I was rummaging through my archives a few days ago and by chance came upon the Report of the Royal Commission into the 1977 Disturbances in Bermuda, better known as the Pitt Report.

As we are all aware, the Royal Commission was headed by Lord David Pitt of Hampstead. It looked into the social disturbances that occurred in Bermuda in December 1977, and the circumstances regarding the community’s outrage and opposition to the imposition of the death penalty imposed in Bermuda.

After a series of public hearings, the report was compiled and submitted to David Owen, the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary in London.

There were a host of recommendations proffered by the commission to combat the historical legacies of political, economic and social inequities, the substantive nature of which were undergirded by a culture of systemic racism.

To bridge the gaps, a collaborative effort over the past four decades has been undertaken by the governments and major stakeholders to perfect an equitable social paradigm, out of which was the birth of Heritage Month and Bermuda Day, both celebrated in the month of May.

We are inextricably tied to Britain in terms of our colonial and historical lineages. There are, however, a host of distinctive cultural attributes we can say are truly Bermudian in their orientation.

Independent of our most famous holiday celebrations, which include Cup Match and the delectable cuisine that we consume over Christmas, Heritage Month evokes the true spirit and character of our heritage, culture and traditions, culminating with the Half-Marathon and the Bermuda Day Parade.

Every social and cultural group, representing all aspects of our community, partakes in these activities.

This year’s theme for Heritage Month is “A Tapestry of Cultures”. It is most appropriate as a reflection of the heritages of the various cultural, ethnic and racial communities here; people of African, Portuguese, British, Native American, Philippine and Caribbean descent.

Other cultural activities that have transpired thus far have included:

• the performance of Up With People

• Ruth Thomas and Company Mosaic 87: History of Warwick and Cobbs Hill Methodist Church

• the Al-Mu’minaat’s Heritage Month Seniors’ Tea Party

• Festa do Senhor Santo Cristo, the annual Portuguese festival, which featured a 40-piece band from Fall River in the United States

• Seniors Arts and Crafts Show;

• Historic Buildings of Hamilton Lunch and Learn with Louise Tannock

• African Diaspora World Heritage Foundation’s African World Heritage Day with performances by Harrington Sound and Gavin Djata Smith

• Bermudian Heartbeats’ Celebrating Our Linguistic Heritage: The Myths and Mysteries of Bermudian English discussion forum.

The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs has confirmed that there are a host of other cultural activities scheduled over the next few weeks that will indeed be of great interest to all.

• For more information, log on to www.communityandculture.bm/pages/ heritage-month