Be guided by your conscience

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My twenty years of teaching and long involvement in community work has offered a fair share of contact with young people. Perhaps this is why I have had queries from the younger generation regarding the up-coming General Election; mainly seeking guidance on how to vote. In response I encourage the person to be guided by their conscience, rather than by me or any other ‘authority’.

I use those queries as ‘teachable moments’; encouraging the young person to ‘declare their independence’, a key step for their transformation into adulthood. Reminding them that they are ‘authors’ of their lives, I share stories on how and why that declaration is so important to their own personal development and that of society.

Gladys Morrell, led a group of 20-somethings, who ‘declared their independence’ in the 1920s. Up to that time in Bermuda, only men who owned land could vote and they began a campaign including refusing to pay taxes - to effect change. Their work bore fruit in 1943.

On December 1, 1955 riding a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, the driver ordered four blacks to give up their seats for whites. Three of them moved as was the protocol -except Rosa Parks. She declared her independence that day and sparked a movement that transformed America. Rosa followed her inner voice, challenging the status quo, becoming an iconic figure for the Human Family.

In 1959 in Bermuda some 15 residents 20-somethings - gathered secretly at the home of Roslyn and Edouard Williams intent on declaring their independence. By June, they launched a Theatre Boycott, which within two weeks, successfully ended segregation in Bermuda. In 1960, Roslyn hosted discussions on the ‘Right to Vote’ which resulted in initiating a series of public meetings coordinated by Roosevelt Brown. That campaign ended on October 31, 1960 when Roslyn addressed 800 people at the Hamilton Hall, capping the foundation for ensuring the right to vote, which we all enjoy today.

In Atlanta, Daddy King was the chairman of a Republican branch; as blacks had traditionally voted Republican the Party of Lincoln the ‘Emancipator’. However, Martin Luther King Jr had declared his independence from both his father and the ‘black status quo’, developing a ‘quiet’ relationship with Kennedy, a Democrat. When MLK was imprisoned for joining a student sit-in in October 1960, Kennedy reached out to pressure the police to grant them bail. This led to blacks, who had voted in numbers for Republicans in 1956, swinging their support in 1960 to Kennedy, resulting in his winning one of the tightest elections in US history.

In 1967, MLK after much reflection, began supporting the Anti-War Campaign, a controversial stand. He was criticized for supporting an essentially ‘white student movement’ by many fellow civil rights leaders. However, history has proven King correct in following his ‘inner voice’.

In 1969, I joined the Black Beret Cadre, which decided to adopt a uniform. I refused to wear it, because I thought that it would have the unintended consequence of making us ‘exclusive’ rather than ‘inclusive’. I was declaring my independence in that situation. However, I must admit that there were times that I was influenced by peer pressure. Nevertheless, I found, reflecting on mistakes as life-lessons, made me better able to handle social pressures and follow my heart.

One exemplar in this regard, is Nelson Mandela. He began his long imprisonment declaring his independence, challenging any of the demeaning protocols of the prison guards. However, at the same time he engaged them as true equals; even writing letters to guards’ wives to ensure they take advantage of further education.

On May 1, 1981 I took a one-man, one-day ‘strike’ from Berkeley, because for two week industrial action by 2,000 workers seemed to be heading towards violence. I was following my heart to join colleagues on the streets to promote calm and solidarity. The result was that day some 500 workers marched peacefully through Hamilton, diffusing the tension at that time.

When Barack Obama first decided to follow his inner voice and run for the Presidency of the US, the vast majority of the national black leaders opposed his decision. They did not think it was the right time for a person of colour to take such a step. The rest is history.

When gunmen murdered Kumi Harford next to St. Monica’s Mission, in 2009, Rev. Nick Dill called me to help in organizing a prayer-vigil at the site, two days later. Thinking the timing was not right, I initially suggested a postponement. However, Nick followed his heart, insisting that we proceed with the event, which proved to be a vital act of community healing.

I share these stories with young people to remind them to first reflect and trust their capacity to choose. As they overcome the pressures to ‘follow the gang’ and claim their power, they become the captains of their own fate. I encourage them to declare their independence not only as they vote, but in their everyday lives, maximizing their own potential and that of our beloved Island.

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