March 16, 2015

Dear Sir,

On March 10, your commentator Al Seymour wrote in reference to racism in Bermuda: “Things are not perfect but progress cannot be denied. Most Bermudians today are proud of that progress.” On February 13 your commentator John Barritt pointed out that we are two Bermudas.

We are not only two Bermudas we are a two tiered two Bermudas as a result of the decades of racism and the continuing intention of retaining the two-tiered nature of our society. As long as this is true the trust which John Barritt feels is necessary for “conflation” will never exist.

Unfortunately, it may be because some Bermudians are so proud of the progress that has been made that they choose to believe that the two-tiered nature of our society is acceptable.

Unless or until those in power choose to both acknowledge and attempt to address the two-tiered nature of our society all of our problems will be exacerbated by both the lack of trust and the resentment and frustration of many of those on the lower tier of our society, as well as by their irritation of those in the black community who are both satisfied with and are “proud” of the very incomplete progress that has indeed been made.

Yours etc.,

EVA N HODGSON