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Tales of dividing the people

Although this image is from America’s racist past, Helene Stephenson remembers a Bermuda from a bygone era that we are not best proud of

Dear Sir,

Something caught my eye from your newspaper dated December 19, 2023.

The last paragraph of the letter said, “If this administration’s objective is to divide the people, well in that regard, it is most certainly excelling.”

At 80 years of age, I can give my experience of coming up in Bermuda when I always described it as “South Africa without signs”. We never saw benches or doors with “Black Only” or “White Only”, but everyone knew what was expected.

My mother told me of being in Trimingham’s to shop and a White lady coming in after her was served before her. I remember seeing advertisements in the newspaper that said, at the bottom, “Only White Need Apply”.

I’ll stop here with my tales of “dividing the people”.

HELENE AUGUSTA STEPHENSON

Smith’s

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Published February 08, 2024 at 7:59 am (Updated February 08, 2024 at 7:23 am)

Tales of dividing the people

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