Dear Sir,

The Bermuda for the last century was another world.

What we did or said affected very few people in the rest of the world. In this the 21st century, Bermuda is being integrated as a cog in a vast world financial machine. We, the black Bermudians, need to make some small but very important adjustments to our perspectives.

In the old Bermuda, the easily recognised black population was the target of financial discrimination. Sometimes it was benevolent. At times, opposition was dealt with harshly. Then, after the Second World War, social attitudes began to change. Social structure and wages have always been the twin agents of discrimination.

The European feudal system locked the white peasants into their positions for long periods of time. Hence the appeal of the classless society of the US “Melting Pot”.

The Creator must be laughing at us because after ditching the old discriminations, the US “Melting Pot” started one of its own, based not on family and birth, but on wealth. The egalitarian communist societies are following suit.

Man has not changed; he still seeks to be top dog in his group. How does this affect Bermuda today?

White Bermudians are no longer automatic top dogs in their own country. Some do remain. World-renowned financial interests have replaced the rest. The line-up of private jets at the airport tells us a lot. The new top dogs consider only their profit line.

We need positive attitudes and hard-working, professionally trained assistants and managers for the new Bermuda. It makes no sense to be moaning now about how badly blacks were treated 30, 100 and 300 years ago. Today, black employees in business who had no famous family, no money in the bank, are beginning to be treated as if there were no colour bar.

What must we do? The past has passed. We must meet today’s needs today. Welcome, the integrated society.

Yours truly,

BERTRAM GUISHARD