Last month’s heated protests over immigration have left lingering discomfort along racial lines, according to the group Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda.

Lynne Winfield, president of Curb, spoke to The Royal Gazette shortly after her appointment to the immigration working group was announced.

The group is tasked with amending the Pathways to Status legislation that was put on hold after days of demonstrations outside parliament that ultimately blocked legislators from entering.

Ms Winfield said the legislation, aimed at granting permanent residency and Bermudian status to long-term residents, would have aroused the anger of black Bermudians even if the Government had included the caveat that it would not be implemented until after the next General Election.

She said her contribution to the ten-member working group, which has not yet convened, would be guided by Curb’s central council consensus.

Other committee members were aware of issues that had arisen from the protests, she added.

“It is critical and important work and a huge responsibility for every committee member, and no doubt will be studied closely by historians in the future, as recommendations made will affect generations of future Bermudians and the sociopolitical, economic and cultural future of Bermudians as we move forward.”

In the wake of the protests, Curb has held four separate forums on the racial dimensions of the island’s immigration history.

Asked whether she felt that the island had made progress on the issue, Ms Winfield said: “I believe the majority of white people still don’t understand why black Bermudians got so upset about the proposed Pathways to Status legislation.”

She said the group was aware of black Bermudians who were left “feeling ill” in their workplace after hearing the derogatory comments of white colleagues regarding black protesters.

“We have heard of workplaces where there is still a sense of discomfort and alienation caused over the expression of negative and inappropriate comments.

“We have even heard stories from young people who had believed that they and their white friends were okay, only to be absolutely shocked at some of the comments on social media by their friends.

“It was a real awakening moment for many young black Bermudians, and a realisation that racism was present in their close-knit community.”

She described the protests as a grass-roots movement by black Bermudians who had been unfairly denounced as xenophobic.

“There is a definite disconnect between the two communities, and, on the part of many whites, a real fear and reluctance to look honestly at the root causes of so much division.”

Curb’s presentations on the history of racism in Bermuda’s immigration policy were being broadcast on Channel 82, Ms Winfield said, and were praised by parents concerned that young people were uneducated on the topic. She added that there had been few white members in their audiences.

Cordell Riley, a Curb activist, said he had witnessed some degree of progress in the weeks after the demonstrations — but called it “slow”.

“I have had whites stop me after the presentations and on the streets saying that they were not aware of our full history,” Mr Riley said.

“There have been those encouraging me on and befriending me on Facebook — small steps in a very long journey but in the right direction. Blacks have continued to be encouraging and they, too, have expressed a lack of knowledge of our detailed history.”

For black Bermudians saddled with a history of marginalisation, Mr Riley said the ultimate resolution would come from self-determination.

“That is the only way that black Bermudians can secure a future in their own country,” he said.

“The challenge is that those who have benefited from past injustices, gerrymandering and gentrification against black Bermudians are the main ones pushing to continue such oppressive behaviour.”