \par \par 6 MR. JOHN: One of the things I realize about \par \par 7 education today is that, the children we have today, you \par \par 8 can't just lecture to them and think they're going to learn. \par \par 9 You have to be able to show them that what they are learning \par \par 10 in the classroom, there's a link to real life. That is why \par \par 11 I'm making every effort to bring all types of programs into \par \par 12 the school. Programs that interest the children, so that \par \par 13 they can realize -- I just spoke to Jonathan Cohen. He's \par \par 14 going to help me set up a radio station at my junior high \par \par 15 school. I got all these kids, "I want to be a D.J." But \par \par 16 now they have to understand that you have to perform well in \par \par 17 English class if you want to be a D.J. You understand? \par \par 18 I have a video program, I have a young man \par \par 19 that I just hired with a degree in video production. So now \par \par 20 these kids are growing up learning how to use this technical \par \par 21 equipment, and how to videotape. And they want to make rap \par \par 22 videos and all this. But again, they have to realize that \par \par 23 you have to know how to communicate verbally and in writing. \par \par 24 You have to know how to read, and how to understand what \par \par 25 you're reading. \par \page \par 20 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 So as it relates to culture, it's the same \par \par 2 thing. I've had my Mocko Jumbie group for twenty-five \par \par 3 years, and children come and they go}{\insrsid14048135 .}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 I take them from the \par \par 4 time they're ten years old, some of them are thirty years \par \par 5 old and still in my group. But they understand what the \par \par 6 connection is. When they come into my group, they have to \par \par 7 learn the history of the art form. They don't understand \par \par 8 why, in the beginning, but then when they go up into the \par \par 9 hotels and they perform, and then people approach them and \par \par 10 say, Where does this come from? What is that all about? \par \par 11 Now they can intelligently communicate about their art form. \par \par 12 They know about its history and its development, and they \par \par 13 can talk about it. \par \par 14 More importantly, every time they dance, be \par \par 15 it for fifteen minutes, they all get a minimum \par \par 16 of seventy-five dollars each. I put money in their pockets. \par \par 17 Again, they understand this link: It's not just show and \par \par 18 tell. This is a business. \par \par 19 So, in terms of training, now, we have to \par \par 20 involve the grass roots community. Many of them have the \par \par 21 craft, but they don't know the business aspect. That's \par \par 22 where the training comes in. \par \par 23 We need to promote groups like CHANT, Crucian \par \par 24 Heritage and Nature Tourism, because that's what they're \par \par 25 about. They're about getting these young people together \par \page \par 21 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 and preparing them, and preparing this tourism product. \par \par 2 But we all have to do our share. The Mocko \par \par 3 Jumbie is an icon of Virgin Islands culture, and I say that \par \par 4 because there was one point in time, in the development of \par \par 5 our history, where we were the only ones in the Caribbean \par \par 6 doing it, because it died out everywhere else. And you \par \par 7 know, we, whose shoulders it lie upon, we never got any help \par \par 8 from anybody, but we continued, because I know the \par \par 9 importance of it. And thirty-two years ago, when I did my \par \par 10 first performance in a parade in St. Thomas, the joy and \par \par 11 enthusiasm that I had, I'm going to have that same joy and \par \par 12 enthusiasm 8:30 tonight when I put my stilts on. \par \par 13 But that's what it takes. That's what it \par \par 14 takes. But we all have to hold hands and decide, we must \par \par 15 move forward together, we must encourage our young people to \par \par 16 get involved in it, we must show them that it's profitable \par \par 17 to do it. We must show them the link, and we must show them \par \par 18 the value in their culture. And when we do that, they will \par \par 19 understand, and they will move forward. \par \par 20 Thank you. \par \par 21 MS. HENNEMAN: Thank you very much. \par \par 22 MR. JOHN: One more thing I want to say is \par \par 23 that we have a number of events that occur in the Virgin \par \par 24 Islands that are what I call "FUBU" events, "For Us, By Us. \par \par 25 Okay? We have carnival in all three islands, whether it's \par \page \par 22 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 Festival, 4th of July, or St. Thomas Carnival. We have the \par \par 2 Agricultural Fair. Forty thousand people in three days we \par \par 3 attract. We have quadrille dancers, we have Sunset Jazz. \par \par 4 This gentleman leads a group every Christmas that sings in \par \par 5 Emancipation Gardens. \par \par 6 These are events that are for us and by us. \par \par 7 And if we continue to do that, then people from all around \par \par 8 the world say, What is it that they're doing that they enjoy \par \par 9 so much? Let me go and see what they're doing. \par \par 10 We don't have to stage events to please \par \par 11 tourists. We need to do events that we enjoy, that we do \par \par 12 for ourselves, by ourselves, and then people will come in \par \par 13 and join. \par \par 14 Thank you. \par \par 15 MS. HENNEMAN: Thank you. \par \par 16 MS. WALLACE-FRANCIS: Good afternoon, \par \par 17 everyone. I'm really pleased and honored to be here among \par \par 18 so many distinguished educators. When Mabel first told me \par \par 19 about the conference, I thought she was simply inviting me \par \par 20 to attend because she knows I like to learn. And then when \par \par 21 I found out I had to speak, I wanted to know, Well, what \par \par 22 could I bring to the table? \par \par 23 And when I sat up here, Mr. John was asking, \par \par 24 "Who are you?" Because most of you know these people up \par \par 25 here. So who am I? An educator for twenty-seven years. I \par \page \par 23 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 must be here maybe because I'm trying to implement what \par \par 2 we've been trying to teach. Besides educating, now we need \par \par 3 to implement. So as the leader of the Environmental \par \par 4 Rangers, and our family having Camp Imojo, what is it that I \par \par 5 can bring to this discussion? \par \par 6 I first looked at the problem. Being a \par \par 7 science teacher, what's the problem? We're supposed to \par \par 8 discuss in what ways }{\insrsid14048135 we can}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 best promote awareness of \par \par 9 culture and heritage resources in the Virgin Islands. \par \par 10 The first thing you have to do is analyze the \par \par 11 definition of the words. So, according to American Heritage \par \par 12 Dictionary, it describes "culture" as the cultivation of \par \par 13 something. Is it the cultivation of the soil, the breeding \par \par 14 of animals, or growing of plants, especially to produce a \par \par 15 better improved stock? Or is it a cultivation of social and \par \par 16 intellectual formation? All right? Culture is basically \par \par 17 what we transmit. \par \par 18 Heritage is our legacy or tradition that is \par \par 19 passed down from preceding generations. And resources are \par \par 20 those things which we turn to for support. All right? An \par \par 21 available supply. \par \par 22 Of course, being a science teacher, these \par \par 23 questions generated other questions. What is it that we are \par \par 24 cultivating or want to cultivate? What is our heritage, and \par \par 25 what are our cultural resources? \par \page \par 24 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 Based on these definitions, and from my \par \par 2 observations, I believe our environment is one of our most \par \par 3 important and appealing cultural and heritage resources, for \par \par 4 it is the environment, and the use of that environment, that \par \par 5 shapes, promotes, and retains the culture and heritage of \par \par 6 the people. \par \par 7 Having said that, the first thing we must \par \par 8 promote is the protection and preservation of our \par \par 9 environment. Protecting our environment would show an \par \par 10 appreciation for its natural resources, which have been \par \par 11 preserved and passed down to us. The manner in which a \par \par 12 community treats its land, its people, its ecosystems, \par \par 13 reflects its cultural values. It is the use of the \par \par 14 agricultural resources in these islands that created the \par \par 15 culture and the lifestyle of our ancestors. \par \par 16 You know, after the initial deforestation of \par \par 17 the virgin forests, for the most part our immediate \par \par 18 ancestors used the natural resources that we had wisely, and \par \par 19 carefully, and we recycled. Compared to many parts of the \par \par 20 world, we still have relatively healthy ecosystems. \par \par 21 All islands in the Caribbean, as everybody \par \par 22 have said, have the sun, sand and sea, but it's the unique \par \par 23 ecosystems which have developed each island, and the way the \par \par 24 people use these resources, that shapes the culture. This \par \par 25 is a heritage that we can be proud of. \par \page \par 25 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 For example, St. Croix has a lot of flat \par \par 2 agricultural land, which promoted the growth of sugar cane \par \par 3 and the rum industry. It has been called the bread basket \par \par 4 of the Caribbean. Its rainforests and vast mountainous \par \par 5 terrain in the northwest supported a relatively successful \par \par 6 maroon sanctuary. Its spaciousness encouraged independence \par \par 7 and self-reliance, so that the people developed a strong \par \par 8 sense of self and a fire to be emancipated. \par \par 9 Today its environment still encourages \par \par 10 historical and eco}{\insrsid14048135 -}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 tourism. You find more cultural events \par \par 11 occurring in St. Croix, and more fire for the culture and \par \par 12 the maintenance of that culture in the big island. \par \par 13 St. Thomas's hilly train}{\insrsid14048135 terrain}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 and good harbors \par \par 14 historically encouraged commercial commerce and trade. As \par \par 15 the people traded survival goods, they also traded ideas, \par \par 16 values and lifestyles. Its land form or terrain was \par \par 17 transformed, constantly altered, to accommodate inter-island \par \par 18 commerce, or the improvement of health conditions. \par \par 19 When we needed to build an airport, we didn't \par \par 20 have the land, we tore down a mountain. When there was a \par \par 21 lot of pollution in the harbor, and when we wanted the \par \par 22 submarines to go to Crown Bay, we removed the land. We're \par \par 23 constantly changing our land. We want to build a hotel? We \par \par 24 deforest some land. We don't try to fit in, work with \par \par 25 nature. \par \page \par 26 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 Now, the extraordinary beauty of St. John led \par \par 2 to the preservation of three-fourths of the island. This \par \par 3 created smaller, closer-knit families, but it forced a \par \par 4 travel between islands, between the British and the Virgin \par \par 5 Islands, to work, because there's no place to live. You go \par \par 6 to Red Hook in the morning, you see hundreds of people \par \par 7 traveling daily to work. Yet, you have an influx of \par \par 8 tourists from all over the world to enjoy its beauty. What \par \par 9 are they selli}{\insrsid14048135 ng \endash the beauty?}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 What are we destroying? Our \par \par 10 beauty. \par \par 11 We must be aware, also, that cultural \par \par 12 practices change as populations, landowners and environments \par \par 13 of a place change. Thus, one of the best ways for us to \par \par 14 promote awareness of our culture and heritage resources in \par \par 15 the Virgin Islands is for the government to maintain control \par \par 16 over the development of our limited land resources: \par \par 17 Building designs, heights, locations and availability to how \par \par 18 we use our natural resources; most importantly, the \par \par 19 education of ourselves first, newcomers, our children, and \par \par 20 future generations, as to the value of our natural \par \par 21 ecosystems, and the culture which developed out of them. \par \par 22 You know, education is passing of knowledge \par \par 23 from one to another. Education is continuous, and done in \par \par 24 many forms. Therefore, we have to educate the population \par \par 25 through government policies which advocate the protection of \par \page \par 27 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 our natural resources, our environment. We have to have \par \par 2 pride in them. \par \par 3 We have to produce our music, television \par \par 4 programs, movies, and any other type of written or \par \par 5 electronic media that we are exposed to, our children are \par \par 6 exposed to, which passes on our heritage. What are we \par \par 7 watching? We have to teach other children the games and \par \par 8 sports and cultural activities that have a historical \par \par 9 significance. Who's creating the Game Boys? What games are \par \par 10 they playing? What are we playing outside? We're \par \par 11 destroying our basketball courts or football fields or \par \par 12 football fields, to do what? \par \par 13 At school, we have to educate through a \par \par 14 curriculum that analyzes the relationship between our \par \par 15 history, culture and environment. Community organizations \par \par 16 and, most importantly, family groups, must pass on the \par \par 17 traits of the island. We are, people are, natural \par \par 18 resources. Our personal interactions come from a respect of \par \par 19 the land, and a value to self, and life itself. It is a \par \par 20 reflection of our cultural heritage. \par \par 21 In general, we must share our culture and its \par \par 22 history through our daily activities. As one student said \par \par 23 to me the other day, "We simply do it." Each of us has a \par \par 24 role to play. You have the public school, and I want to \par \par 25 say, the public school, you have to legislate and have \par \page \par 28 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 African, Caribbean, Taino and V.I. history and culture in \par \par 2 the curriculum. \par \par 3 We need to have foreign languages, because \par \par 4 your culture is passed through the language. We used to \par \par 5 speak patois. Well, that was a unity among the people. \par \par 6 They combine elements of each language to unify and produce \par \par 7 a culture. \par \par 8 MS. HENNEMAN: I'm so glad that, in the \par \par 9 wisdom of the V.I. Humanities Council, that we married all \par \par 10 of these different perspectives so well. So you come from a \par \par 11 scientific standpoint in terms of how you view the Virgin \par \par 12 Islands and so on, and that's such a big part of our \par \par 13 education. So my question to you is, why did you organize \par \par 14 the Environmental Rangers, and why did you feel the need to \par \par 15 fill that void? \par \par 16 And notice, it wasn't the government. \par \par 17 MS. WALLACE-FRANCIS: Okay. Basically, \par \par 18 because we are not teaching our culture. Quickly, the \par \par 19 Tourism Department really should be producing books for the \par \par 20 school, because the magazines that are put out for the \par \par 21 tourists, they teach more history and culture than we have \par \par 22 in school. And many of the teachers -- and, you know, \par \par 23 teachers are resourceful -- we go down to the airport and \par \par 24 take up their books and use them in school. All right? \par \par 25 If you want to teach, your desire is to \par \page \par 29 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 teach, then you have to create that environment, and that's \par \par 2 what we're trying to do. \par \par 3 We have to have apprenticeship programs. We \par \par 4 have to teach the culture. \par \par 5 MS. HENNEMAN: While I agree with you that \par \par 6 Tourism has a role to play, nobody ever gave me a sentence \par \par 7 of anything I taught, culturally, in my classroom. That was \par \par 8 my job, because I was called Teacher. We can't wait for \par \par 9 somebody else to generate the information that we teach. It \par \par 10 is my job to make sure that, when my children leave my \par \par 11 classroom, that they have a better understanding of self. \par \par 12 So even if I'm teaching, like I've been \par \par 13 teaching for years now, Introduction to Humanities at UVI, \par \par 14 there is no book that I can pick up. I have spent years \par \par 15 putting together all of the elements of Virgin Islands \par \par 16 history and culture that I teach. So there is no government \par \par 17 and no department that's going to do it. We have to do it \par \par 18 one by one, everyone taking ownership of the product. \par \par 19 Thank you very much, and I'm going to get \par \par 20 back around. I'm watching the time so I can give you some \par \par 21 more time, because we have until 3:30, so we're going to \par \par 22 have some time for some questions and interaction. \par \par 23 Senator Shawn Michael Malone, Mr. Quelbe Man. \par \par 24 SENATOR MALONE: This is my seat? \par \par 25 MS. HENNEMAN: Yeah, your seat }{\insrsid14048135 is }{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 right there. \par \page \par 30 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 That was your seat, but we put you in time out for coming \par \par 2 late. \par \par 3 SENATOR MALONE: That's okay. \par \par 4 MS. HENNEMAN: No, you chose that seat for \par \par 5 yourself. We didn't give it to you. \par \par 6 SENATOR MALONE: Okay. Thank you very much, \par \par 7 Madame Moderator, and to the fellow panelists, and to those \par \par 8 who are here at this very important conference. \par \par 9 I'm very pleased with the attendance. I want \par \par 10 to thank Mabel Maduro, and others, who did a fantastic if \par \par 11 job putting this together. And most of you know, one of the \par \par 12 primary items on my agenda is to link or connect the dots \par \par 13 with the people and the place, and it's done in several \par \par 14 ways. \par \par 15 I'd like to begin with a quote by a former \par \par 16 senator, the late Valdemar Hill. And I quote: We need a \par \par 17 cultural renaissance in the Virgin Islands if its indigenous \par \par 18 people are to establish and identify a sense a belonging. \par \par 19 In order to revitalize the culture of these islands, a \par \par 20 concerted effort should be made to document the way of life \par \par 21 of every Virgin Islander. We need a massive program which \par \par 22 would create textbooks on history, geography, folklore, \par \par 23 traditions, music, dance, language and customs of the Virgin \par \par 24 Islands; specifically, our West Indians, or West Indies, in \par \par 25 general. And that's a quote by Valdemar Hill, Jr. in the \par \page \par 31 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 book Virgin Islands Forum, Volume II, No. 1, January 1974. \par \par 2 That's to show you how long we been talking about this. \par \par 3 Anyhow, let's fast forward to the present. I \par \par 4 came with my presentation specifically to talk about ways to \par \par 5 promote awareness of our culture, }{\insrsid14048135 and to }{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 promote awareness of our \par \par 6 culture and heritage resources. I was saying to the \par \par 7 moderator, prior to this session, that before we talk about \par \par 8 promoting anything, we need to know what those \par \par 9 resources are. \par \par 10 So, from my vantage point as a government \par \par 11 official, I'm going to talk about the institutions that we \par \par 12 have that I don't think some people realize, or recognize, \par \par 13 as resources. \par \par 14 The V.I. Cultural Heritage Institute is a \par \par 15 resource. The newly reestablished Division of Culture in \par \par 16 the Department of Education is another resource. The V.I. \par \par 17 Council of the Arts. The V.I. Humanities Council. The \par \par 18 Virgin Islands Carnival Committee, the Crucian Festival \par \par 19 Organization, and the St. John Celebration Committee are \par \par 20 resources. Quelbe bands. Heritage dance group \par \par 21 organizations such as Monga Niles, St. Croix Heritage \par \par 22 Dancers, and the St. Thomas Heritage Dancers, among others. \par \par 23 Performing arts centers like the Reichhold Center, the \par \par 24 Pistarkle Theater, the little theater at UVI. Tradition \par \par 25 bearers of all genres, like those who, I call him poet \par \page \par 32 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 laureate, Mr. Schraeder, and others who document and teach. \par \par 2 The Department of Planning and Natural Resources. The \par \par 3 Division of Libraries, where the documentation should be. \par \par 4 Existing, what we define as, "Material culture," in Act \par \par 5 5778, such as ruins, the forts, the parks, those type of \par \par 6 things. The National Park System, of course. And private \par \par 7 organizations, like the historic trusts. Those are our \par \par 8 cultural resources. Of course, the environment; these, of \par \par 9 course, encompass the environment in which we live. I thank \par \par 10 you for that wonderful addition to this discussion. \par \par 11 So what has already been done in terms of \par \par 12 promoti}{\insrsid14048135 on}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 ? Well, again, my vantage point is to provide the \par \par 13 leadership in the legislature or the senate to provide for \par \par 14 the reinforcement and establishment of institutions, \par \par 15 funding, and those types of things, so that these things can \par \par 16 work. Because, when you don't have that, then private \par \par 17 groups, what our good panelist friend here has done, create \par \par 18 programs where the government is void in doing it. \par \par 19 In 1992, Act 5778 established the V.I. \par \par 20 Institute of Cultural Heritage. And the Division of \par \par 21 Cultural Education, believe it or not, was signed into law \par \par 22 by Governor Farrelly. \par \par 23 In 2006, Governor Turnbull, by Executive \par \par 24 Order 422-2006, which was redundant, but nonetheless, \par \par 25 reestablished the Division of Cultural Education with a \par \page \par 33 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 million dollar appropriation that I sponsored through an \par \par 2 omnibus budget bill. So Kwabena deserve some money. \par \par 3 Legislation to create Quelbe, Act 6642, and Quadrille, Act \par \par 4 6718, as official music and dance for the territory. You \par \par 5 all know that. \par \par 6 In 2006-07, we increased the funding to the \par \par 7 V.I. Institute of Culture. They used to receive $120,00. \par \par 8 Do you believe that? Now they receive $250,000 going \par \par 9 forward. In fact, last fiscal year they got $470,000, but \par \par 10 because they weren't organized, they couldn't spend half of \par \par 11 it, so only two-fifty will be spent. So they'll have \par \par 12 two-fifty this fiscal year coming up. That's how serious \par \par 13 this is. \par \par 14 Legislation has been created, an act signed \par \par 15 into law, creating the Territorial Park System by Senator \par \par 16 Donastorg cosponsored by myself and others, in the 25th \par \par 17 legislature, yet we haven't seen the plan yet. DPNR needs \par \par 18 to get busy. \par \par 19 A hundred thousand dollars appropriated to \par \par 20 the Department of Education for Curriculum Revision \par \par 21 Committee, Senator Liston Davis and myself sponsored that \par \par 22 amendment, and the primary reason was to take a look at \par \par 23 exactly what everybody up here is talking about: Looking at \par \par 24 the curriculum, revising it, so that it fits the economic \par \par 25 needs of the territory. And if we say tourism is our number \par \page \par 34 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 one industry, we need to act like it, and that's what \par \par 2 children should be learning in schools. \par \par 3 In 2007, again, by legislative action, we \par \par 4 increase the board of governor's of the institute -- listen \par \par 5 to this carefully -- participation to a full complement \par \par 6 of nine nongovernment members to allow for more leading \par \par 7 culture tradition bearers to serve by eliminating government \par \par 8 officials who are not coming to meetings. See, you can't \par \par 9 move forward unless you really examine what you have, clean \par \par 10 it up and move forward after that. And so I don't like to \par \par 11 go bringing new things, and then not looking at what we have \par \par 12 and improving upon it. \par \par 13 That simple move right there will see more \par \par 14 action by the institute, and then from the institute should \par \par 15 come the proposals to energize the community on where we \par \par 16 should go with cultural development. That's what they there \par \par 17 for. If you're creating it and funding it, let them act. \par \par 18 Let them work. And senators shouldn't be doing that. \par \par 19 Okay. Continuing forward. In 2006, Act 6802 \par \par 20 established the month of March as V.I. History Month. That \par \par 21 was legislation that I primarily sponsored. Every senator \par \par 22 supported it. Establishment of St. Thomas Heritage Dancers, \par \par 23 and increased funding to heritage dancers in both districts. \par \par 24 I funded heritage dancers, with the help of Bally Christian \par \par 25 in St. Croix, for the sole purpose of promoting traditional \par \page \par 35 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 dance in the St. Thomas and St. John District because it was \par \par 2 absent at the time that the bill was passed and signed into \par \par 3 law. And every year both groups get $35,000 apiece to make \par \par 4 sure that they continue to preserve, teach and promote, by \par \par 5 troupe balls or whatever it is that they need to do, to let \par \par 6 people know that it exists, until the Institute could get \par \par 7 its act together. \par \par 8 I'll have to sidetrack, by the way, and thank \par \par 9 Batima Hone, who's here with Council on the Arts, who was \par \par 10 one of those who saw the vision and funded the first \par \par 11 uniforms for the St. Thomas Heritage Dancers back in 2004, \par \par 12 if I have my dates here right here. \par \par 13 2005-06, the Government of the Virgin Islands \par \par 14 Operating Budget included a $5 million appropriation to \par \par 15 upgrade our libraries and archive division. That's very \par \par 16 important in preserving our heritage and culture. I have to \par \par 17 thank Claudette Lewis for her work in spending that money. \par \par 18 So you can probably go to the libraries in both districts \par \par 19 and see the improvements and get documents. Things should \par \par 20 be on microfiche. Check with Mr. Marone. \par \par 21 Governor Turnbull signed an agreement with \par \par 22 the Danish Government a few years ago to begin the process \par \par 23 of the Virgin Islands receiving V.I. records stored in \par \par 24 Denmark. That's also critical. Several exchange programs \par \par 25 between Denmark and the Virgin Islands were coordinated by \par \page \par 36 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 the USVI Department of Tourism under the leadership of \par \par 2 Pamela Richards. I think Wayne James was involved in some \par \par 3 of that with the charters. And that apprenticeship program \par \par 4 that Myron Jackson spoke about earlier this morning was also \par \par 5 part of that initiative. \par \par 6 Work with the Arthur Adams Musical Resource \par \par 7 Institute to document quelbe and quadrille dancing in the \par \par 8 territory through a series of workshops and exhibitions, and \par \par 9 that's stated because that's documentation any of us would \par \par 10 go to, pull off the shelf, look at, teach, share with \par \par 11 others. I want to thank them publicly for their \par \par 12 contribution. \par \par 13 Increased government funding to Emancipation \par \par 14 Day observances in St. Croix over the last two years, \par \par 15 Ms. Mary Moore could testify to that. The Reichhold Center, \par \par 16 I have to thank them as well, for their initiative in \par \par 17 producing Playing Ring I & II: A Journey into Quelbe and \par \par 18 Quadrille. \par \par 19 Danish Apprenticeship Program, as I mentioned \par \par 20 before, is another thing. These are things that have been \par \par 21 done at least since I've been around, and there's a lot more \par \par 22 Willard John to come. \par \par 23 I'll briefly say, I'm a senator, I'm a \par \par 24 leader, but I am not the Institute of Culture, I'm not the \par \par 25 Council on the Arts, I'm not Department of Education, I'm \par \page \par 37 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 not the Division of Libraries. These people, these \par \par 2 institutions, are created and funded to do these things. So \par \par 3 I don't believe in duplication, but when leadership calls \par \par 4 for leaders like myself to step in and push it, and then all \par \par 5 man, woman, to a child, must come in and start doing the \par \par 6 same thing. \par \par 7 As has been alluded to many times this \par \par 8 morning, if you're listening to the presentations, culture \par \par 9 is not something that should be legislated. It has to be \par \par 10 the heart and soul of the people. But since I didn't see \par \par 11 heart and soul, I said, Let me use my heart and soul, let me \par \par 12 push some things to get people to start thinking about where \par \par 13 we're going so we can feel ourselves in the future. I mean, \par \par 14 that's what it really boils down to. \par \par 15 MS. HENNEMAN: Senator Malone, what do you \par \par 16 see as the role of the legislature in this whole \par \par 17 conversation? \par \par 18 SENATOR MALONE: Very good. Good question. \par \par 19 I just alluded to it: To lead; to open up the people's \par \par 20 vantage. That's what people do in this position, to provide \par \par 21 vision so that people can follow on a path for them to go. \par \par 22 That's what I've been doing. I don't just talk, I act. And \par \par 23 I'll tell you, I will continue to do it, which I have in my \par \par 24 brief comments what's coming up next, of ideas to continue \par \par 25 promoting the culture of the Virgin Islands, not just for \par \page \par 38 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 tourists, but as I told you earlier, we got to start with \par \par 2 ourselves. You }{\insrsid14048135 aren\rquote t }{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 going to sell something and you don't \par \par 3 know what it is. And people don't feel what it is we're \par \par 4 promoting locally. \par \par 5 It's a shame that I were on the radio the \par \par 6 other day talking about the same during the History Book \par \par 7 Commission hearing. Senator Dowe sponsored legislation to \par \par 8 establish the V.I. History Book Commission. I'm cosponsor \par \par 9 with that bill. But the funny thing is, when I talked about \par \par 10 the legislation on the floor, like you, Mrs. Henneman, just \par \par 11 like Felicita Donastorg and Euna B. Wheatley and others who \par \par 12 taught me, I know that we're not told or required to teach \par \par 13 culture, but because of their own initiative is why I know \par \par 14 what I know. And my grandmother and others, and our \par \par 15 ambassador can testify to most of these things, too, Senator \par \par 16 Ottley. \par \par 17 And if it wasn't for that, I don't think we \par \par 18 would have anything going on. I think most of us can relate \par \par 19 to what I just said. \par \par 20 So what's next? Working on legislation right \par \par 21 now, and that's why I haven't pushed it yet, because I'm \par \par 22 waiting for the Institute to sit. I shouldn't be telling \par \par 23 them what to do. They should be directing the senate and \par \par 24 guiding us in some of these areas, because I am not a \par \par 25 tradition bearer. So those people should be at the table \par \page \par 39 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 when we're doing legislation, to what? Enhance the duties \par \par 2 and responsibilities of the Institute, to include probably \par \par 3 looking at Culture on the Arts is probably a major partner \par \par 4 in that, and, of course, acquiring centers in both \par \par 5 districts. And Batima know what I'm talking about. We're \par \par 6 actually discussing those things now, to acquire places \par \par 7 where these institutions can thrive, people can come to and \par \par 8 exchange art forms, exhibit it, et cetera. That's on the \par \par 9 table right now as we speak. \par \par 10 }{\insrsid14048135 The p}{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 urchase of, as I said, cultural centers \par \par 11 already, and development -- this is another one -- the next \par \par 12 phase I want you to look at, those of us who are here in \par \par 13 this room should be the first, or we should be the \par \par 14 organizers, the charter members, of Friends of Virgin \par \par 15 Islands Culture. Just like parks have Friends of the Park, \par \par 16 and the libraries have the Friends of the Library, everybody \par \par 17 who signed up for this conference need to become the Friends \par \par 18 of V.I. Culture. Start writing checks to the Institute of \par \par 19 Culture and the Council on the Arts, and maybe Reichhold \par \par 20 Center, or other places where we can begin to raise money to \par \par 21 promote this stuff, because it's expensive. It }{\insrsid14048135 isn\rquote t }{\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 cheap. \par \par 22 Willard John knows that, and Kwabena and others. \par \par 23 So let's start organizing the Friends of V.I. \par \par 24 Culture as a result of this conference. Something should \par \par 25 come out of it besides talking. Tired of talking. \par \page \par 40 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 Working with the Department of Tourism to \par \par 2 promote V.I. history. I'm doing that with Commissioner \par \par 3 Nicholson. I have to give her credit, she's quite open to \par \par 4 this. She's a Frederiksteder, you know, and she understand \par \par 5 what's happening. And so we talking about Mocko Jumbies and \par \par 6 quadrille groups and quelbe bands, not steel bands per se. \par \par 7 I understand some people have issues with that, but I \par \par 8 believe quelbe bands should be there at all ports of entry \par \par 9 every week. I had to write, and this is something I did, \par \par 10 when they pass the legislation, I wrote to the West Indian \par \par 11 Company, Tanny Thomas obliged. I wrote to the Port \par \par 12 Authority, they obliged, after a while -- you know how long \par \par 13 it takes to get things done -- to play quelbe music in the \par \par 14 halls of the ports, so when the cruise ship passengers come \par \par 15 off the ship, they hearing the music. Since we don't have \par \par 16 the bands, specifically in St. Thomas, to play it live, at \par \par 17 least listen to the music. Have them hear it. And so when \par \par 18 you sit in the disembarkment area in St. Thomas in the \par \par 19 airport, you will hear the music played. \par \par 20 In fact, Donald Burrow called and say, \par \par 21 Senator, it playing, we playing now, we playing it now. You \par \par 22 see? Instead of just serving rum punch to the people when \par \par 23 they come off the plane. You know, the music and dance \par \par 24 should be, it's not just for special visitors who come. \par \par 25 Working to establish living history exhibits \par \page \par 41 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 in our historical landmarks, to bring our old forts and \par \par 2 plantations to life. Those are programs working with people \par \par 3 like Felipe Ayala, and I think I forgot his name for the \par \par 4 Hotel 1829 and that whole Blackbeards area, they did a good \par \par 5 job -- \par \par 6 AN AUDIENCE MEMBER: Ball. \par \par 7 SENATOR MALONE: Ball, thank you. \par \par 8 -- to restore those areas, working with him \par \par 9 to identify him as a cultural partner. \par \par 10 Encourage the Institute of Culture, once they \par \par 11 sit, to establish an official dress of the Virgin Islands, a \par \par 12 cake, a pastry. Something as simple as that is going to \par \par 13 revive and make people stronger about the place here today. \par \par 14 Promote our local culture bearers in the \par \par 15 territory. That's another very serious one. That don't \par \par 16 cost that much money. We identify them, we get them to come \par \par 17 to the Institute or to Education, whoever we decide to be \par \par 18 that place where they come and recultivate their craft, and \par \par 19 then you coordinate getting them in front of students every \par \par 20 week, or every semester, whatever it is, through Kwabena's \par \par 21 program, now, the Division of Cultural Education, is a \par \par 22 wonderful way to do that. And funding is there to -- \par \par 23 MS. HENNEMAN: You're talking about like a \par \par 24 speakers forum? \par \par 25 SENATOR MALONE: Precisely. Speakers forum, \par \page \par 42 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 so to speak. \par \par 2 Hotels are also interested. When we passed \par \par 3 the quelbe music bill, the Marriott -- have to give them \par \par 4 kudos -- was the hotel that called and asked that a band -- \par \par 5 that's when we were getting Kwabena to get a band at Eudora \par \par 6 Kean, and we were just in the process of starting it. And \par \par 7 they would have been the first people being employed by the \par \par 8 Marriott. \par \par 9 Unfortunately, the gentleman who was \par \par 10 coordinating that left, but the company is still open to \par \par 11 having the local music and dance at the hotel. \par \par 12 Like Puerto Rico, I have sponsored \par \par 13 legislation that requires that all government-sponsored \par \par 14 functions must include the music and dance and food of the \par \par 15 Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico did it years ago. I have a \par \par 16 copy of the article right here. We have to do that. That's \par \par 17 the way you make sure it stays. Promoting awareness stays \par \par 18 for generations. That's why, in some cases, you legislate. \par \par 19 A comprehensive heritage tourism policy to be \par \par 20 developed by the Institute, in conjunction with the \par \par 21 Department of Tourism, must be done. Now, we haven't began \par \par 22 to start, but these are things that we should be doing going \par \par 23 forward. And I think Commissioner Nicholson is open to that \par \par 24 idea once the Institute sits. \par \par 25 Incorporate more of traditional culture in \par \page \par 43 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 major carnivals, festivals and celebrations. A lot more \par \par 2 than just a cultural night. It doesn't suffice for me. I \par \par 3 don't know how all of you feel about that. You go to \par \par 4 culture night in the Frederiksted Village, only Heritage \par \par 5 Dancers and Sandy playing. That's the only thing St. Croix \par \par 6 culture got? You go to St. Thomas, you get big costumes, \par \par 7 that's not Virgin Islands culture. \par \par 8 MS. HENNEMAN: That goes back to the whole \par \par 9 discussion of definition of ourselves. \par \par 10 SENATOR MALONE: Exactly. Disconnection. \par \par 11 And, therefore, to make sure that happens, \par \par 12 what should really happen -- and this is radical. I don't \par \par 13 mean to make these proposals -- but the V.I. Carnival \par \par 14 Committee, the Crucian Festival Organization and the \par \par 15 St. John Celebration Committee should be funded through the \par \par 16 Institute of Culture. The money does come from the Tourism \par \par 17 Revolving Fund, it goes to the Institute, and they should be \par \par 18 involved in these celebrations. \par \par 19 Identify tradition bearers and organize \par \par 20 workshops for them to teach teachers and make presentations \par \par 21 at schools, centers, and tourist-related venues. \par \par 22 And I done. \par \par 23 MS. HENNEMAN: And the only word I will add \par \par 24 to all of our discussion is technology. We have to get all \par \par 25 this stuff on the Web, because that's what our students \par \page \par 44 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 know. They should be able to go on the internet and find \par \par 2 anything they need to find about the Virgin Islands. So \par \par 3 when we're doing all this planning, we need to think about \par \par 4 technology, because that's what our students are now \par \par 5 involved in. \par \par 6 Thank you very, very much. Very insightful \par \par 7 and wonderful. \par \par 8 And now we're going to open it for short \par \par 9 questions, and I'll ask you to come to mic because we want \par \par 10 to make sure that everything is recorded, so that when \par \par 11 people look at the videotapes -- I mean, excuse me, the DVD \par \par 12 tapes -- they will see and hear your questions. \par \par 13 So here is the first culture bearer who wants \par \par 14 to comes up here, because we're all culture bearers, you \par \par 15 know. Some just carry a bigger load than others -- and ask \par \par 16 a question. \par \par 17 MS. JACOBS: It isn't short. \par \par 18 My name is Soraida Jacobs, for those of you \par \par 19 who don't know me. I am happy that some of you spoke about \par \par 20 the importance, or all of you spoke about the importance of \par \par 21 the people, because in the presentation this morning with \par \par 22 Mr. Leo Helms, they spoke about creating a museum and \par \par 23 renovating buildings and removing people who are living in \par \par 24 there. Of course, they said that the people living in there \par \par 25 were addicts. \par \page \par 45 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 However, I'm concerned that, maybe not there, \par \par 2 but in other places, and here in the Virgin Islands, \par \par 3 gentrification is happening. They are renovating buildings, \par \par 4 and the people, where are they going? So I think if we are \par \par 5 not -- if we don't look out for our people and make sure \par \par 6 that they do not become homeless because somebody comes in \par \par 7 and wants to renovate something, and make money off of it, \par \par 8 and off of culture and museum, then they, like Mr. John \par \par 9 said, that the people that disconnect, the people that \par \par 10 disconnect with the culture, it's going to continue and it's \par \par 11 going to be an uphill battle. \par \par 12 The other point I just wanted to make is in \par \par 13 terms -- I'm glad you mentioned libraries. However, there \par \par 14 is much more that needs to be done for the libraries. We \par \par 15 need librarians in the libraries, both libraries. I know \par \par 16 especially of St. Croix. They both each need an annex \par \par 17 because they cannot contain the holdings that they have now. \par \par 18 And I wish that more importance had been \par \par 19 given to reading, because we want to support our authors who \par \par 20 are writing about culture. And so I wish that more of that \par \par 21 had been said. You know, support reading. Make sure the \par \par 22 children are reading, make sure the children are using the \par \par 23 libraries, and make sure that the children and others \par \par 24 understand that the libraries are the cultural center of the \par \par 25 community. \par \page \par 46 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 MS. HENNEMAN: Thank you very much. \par \par 2 A QUESTIONER: Good afternoon. \par \par 3 MS. HENNEMAN: Good afternoon. \par \par 4 A QUESTIONER: I have a comment, and then I \par \par 5 have a question. \par \par 6 About seventeen years ago the Folk Life \par \par 7 Festival took place in Washington, D.C. for Smithsonian, and \par \par 8 U.S. Virgin Islands was a feature island. As a result of \par \par 9 that, an educational package was produced, and I know this \par \par 10 for a fact because I narrated the video. \par \par 11 Whatever happened to that package? Why is it \par \par 12 not being used? Can something similar to that be used to \par \par 13 not only educate the students, but also the teachers? \par \par 14 Because you can't have a history teacher come in and teach \par \par 15 our culture and our heritage if they don't know about it. \par \par 16 MS. HENNEMAN: That's very true. Very true. \par \par 17 Well, you're standing at the mic, so perhaps \par \par 18 you can initiate the project that gets it done. \par \par 19 A QUESTIONER: It's a possibility. I am \par \par 20 still in touch with the facility -- \par \par 21 MS. HENNEMAN: That's how we have to look at \par \par 22 it. We can't just say somebody else has to do it. \par \par 23 Remember, that's the point they been making all morning. \par \par 24 All of us are the culture bearers, and all of us have a role \par \par 25 to play. \par \page \par 47 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 A QUESTIONER: But as the effort goes out to \par \par 2 produce something like this, what is the guarantee that it's \par \par 3 going to be used as a part of the educational system? \par \par 4 MS. HENNEMAN: Well, you will have to \par \par 5 guarantee that by doing your homework to make sure it's \par \par 6 included. See, a lot of times what we do in the Virgin \par \par 7 Islands, we produce things and we drop them down someplace. \par \par 8 A QUESTIONER: Well, this is what I'm talking \par \par 9 about. \par \par 10 MS. HENNEMAN: If it was produced, if you \par \par 11 take it from the idea, you make sure when the idea is \par \par 12 finished, it's where it belongs in the people's hands to \par \par 13 whom it belongs. That's part of the project. \par \par 14 A QUESTIONER: The Department of Education, \par \par 15 they have a package that was produced by the Smithsonian, \par \par 16 paid for by the Smithsonian. Our government didn't have to \par \par 17 pay for it, and they still did not use the package. \par \par 18 MS. HENNEMAN: Who's the "they"? \par \par 19 A QUESTIONER: The Department of Education. \par \par 20 MS. HENNEMAN: The "they" is the people of \par \par 21 the Virgin Islands -- \par \par 22 A QUESTIONER: That's true. \par \par 23 MS. HENNEMAN: Because, guess what? How many \par \par 24 years later, and you are the first person that I've heard \par \par 25 say that the package is nowhere. \par \page \par 48 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 Do you have a package? \par \par 2 A QUESTIONER: I have access to a package, \par \par 3 yes. \par \par 4 MS. HENNEMAN: You see, that's where the \par \par 5 conversation should begin. I am not playing this he, they, \par \par 6 who, whatever ball game anymore. If you come up with the \par \par 7 idea and you say something, I want to know what is the next \par \par 8 step you are going to take personally to see that it \par \par 9 happens. \par \par 10 A QUESTIONER: I take a step now. I work at \par \par 11 the Fort Frederik Museum. \par \par 12 MS. HENNEMAN: I know, when we didn't have \par \par 13 literature at the Charlotte Amalie High School when I was \par \par 14 teaching, I, Carol O'Brien Henneman, took all the books \par \par 15 home, read all of them, did all the teaching units, gave it \par \par 16 to all my grade level teachers, and we all taught it in the \par \par 17 curriculum. That's how it happened. \par \par 18 A QUESTIONER: Kudos to you, and I appreciate \par \par 19 that, but I'm saying -- \par \par 20 MS. HENNEMAN: That's how it has to be. \par \par 21 A QUESTIONER: -- okay, I work at the Fort \par \par 22 Frederik Museum. \par \par 23 MS. HENNEMAN: Yes. \par \par 24 A QUESTIONER: We have tours, school tours \par \par 25 that come in there. Mr. McBean, kudos to Mr. McBean, this a \par \page \par 49 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 man knows his history. But he asks these kids, and the \par \par 2 teachers, basic questions: When was emancipation? And they \par \par 3 can't answer. \par \par 4 MS. HENNEMAN: I understand, and you're \par \par 5 telling the truth. I know you are. \par \par 6 But my question to you is, so what are you \par \par 7 going to do about it? \par \par 8 A QUESTIONER: Well, I know what I can do, \par \par 9 but I'm saying, I can do but so much. I'm one individual. \par \par 10 So I present this to the Department of Education, and what \par \par 11 are they going to do about it? Thank you. \par \par 12 MS. HENNEMAN: Okay. \par \par 13 A QUESTIONER: Good afternoon. \par \par 14 MS. WALLACE-FRANCIS: Excuse me. One thing I \par \par 15 would suggest, right? I didn't catch your name, but since \par \par 16 you work at the museum, what I would suggest is that you \par \par 17 have programs and invite teachers. Many times we don't \par \par 18 know, so unless the information is disseminated -- \par \par 19 For instance, the senator just told us about \par \par 20 a lot of places. Many of us may not have known. So invite \par \par 21 teachers directly. Have somebody call the teachers \par \par 22 directly. "Come out today. We're going to have a history \par \par 23 program." Because we do need to educate our educators. \par \par 24 MS. HENNEMAN: Next? \par \par 25 MS. GEORGES: Good afternoon. I want to \par \page \par 50 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 thank everybody for being here, and also Mabel Maduro for \par \par 2 sponsoring this event. \par \par 3 I want to expound on the Smithsonian Folk \par \par 4 Life Festival. \par \par 5 Oh, my name is Denise Georges, and I work for \par \par 6 the Virgin Islands National Park on the island of St. John. \par \par 7 AN AUDIENCE MEMBER: How long? \par \par 8 MS. GEORGES: 1975. Just the other day. \par \par 9 I too was a researcher for the Folk Life \par \par 10 Festival that occurred seventeen years ago in Washington, \par \par 11 D.C. and I also attended the festival. \par \par 12 When I returned to the island of St. John, I \par \par 13 was told by my supervisor that I had to come up with an \par \par 14 event to celebrate Black History Month. And the only thing \par \par 15 I could come up with was a folk life festival. And I've \par \par 16 been performing or in charge of this folk life festival for \par \par 17 the last seventeen years on the island of St. John. And it \par \par 18 has been documented by TJX Television, Kwabena has been \par \par 19 there, we've got sponsors from the Council on the Arts, West \par \par 20 Indian Company. \par \par 21 It's really a beautiful event, and I'm \par \par 22 inviting all of you to attend the coming festival for 2008. \par \par 23 We'll be celebrating our ancestors is the theme, and the \par \par 24 featured person that I choose is Edward Wilmot Blyden. And \par \par 25 also, to expand on that, our African tradition in dance in \par \page \par 51 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 inviting the Kulu Mele Dance Company out of Philadelphia, \par \par 2 which is the oldest African-American dance company in \par \par 3 Philadelphia. \par \par 4 So the dates are February the 21st to the \par \par 5 23rd. You can always look my number up in the phone book. \par \par 6 MS. HENNEMAN: I just wanted to make sure \par \par 7 that you get all of Blyden's relatives, because my two \par \par 8 nephews are his great grandchildren. \par \par 9 MS. GALLIVAN: Okay. Going to see you before \par \par 10 I leave. Okay? \par \par 11 MS. HENNEMAN: Yes. \par \par 12 MS. GEORGES: Because that's one thing I said \par \par 13 to myself the other day. They would be insulted if I did \par \par 14 not do that. \par \par 15 MS. HENNEMAN: You know the La Vida Creque -- \par \par 16 MS. GALLIVAN: Yeah. \par \par 17 MS. HENNEMAN: Yeah. Blyden, father of \par \par 18 Panafricanism. Preceded Marcus Mosiah Garvey, by the way. \par \par 19 MS. WHITE: Good afternoon. I'm Celeste \par \par 20 White. But before anything else, you know want to know what \par \par 21 I doing? I handing it to you, so everyone knows what I'm \par \par 22 doing, what I'm involved in, so everyone knows what I'm \par \par 23 involved in. \par \par 24 MS. HENNEMAN: That's what you got to do. \par \par 25 MS. WHITE: I'm involved in this. \par \page \par 52 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 MR. DAVIS: While she's passing that out, \par \par 2 quickly, I would just like to point out Ms. Mavis Donovan \par \par 3 Brady, who is sitting here, is truly one of our cultural \par \par 4 icons, one of the people who established what we know now as \par \par 5 the Cultural Education Division. It was Project \par \par 6 Introspection then with Ms. Ruth Molinaar. \par \par 7 When I took over this job, of course, the \par \par 8 office was disbanded. And when I walked in, it was an empty \par \par 9 hulk. A lot of the materials that they have produced \par \par 10 through the years, you can't find anything. It has been \par \par 11 like in garbage, old boxes in different schools. I've been \par \par 12 able to get a few works about, you know, Virgin Islands \par \par 13 material. \par \par 14 MS. HENNEMAN: Try Gladys Abraham Elementary \par \par 15 School. My cousin, Eva Lance, has one of the most expansive \par \par 16 libraries on Virgin Islands Culture. \par \par 17 MR. DAVIS: All right. \par \par 18 MS. HENNEMAN: She did that before she \par \par 19 retired. \par \par 20 MR. DAVIS: If crab don't walk, he done get \par \par 21 fat. If you don't talk, you wouldn't get help. \par \par 22 MS. HENNEMAN: Okay. Ms. Floyd? \par \par 23 MS. FLOYD: Okay. One of the things that I \par \par 24 have handed -- and I don't have one for everybody in the \par \par 25 room, but I want you to know what I'm dealing with -- I have \par \page \par 53 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 developed what they call We V.I, which is a program that \par \par 2 says, We enhance the Virgin Islands. I wrote a proposal, \par \par 3 and I handed it to -- sent it to the government -- to the \par \par 4 governor, himself, actually -- and I'm now asking for the \par \par 5 schools to open up their doors so I can come in and talk to \par \par 6 them about it. \par \par 7 I am an independent contractor, so I'm not \par \par 8 coming into your schools, I'm not coming into your schools \par \par 9 to do everything for free, I will do some things for free. \par \par 10 I will do some things for free, but I'm not doing everything \par \par 11 for free. I'll make myself perfectly clear on that one. I \par \par 12 am willing to volunteer for some things, and I have \par \par 13 volunteered for over ten years in this community; including, \par \par 14 in defense of Ms. Georges, I had a program actually in the \par \par 15 fort at one point in time that I did contact teachers. I \par \par 16 was doing origami, inviting schools, contacting people for \par \par 17 different things. I actually applied on more than one \par \par 18 occasion for funds; did not get them. That did not stop the \par \par 19 program. Actually, what stopped it was when they started to \par \par 20 fix up the fort, you know, to renovate the fort. That's \par \par 21 when the program basically stopped. But at that time I was \par \par 22 doing other things as employment, so I was able to volunteer \par \par 23 all of my time to that. I am willing to do some, but not \par \par 24 all. \par \par 25 But my comment, and the reason why I'm here \par \page \par 54 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 now, is also to talk about when we are talking about our \par \par 2 children in the schools, I know earlier today there was a \par \par 3 comment about the children not being, or taking down stuff. \par \par 4 I was not one of the good students. I was a good -- I was \par \par 5 smart, but I was also, when I was in New York, disruptive. \par \par 6 Okay? I wasn't bad. I was disruptive. I was disruptive. \par \par 7 So, and the reason why I'm saying that is because, you know, \par \par 8 when we talk about building things and building communities, \par \par 9 okay? Talking about building communities, we also have to \par \par 10 remember that some of the young people that need to be \par \par 11 involved need to be some of the ones that we see as those \par \par 12 causing the conflict. Okay? \par \par 13 Because, and I'm going to call it the gang \par \par 14 mentality, the gang mentality is to belong. That's the \par \par 15 whole idea why children join gangs. Not because they want \par \par 16 to be gang members, but because they want to belong to \par \par 17 something, so they see themselves belonging to that. So if \par \par 18 they have a territory, and they hold on -- let me tell you, \par \par 19 as gang members, they hold on to a territory, and they \par \par 20 protect that territory by all means; any means necessary. \par \par 21 So if they have a territory, and the \par \par 22 territory could be the territory of St. Croix, St. Thomas, \par \par 23 St. John, and if they help build that territory from the \par \par 24 ground floor up, if they are personally involved in the \par \par 25 building of it, it will not be torn down. \par \page \par 55 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 MS. HENNEMAN: I will stop you, because \par \par 2 there's a long line behind you. \par \par 3 MS. FLOYD: Okay. \par \par 4 MS. HENNEMAN: Trying to stay on time. \par \par 5 MS. FLOYD: I'm going to close it off. \par \par 6 MS. HENNEMAN: Thank you very much. By the \par \par 7 way, send your curriculum information and so, send a package \par \par 8 to the Board of Ed. \par \par 9 MS. FLOYD: They have it. \par \par 10 MS. HENNEMAN: No, if I don't have it, we \par \par 11 don't have it. Who's the "they"? \par \par 12 MS. FLOYD: I'm sorry. The governor, our \par \par 13 governor, said he was sending it to the Commissioner of \par \par 14 Education. \par \par 15 MS. HENNEMAN: No. Board of Ed. Board of \par \par 16 Ed. \par \par 17 MS. FLOYD: Okay. \par \par 18 MR. FINCH: Good afternoon. Vernon Finch, \par \par 19 Council on the Arts. \par \par 20 I am suggesting that we begin to look at \par \par 21 opening our schools, all our schools, after school, for \par \par 22 community-based after-school art and heritage and tourism \par \par 23 programs. I also suggest to Senator Ottley and Senator \par \par 24 Malone that you look closely into a funding source for this; \par \par 25 that you look at all our major capital projects in the \par \page \par 56 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 territory, and attach at least a one or two percent of those \par \par 2 large funds that we have to do to go toward these after \par \par 3 school facilities. \par \par 4 MS. HENNEMAN: So it would be a culture and \par \par 5 heritage clause? \par \par 6 MR. FINCH: No, we're talking about an \par \par 7 intrusion of community, which means you involve not only the \par \par 8 students, but the parents. Glenn had alluded to the fact \par \par 9 that heritage, culture, all of that, is grass roots, grass \par \par 10 roots driven, and you're talking about a product that has to \par \par 11 have ownership. If tourists come here, they want to see how \par \par 12 you live and how you eat, it has to have an ownership. \par \par 13 MS. HENNEMAN: That's correct. \par \par 14 MR. FINCH: That's one of the things we can \par \par 15 do to give it that ownership, and you attach a value to it. \par \par 16 That's one of the things we have neglected to do is attach a \par \par 17 value to that which we are, and we have to do that. \par \par 18 Thank you. \par \par 19 MS. HENNEMAN: Thank you very much. \par \par 20 MS. BRADY: Good afternoon. My name is \par \par 21 Carlin. I was urged to move. I hesitated for a while, \par \par 22 because Carol said she didn't want any remarks. She wanted \par \par 23 a question. \par \par 24 MS. HENNEMAN: But nobody's studying me. \par \par 25 Nobody studied me, so so much for that. \par \page \par 57 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 MS. BRADY: But I had to speak, because we \par \par 2 have -- I am a product of the Charlotte Amalie High School, \par \par 3 and one of our mottos is, What you want in your community, \par \par 4 you must put in your schools. We cannot market Virgin \par \par 5 Islands history and culture unless we ourselves know \par \par 6 something about our history and culture. \par \par 7 MS. HENNEMAN: That's correct. \par \par 8 MS. BRADY: This debate has been going on \par \par 9 from before I was, and I keep hearing on the talk shows and \par \par 10 in groups like this that Virgin Islands history is not being \par \par 11 taught in the schools, which is a myth. I was taught Virgin \par \par 12 Islands history in school. \par \par 13 But let me say this: The first thing we need \par \par 14 to do is to have a well-designed, multi-disciplinary \par \par 15 curriculum in the Department of Education to teach Virgin \par \par 16 Islands history and culture. This is the only way that the \par \par 17 people, the children, the populace in general, will begin to \par \par 18 develop self-esteem about their country, their island home, \par \par 19 and themselves. It's only when you have that self-esteem, \par \par 20 that you believe in yourself, and you consider yourself to \par \par 21 be worthy of your existence, that you can transmit that to \par \par 22 other people. \par \par 23 Now, I'd like to say that I sit here and I \par \par 24 hear people say, People out there, all of them educators, \par \par 25 what have they done? Well, at the risk of being arrogant, I \par \page \par 58 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 have answered that question. Back in 1966, some of you \par \par 2 weren't even born, okay, when a state director of ESA \par \par 3 Title III, a federal program, I created Project \par \par 4 Introspection. Of course, the news is that somebody else \par \par 5 did it, but I'm here to tell you that is not true. \par \par 6 That program came as a result of my \par \par 7 frustration, as a school teacher, trying to get information \par \par 8 on Virgin Islands history. When I would try to go to the \par \par 9 library in the afternoon, the library was closed at five. \par \par 10 And I made a pledge to myself that, if God ever helped me to \par \par 11 become an administrator in education, the first thing I will \par \par 12 do is to design a program to teach Virgin Islands history \par \par 13 and culture, and that's exactly what I did in 1966, when I \par \par 14 became state director of ESA Title III. And for three solid \par \par 15 years, three and a half years, I wrote three federal grants \par \par 16 to fund that program from 1966 to 1971. \par \par 17 So I get tired, when I come to meetings like \par \par 18 this, and I hear all this groaning and moaning. What we \par \par 19 have to do at this point, Senator Malone read off a whole \par \par 20 lot of accomplishments. To hear the complaints, you would \par \par 21 think nothing has ever been done. Nothing is happening. \par \par 22 Things are happening. The problem is that we will not \par \par 23 organize our efforts in a comprehensive manner. The problem \par \par 24 is that we are driven by ownership and turf. Okay? \par \par 25 Everyone who gets involved in anything that is done in \par \page \par 59 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 Virgin Islands history and culture wants to be the big star. \par \par 2 "I am the expert in Virgin Islands history. I am the most \par \par 3 knowledgeable." And that's where we are losing the game. \par \par 4 When I designed Project Introspection back in \par \par 5 1966, the purpose of that program was to teach Virgin \par \par 6 Islands history and culture, as well as to design the local \par \par 7 production of instruction materials. That meant that we \par \par 8 would take the stories, the folklores, whatever we had \par \par 9 presently existing, and make those things available to our \par \par 10 teachers and our students. We had a center in the old Nisky \par \par 11 School in Sub Base in St. Thomas that was equipped with \par \par 12 materials and supplies. I had a graphic artist who designed \par \par 13 pictures on the Virgin Islands. And all of these, all those \par \par 14 books on Virgin Islands holidays, famous people, famous \par \par 15 Virgin Islanders, all of that was done from way back in \par \par 16 1966. \par \par 17 What has happened? There was no control. \par \par 18 People walked away with them. You can hardly find any of \par \par 19 them. And we have been losing a lot of valuable efforts \par \par 20 that has been placed in our system by people who have worked \par \par 21 very hard, and it grieves me, in my old age, to hear this \par \par 22 constant lament that nothing has been done, or is being \par \par 23 done. It is unfair. It is unjust. \par \par 24 MS. HENNEMAN: Mrs. Brady. \par \par 25 \par \page \par 60 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 MS. BRADY: I know I need to wrap it up. \par \par 2 MS. HENNEMAN: Yes. \par \par 3 MS. BRADY: So what I would ask is that we \par \par 4 get away from this personalized approach, and try to gather \par \par 5 the best of our minds, do some serious research, retrieve \par \par 6 our history, and put it in the form that we can use it to \par \par 7 get it to -- first, we ought to market this thing to our \par \par 8 children and our people, before we try marketing it to other \par \par 9 people. \par \par 10 MS. HENNEMAN: That's correct. \par \par 11 That was my first summer job. I made the \par \par 12 books with Mrs. Brady. In summertime, daddy sent me. But \par \par 13 it was a great thing, because as I was putting the books \par \par 14 together, you started to read and analyze and you learn \par \par 15 names and so on. \par \par 16 Yes, Ms. Moorhead? \par \par 17 MS. MOORHEAD: Good afternoon. Since you \par \par 18 introduced me, I don't have to say my name. \par \par 19 I would make a correction in the verb tense \par \par 20 that was used, though, because we know things were done over \par \par 21 here in St. Croix. I'm very familiar, when I was in the \par \par 22 classroom, Ms. Jewel Ross Brathwaite was Director of \par \par 23 Cultural Education in St. Croix, and distributed all those \par \par 24 books to all the libraries and the teachers, and we did what \par \par 25 you were talking about, our units of culture and history. I \par \page \par 61 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 did it in my English class every year. \par \par 2 I don't know if they did away with them, but \par \par 3 I know up to when I was at Central, they still had it in the \par \par 4 library. But the point is, what is being done? And I'm \par \par 5 bringing this question -- by the way, a little correction, \par \par 6 Senator Malone, because the History, Culture and Tradition \par \par 7 Foundation, of which I'm president, we produced Yesterday, \par \par 8 Today and Tomorrow, Emancipation, but we are the lowest \par \par 9 funded historical event in the Virgin Islands territory \par \par 10 presently. \par \par 11 SENATOR MALONE: We increased funding. \par \par 12 MS. MOORHEAD: You're right, this year. \par \par 13 SENATOR MALONE: I didn't say it was the \par \par 14 most. I said we had increased funding. They had more money \par \par 15 than they had before. \par \par 16 MS. MOORHEAD: We had 50,000 for the past two \par \par 17 years. \par \par 18 SENATOR MALONE: 125,000 this year. \par \par 19 MS. MOORHEAD: You're still short 125,000 \par \par 20 from what we asked for, because it's coming to the 160th \par \par 21 next year. We're looking to make a bang. \par \par 22 But what I wanted to point to is to let the \par \par 23 gentleman know that there must be some materials here from \par \par 24 when Ms. Brathwaite was president that we could possibly use \par \par 25 to revise and build on for developing your project. \par \page \par 62 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 MR. JOHN: Curriculum Center should have \par \par 2 them. \par \par 3 MS. HENNEMAN: Curriculum Center should have \par \par 4 them. And as I was telling you, Gladys Abraham has quite a \par \par 5 collection. That's where I go when I need to find things. \par \par 6 MS. MOORHEAD: But with three policymakers in \par \par 7 the Department of Education, and there being for some time \par \par 8 legislation, because the senator has been doing his part. \par \par 9 It's the executive branch continuously dropping the ball. \par \par 10 There's been legislation from you can probably fill in the \par \par 11 date for me, that V.I. history is supposed to be taught K \par \par 12 through 12 on every grade level. \par \par 13 So with three policymakers, what will you do \par \par 14 to make sure that comes about this year? \par \par 15 MS. HENNEMAN: You know, in the Virgin \par \par 16 Islands, in a lot of schools -- that's why I don't shop \par \par 17 schools, I shop teachers -- it's who your child gets. And \par \par 18 that's why I don't shop schools. I don't care how pretty \par \par 19 your building is, how many computers you have and lah dee \par \par 20 dee dee dah, I want to know what you're teaching my child. \par \par 21 So, perhaps where we can start, when I go to \par \par 22 visit the schools as part of the Board of Ed, I can ask the \par \par 23 question, So what cultural education occurs in your \par \par 24 classroom? I don't care whether it's math, Spanish, \par \par 25 English, I don't care what it is. There should be infusion \par \page \par 63 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 of our cultural education in everything we teach. \par \par 2 Everything. \par \par 3 I never understood why we teach history in \par \par 4 the classroom in the Virgin Islands? Why are the children \par \par 5 in the classroom, when Fort Christian is down the road? I \par \par 6 don't understand why we can't see that if we connect them to \par \par 7 the place, then the learning has more meaning. \par \par 8 So we need to think about that. Get our \par \par 9 children outside, looking. Why talk about Carambola, and \par \par 10 not bring them to see what the place looks like? You know, \par \par 11 a lot of our children don't even go from Christiansted to \par \par 12 Frederiksted and Frederiksted to Christiansted, much less, \par \par 13 if you ask -- even if you ask St. Thomian children about \par \par 14 St. John, some of them have never put their foot. And we \par \par 15 claim we doing education. We just pretending. \par \par 16 But don't worry, Dr. Spampinato will take \par \par 17 care of it all. \par \par 18 MR. DAVIS: And let there be light. \par \par 19 MS. HENNEMAN: Guess I in trouble now. Is \par \par 20 she here? No. Don't worry, I only have a couple years to \par \par 21 go. \par \par 22 Go right ahead. \par \par 23 MS. WALKER: Good afternoon. \par \par 24 MS. HENNEMAN: Good afternoon. \par \par 25 MS. WALKER: My name is Diane Mosson Walker. \par \page \par 64 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 I'm a third-generation Virgin Islander, I'm a former \par \par 2 teacher, and I'm now on the St. Thomas-St. John Historic \par \par 3 Preservation Commission, and it has occurred to me, as we \par \par 4 are doing all this work, and all this work that you heard \par \par 5 done today about what we're trying to do to preserve the \par \par 6 best of the Virgin Islands culture, who are we doing it for? \par \par 7 And this is just the right place for us to begin, because \par \par 8 who are our most important resource? The teachers of these \par \par 9 Virgin Islanders, because, if they do not pass on this \par \par 10 ownership, this sense of pride, this sense of what we have \par \par 11 here, how will our children get it? Why are we wasting our \par \par 12 time doing stuff, when the children will grow up with \par \par 13 absolutely no appreciation, no conception? \par \par 14 So, dear teachers, do not underestimate your \par \par 15 power. You have more power than the parents of these \par \par 16 children. When I first started to teach, I was in awe. I \par \par 17 said, Oh, my gosh. I have these children more than their \par \par 18 parents do. What a responsibility. \par \par 19 We must start doing like our former teachers \par \par 20 used to do. They are our children. We don't let our \par \par 21 children be rude and disrespectful and pass in front of you \par \par 22 and not say excuse me, and use foul language. No. Come \par \par 23 back here. Excuse me. You're a Virgin Islander. We don't \par \par 24 want to hear this. This is not worthy of you. \par \par 25 This is what we need to do, to love our \par \page \par 65 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 children, and to take pride in them, and to teach them what \par \par 2 they have, so that all of our efforts today, when they grow \par \par 3 up, they will be able to pass it on to their children and \par \par 4 then that's it. \par \par 5 But the teachers, don't ever underestimate \par \par 6 your importance. You are the most important resource of \par \par 7 every resource I have heard mentioned today, because you \par \par 8 have these children's lives in your hands. \par \par 9 So God bless you all, and good luck. \par \par 10 MS. HENNEMAN: I agree with you so much. \par \par 11 Unfortunately, some of our teachers shouldn't be teaching \par \par 12 garbage bags what to do, because they don't have character \par \par 13 themselves. I don't care. I have taught for thirty-one \par \par 14 years, and I am not afraid to say it. Some teachers needed \par \par 15 to leave my children alone, and I will begin every year by \par \par 16 saying, If you don't love our children, if you don't care \par \par 17 about the place, I'm not mad at you. Find another job. \par \par 18 MR. FARCHETTE: Good afternoon. My name is \par \par 19 John Farchette, and good to see the panel, and all the \par \par 20 people who attended. \par \par 21 I'm the new park ranger for the East End \par \par 22 Marine Park. We have a marine park on St. Croix. It \par \par 23 extends from Great Pond all the way around to Green Cay. We \par \par 24 will be doing presentations at the Mini Quest in October. \par \par 25 We've already registered for that. Dr. Norman Quinn was the \par \page \par 66 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 coordinator, wanted to apologize that he could not be here. \par \par 2 One of the things he asked me to mention was \par \par 3 the part about environmental being part of our cultural \par \par 4 thing, and it was very refreshing to hear that. I'll be \par \par 5 able to go back and say that I didn't have to say that. \par \par 6 Tourism was also mentioning it. \par \par 7 MS. HENNEMAN: She only needs two acres of \par \par 8 land for her environmental retreat for the children. \par \par 9 MR. FARCHETTE: Great. \par \par 10 MS. HENNEMAN: Two acres, okay? \par \par 11 MR. FINCH: Well, our offices will be at \par \par 12 Great Pond, where the Housing, Parks and Recreation facility \par \par 13 is, and we're inviting everyone to come out. We do \par \par 14 interpretive guides, and I'll be the interpreter. \par \par 15 Thank you very much. \par \par 16 MS. HENNEMAN: By the way, while I'm waiting \par \par 17 for Ms. Roker to come to mic, come right ahead, I want to \par \par 18 ask all the attendees to complete the evaluation forms and \par \par 19 leave at the registration desk when you're going if you're \par \par 20 not coming back tomorrow. \par \par 21 We're encouraging you to come back tomorrow \par \par 22 for certain because we really would like to get some more \par \par 23 feedback tomorrow. This has been so wonderful. \par \par 24 MS. ROKER: Good afternoon. My name is \par \par 25 Claire Roker. \par \page \par 67 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 I could relate to a lot of things said here \par \par 2 today, especially to Mrs. Brady, because my aunt, \par \par 3 Mrs. Dorsch, is a tradition bearer. She was a \par \par 4 superintendent of schools, and she and Mrs. Brady worked on \par \par 5 a lot of things that she talked about. I have those books \par \par 6 at home that Mrs. Brady is talking about. \par \par 7 When you talk about the Folk Life Festival, I \par \par 8 was Director of Tourism, and I was the one that helped \par \par 9 organize that Folk Life Festival activity. \par \par 10 MS. HENNEMAN: So where are the tapes and \par \par 11 everything? \par \par 12 MS. ROKER: I have the tape home. \par \par 13 MS. HENNEMAN: You have one? \par \par 14 MS. ROKER: Yes. I'll see if I can find it. \par \par 15 MS. HENNEMAN: Because what should really \par \par 16 happen is copies should be made. \par \par 17 MS. ROKER: Tourism should have it. Tourism \par \par 18 should have it. \par \par 19 MS. HENNEMAN: Make copies and so on, and \par \par 20 give it to all the libraries and so on. \par \par 21 MS. ROKER: We had done that. \par \par 22 MS. HENNEMAN: Now, what I'm saying to you is \par \par 23 if you give them to the board, I will find money in my \par \par 24 budget to duplicate them and give them to all the libraries \par \par 25 and all the high schools. Somebody has to do it. \par \page \par 68 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 MS. ROKER: Right. \par \par 2 My concern, I'm a grandmother, and I have my \par \par 3 grandchildren going to the public schools. But who's \par \par 4 teaching our children V.I. history? We have Filipino \par \par 5 teachers -- nothing against Filipinos -- we have people from \par \par 6 North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C. \par \par 7 They don't know our history, so how do we expect them to \par \par 8 teach our history to our children? \par \par 9 MS. HENNEMAN: I want to say, though, that, \par \par 10 with the assistance of the V.I. Humanities Council, and I'm \par \par 11 so glad I get a chance to say it publicly, the Board of Ed \par \par 12 offered a Virgin Islands History and Culture Institute, and \par \par 13 guess who filled up the room? The Filipino teachers, who \par \par 14 understand, in order to teach our children, they have to \par \par 15 know them. \par \par 16 Where are a lot of our Native Virgin \par \par 17 Islanders, who think, because they're of the place, they \par \par 18 know their history, and they don't know squat when you ask \par \par 19 them. Just because you live in a place, doesn't mean you \par \par 20 know anything about the place. If you go around and you ask \par \par 21 a lot of Virgin Islands teachers about the history and \par \par 22 culture of the Virgin Islands, they don't know anything. So \par \par 23 we are just as responsible as anybody who comes from \par \par 24 anyplace to teach. \par \par 25 MS. ROKER: I agree. But I think sometimes \par \page \par 69 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 we let our good teachers, like Ms. Peggy Moorhead, retire \par \par 2 too early. \par \par 3 MS. HENNEMAN: So is that all you have to say \par \par 4 on the subject? Because, you know, I don't have to go home \par \par 5 today. I could talk until 6:00 o'clock. \par \par 6 Senator Ottley? \par \par 7 We do have tours at 3:30. We have to \par \par 8 assemble, so Senator Ottley has five minutes. \par \par 9 You have two minutes, Senator Ottley. \par \par 10 SENATOR OTTLEY: I don't need that. \par \par 11 I usually don't speak to these things, \par \par 12 because I really like to learn and hear from the people that \par \par 13 are here, but I think I want to take the opportunity, since \par \par 14 we have so many educators here, to ask a question. Because \par \par 15 most of our concerns about what's happening and who teaches \par \par 16 culture and education could be handled by a real curriculum, \par \par 17 where that's prepared, that any new teacher coming in to the \par \par 18 system is handed, Hey, this is the curriculum of the Virgin \par \par 19 Islands. And they have a person, who, whether it be a \par \par 20 mentor teacher or something, that helps walk them through. \par \par 21 My wife taught in Fairfax County. She didn't \par \par 22 know anything about Virginia, but she had their curriculum \par \par 23 that, in explicit terms, talked about how the trees and the \par \par 24 fauna of Virginia needed to be interrelated to the \par \par 25 curriculum, how the Native American tribes of Virginia \par \page \par 70 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 needed to be interwoven into the curriculum. It was plain, \par \par 2 she used it, she had a mentor teacher that walked her \par \par 3 through it to make sure that she was on point with the \par \par 4 different things that were important to Virginia. \par \par 5 And from what I'm hearing, we know this. So \par \par 6 why is it not being done? And I think that's a fundamental \par \par 7 question, because, as Ms. Brady is saying, this has been \par \par 8 something that we have talked about and known for years. \par \par 9 Where is the breakdown in us, in our systems, that do not \par \par 10 allow us to do something that we can see that is so vitally \par \par 11 important to our development. \par \par 12 MS. HENNEMAN: Mr. Ottley, I'm going to let \par \par 13 Mr. Davis answer, because I got in enough trouble this \par \par 14 afternoon, I won't have a job by Monday. \par \par 15 MR. DAVIS: It's just as Ms. Brady is saying, \par \par 16 too many people try to take credit for the little bit of \par \par 17 things that they do. \par \par 18 What has happened is, I have been spending -- \par \par 19 I mean, I've only been on the job a few months -- but \par \par 20 devoting a lot of time, collecting a lot of this, with my \par \par 21 able assistant here, Ms. Carol Hodge-Blake, just pulling \par \par 22 materials together, a lot of which we hope to digitize, \par \par 23 advance upon. Because, like for instance, one of the works \par \par 24 that they had had to do with a lot of the local flora and \par \par 25 fauna. They were hand drawn by people like Ms. Ellen Kean. \par \page \par 71 \par \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\outlinelevel0\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid678029 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 EDUCATION AND TRAINING \par }\pard \s15\ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13660274 {\insrsid2185620\charrsid2185620 \par 1 We figure we can bring it up now to where we have the actual \par \par 2 animals, the actual vegetables -- \par \par 3 MS. HENNEMAN: Scan them all in? \par \par 4 MR. DAVIS: Yes. \par \par 5 Additionally, what we hope to do is begin \par \par 6 working with the teachers, you know? Getting pockets of \par \par 7 teachers, and start giving them a base curriculum with which \par \par 8 they can work, starting at the elementary, dealing a \par \par 9 different one for juniors and for seniors as well. \par \par 10 But we got to put in a little bit of work \par \par 11 with a lot these adults. Especially, look at the first \par \par 12 line, taxi people. When a taxi man is going to tell some \par \par 13 tourist, while St. Thomas looks nice, he should go down to \par \par 14 so and such a island on his next trip, we have a serious \par \par 15 problem. When a lot of hotels refuse to put in prints of \par \par 16 Virgin Islands artists along their walls and in their rooms, \par \par 17 we have a problem. \par \par 18 These are the kinds of things we intend to \par \par 19 address, as well. \par \par 20 MS. HENNEMAN: Okay. We have to stop because \par \par 21 they have to go on this tour, but if you come back tomorrow, \par \par 22 I'm sure there's going to be room for more discussion and \par \par 23 questions. \par \par 24 Thank you very, very much. \par \par 25 --oOo-- \par \page \par \par }}