Dear Sir,

“Polly” stresses (RG, June 8) the “them and us” aspect of party politics.

However, Bermuda was a “them and us” society long before party politics. It was in 1834 that the representatives of the white community imposed the “them and us” structure on this society, in order to ensure the control and subordinate role of the black community.

In 1834, when blacks should have become full and equal citizens, financial barriers were introduced to ensure that newly freed slaves could not participate politically. Racial segregation was imposed to ensure the social subordination of blacks and then there was first the threat and then the policy of importing white immigrants to undermine, control and lower the economic standard of the recently freed blacks, who now had to be paid for their labour which was once free.

Thus the racial “them and us” was institutionalised in 1834.

The CUAS gave us universal franchise to address the political disenfranchisement.

The Progressive Group gave us public desegregation in an attempt to modify the social divide. Both were an attempt to address the “them and us” racial divide.

Both took place before party politics.

Then party politics were introduced. The black community was divided, but not the white community. As a result the economic disparity which was initiated in 1834 has never been addressed and is not likely to be since so many blacks have thrown in their political lot with the white community.

So party politics have obviously been a major detriment to the black community and the progress that it had begun to make was halted.

But as “Polly” points out party politics have ultimately been a detriment to the entire community because the racial divide has always been a detriment to all of Bermuda even if it has been most destructive to the black community.

If you sit on someone to ensure that they remain in the gutter you cannot make much progress yourself.

EVA N HODGSON

PS — The economic and racial disparity continues to exist, as well as the political and racial “them and us”, no matter how many “good” white friends I may have — and I have one or two. And ultimately what happens to the society is what is important and not individual experiences or personal anecdotes.