that achieved a year ago.

"But it is something that still eludes us here in Bermuda,'' Shadow Human Affairs Minister Ms Renee Webb told hundreds of people who gathered at City Hall yesterday for Beyond Barriers' multicultural celebration.

Yesterday's celebration marked the first anniversary of a democratic South Africa and also launched Beyond Barriers' "One Step Forward'' campaign to help the Island "move ahead on removing barriers of race, gender,'' and other differences.

Speaking to the mixed crowd of young and old, black and white, Ms Webb said: "We are here today to take one step forward towards ending the discrimination that is taking place within our shores and hindering the progress of our people.

"We are here today remembering that exactly one year ago South Africa held its first parliamentary elections under universal adult suffrage which allowed the black majority population of that country to vote for the first time.

"... For those of us who contributed to the fight to end apartheid in South Africa, April 27, 1994 was a glorious day. We in Bermuda fought for justice to be brought about in South Africa. At the base of that struggle was the fight for one man, one vote, one vote of equal value.

"... In 1995 in Bermuda we still do not have one man, one vote, one vote of equal value. This is a concept that is fundamental to any democratic society.'' Ms Webb urged Beyond Barriers to take up this cause.

"If there was one man, one vote in Bermuda there would be no need for Beyond Barriers,'' she added.

However, she praised the groups involved in the celebrations for "demonstrating some of the differences that exist in Bermuda and endeavouring to end discrimination as a result of those differences''.

"Each and every one of us must do our part in recognising that while many of us may be different we are all connected through the divineness of God, yet we all have the right to be different.

"Wherever possible we must play our part in ending unfair discrimination and we must all fight to make Bermuda a more just and fairer place for all.'' Human Affairs Minister the Hon. Jerome Dill shared Ms Webb's latter comments.

"Once we understand that all human beings are members of the human race, we can start to focus on the things that we share in common rather than the things that separate us,'' Mr. Dill told the crowd.

"By any measure of self-evaluation we soon discover that we all require the fulfilment of the same basic needs in order to have a good quality of life.

"With this new understanding we will soon realise, that in a small island community, such as Bermuda, we are all dependent on each other for our basic needs.

"Therefore, all of us are responsible for each other in the community and this responsibility extends to ensuring that fairness and social justice is the right of all residents,'' he said. "The creation of a harmonious community is more than a nice thing to do, it is essential to our survival as a people.'' Mr. Dill pointed out that Beyond Barriers was challenging Bermuda to put aside "petty personal differences and take a step forward toward creating a community that is open-minded and tolerant''.

"... we owe it to ourselves and future generations of Bermudians, to resolve today, to take up this challenge and start the journey of transforming our Island home into a community that is a barrier-free society,'' he said.