Premier links Long Look’s legacy to BVI’s constitutional future

The spirit that enabled Long Look’s first free community to survive and thrive 250 years ago must now guide the Virgin Islands as it pursues greater autonomy and constitutional reform, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has declared.

Addressing the opening ceremony for the 250th Commemoration of the Anniversary of Freedom at Nottingham Estate, the Premier drew direct parallels between the self-manumission of 25 Africans in 1776 and the territory’s present constitutional journey.

Speaking at the Stickett in Long Look, Premier Wheatley described the occasion as more than a historical anniversary.

“Today is not only a commemoration. It is a divine appointment. Today is not only an anniversary. It is a summons. Today is not only about what happened 250 years ago. It is about what must happen now,” Dr Wheatley stated.

The Premier said the Long Look Free People demonstrated that freedom required responsibility, unity and faith. Rather than waiting for others to shape their future, they “accepted the responsibility of freedom” by building homes, farming the land, raising families and creating a thriving community.

Long Look commemorates the self-manumission of 25 enslaved Africans who, in 1776, paid Samuel and Mary Nottingham £5 to secure their freedom before later receiving the Long Look estate in 1782. The community has since been recognised as the Virgin Islands’ oldest continuously existing free Black settlement and one of the earliest in the western hemisphere.

Significant timing

Premier Wheatley said he viewed the timing of the anniversary alongside ongoing constitutional discussions as significant.

“What are the chances at this very moment in history a son of the descendants of the Long Look Free People would be called to help lead the Virgin Islands into a new constitutional future?” Dr Wheatley asked. “Some may call it coincidence. I cannot. I believe there are moments in the life of a people when history, ancestry, and destiny align so clearly that we must pause and recognise the hand of God,” Dr Wheatley said.

The Premier argued that greater autonomy was about more than constitutional or legal arrangements.

“We are speaking of a sacred human right. The right of a people to govern themselves with dignity. The right of a people to develop their talents. The right of a people to protect their culture. The right of a people to shape their freedom,” the Premier stated.

Lessons from history

Drawing lessons from Long Look’s history, Premier Wheatley urged Virgin Islanders to reject division, saying the original free people survived because they depended on one another.

“You must never allow personal grievance, political rivalry, jealousy, bitterness or mistrust to become stronger than our love for country,” Dr Wheatley stated.

He also said Long Look deserved greater national recognition and pledged to preserve and promote its history.

“Long Look’s time has come. Your story will no longer be hidden. Your story will no longer be whispered only in family circles. Your story will no longer be treated as a footnote in Virgin Islands history,” Dr Wheatley stated.

The Premier added that Long Look would become “an epicentre of heritage tourism” where the community’s story would be preserved through education, culture and economic development, while benefiting residents.

Closing his address, the Premier called on Virgin Islanders to approach the territory’s constitutional future with the same qualities that sustained the Long Look Free People.