In what organisers say was an unprecedented town hall meeting, hundreds of black people turned up at St. Paul's Centennial Hall on Thursday for a frank exchange of views on issues faced by their community.

"I think the black community is in a process of mobilisation in terms of reasserting itself as the vanguard force in our community for progressive change," said organiser Rolfe Commissiong.

Panellists agreed that a lack of a collective sense of purpose was the defining characteristic of the state of Bermuda's black community.

But some audience members made clear their displeasure at what they saw as a penchant for intellectual analysis and little action.

Colonialism was identified as a root cause of problems, but many also demanded that black Bermudians lift themselves out of mental and economic bondage.

Attended by about 400 people at St. Paul's Centennial Hall, the Black Agenda 2003 forum was the first in a series to address a plethora of issues faced by black people in Bermuda.

It lasted over three hours and was striking in the diversity of views expressed by audience members and the panel.

On the panel were Transport Minister Ewart Brown, seniors' advocate Claudette Fleming, graphic designer Gavin Smith and Bermuda College Continuing Education Director, Eugenie Simmons.

"The state of our community is essentially the same state that we've been in from the day that racism dominated our lives," said Dr. Brown. "That's the state we're in. We may be dressed all up and perfumed up but the bottom line is that we are in the same predicament that we have always been in as a people."

But Dr. Brown said it was time to move beyond restating the problems and make a proper diagnosis in order to address the ills that plague the community.

"We continue to restate our state of disarray," he said. "And that's what we do. We did it through the sixties and seventies. We kept saying `oh man it is painful to be black' and we keep saying it. I would hope that the next phase that we're in... We are in trouble in every area - education, economic, politics, religion and war. We are in trouble as a people. Until we make the correct diagnosis, until we recognise the true source of our discomfort, until we understand why we are disintegrating we would not be able to construct reasonable and effective ways to fight it."

He said he considers the "counter racism impact'' of his decisions.

"If I am not going to knock down one brick in the particular course of action in what I'm doing then it does nothing to relieve us of our predicament."

Claudette Fleming, Director of Age Concern, said that the black Bermudian community has lost their sense of purpose.

"It has absolutely everything to do with the spirit. I think we have lost our way as a people and we cannot find our role as individuals because we do not have a collective sense of purpose," she said.

"In saying that I am excited at seeing all of you here today because I think that it's the beginning of understanding that each of you have a role to play in charting out our sense of purpose... There is hope and hope is going to come when we establish our collective sense of purpose as a people."

"People in Bermuda are still living under the mental slavery that is installed by colonialism in our country," said Gavin Smith, the youngest member of the panel.

Dr. Brown said he enjoyed the frank exchange of opinion even if it meant that criticism of the Government: "I always have believed that if I could not stand the heat I should never be in the kitchen. Being here tonight is by no means a painful experience for me. I represent you... If I don't know how you feel I can not do my job as a Minister," he said. "So... let it roll. Light a fire under me and my colleagues, because I do believe that is one of the things that has been missing in the first five years of our 25-year term."

Bermuda is in the "kindergarten of politics," he said.

"While we look south and make derogatory statements about our brothers and sisters to the south of us, they were maturing politically, while we were still in kindergarten. And so let's have this fair exchange. "