Bermuda marked the 64th anniversary of the Theatre Boycott yesterday, with more festivities scheduled to take place next month.

The 1959 boycott, led by the Progressive Group, led to the desegregation of the island’s theatres and is considered a landmark in the fight for equality in Bermuda.

Glenn Fubler, of Imagine Bermuda, said the boycott was an example of ordinary individuals coming together to make the island a better and fairer place.

“Today, we pause to celebrate the shoulders of whom we stand,” he said.

He announced that on July 1, the anniversary of the boycott’s successful conclusion, a Family Fun Fest would be held on the grounds of City Hall.

Mr Fubler was joined at the event by representatives of the Bermuda Industrial Union and the Bermuda Union of Teachers, Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda and others.

Lisa Reed, of the Human Rights Commission, said that while those behind the Theatre Boycott were recognised as national heroes and social justice advocates today, they had made great sacrifices in their quest to end segregation.

“All those years ago they were regular people,” Ms Reed said. “Young men and women who risked their lives to challenge racism and discrimination at great cost to their personal safety and security.

“They were citizens who were unwilling to let the scourge and violence of racism continue unchallenged in Bermuda. They were determined to elevate our community and ultimately our humanity.”

She said the work of the group led to the “watershed moment” of the end of segregation in Bermuda’s theatres and was a catalyst of the dismantling of segregation elsewhere on the island.

“The Progressive Group’s example reinforces the power of individual and collective action to create a more fair and just society for all,” she added.

“Public advocacy, particularly in a small place, can come at risk of ridicule and isolation, but it has the power to transform.

“It is often not swift or straightforward but today’s advocacy can lead to tomorrow’s justice.”

Dale Butler, who co-authored the book Storm in a Teacup with the late Eva Hodgson about the boycott, said it highlighted the progress that can be achieved by normal people willing to come together to make a stand.

“There’s still much more work to be done and we can get it done if average people band together to make the country fairer,” he said.

Leo Mills, representing Wesley Methodist Church, added: “It’s amazing to me how many individuals put their best foot forward to create a society that is fairer and more just.

“We haven’t reached the end of that struggle but we have made considerable progress.”