One of the main obstacles standing in the way of any chance of a real rapprochement between Bermuda's two dominant ethnic groups; blacks and whites, is the coming to terms of our duel interpretation of Bermuda's history.

This was brought home to me as I read a letter to the editor titled 'The Real Henry Tucker'. While the letter writer whose comments recently appeared in the Letters to the Editor page of The Royal Gazette took to task the comments of Julian Hall who did not hold the life of Sir Henry Tucker (pictured) to the high esteem that he apparently has, the question should have been asked, "why does the black community not see Sir Henry Tucker in the same light that is popularly expressed; that is a father of social and racial reform in Bermuda?'

"Sir Henry was without question, the man who made the island what it is today. He worked tirelessly to ensure that all Bermudians, black and white, shared in the economic pie, an economic pie that he built."

While that may be the popular view of Sir Henry as head of the Bank of Bermuda and his political and other influences on Bermuda, I am not prepared to give one man that level of credit anymore than I am prepared to accept that only kings and queens make history.

Certainly, when you look at Bermuda's economic development during the period that Sir Henry and his so-called independent members of Bermuda's Parliament and in particular, the development of Bermuda's tourism industry, you would find that the tourism industry was built on the backs of black Bermudians who, while not owning significant areas of Bermuda's tourism infrastructure (although there was some black ownership of small guest houses), that tourism product would have never grown to the extent that it did without the geniality of black Bermudians who serviced that industry. Certainly the sharing of the wealth generated from tourism would have never been shared to the level that it did without the development of a strong trade union movement led by the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU), which in its struggles made sure that the Bermudian worker got their fair share of that tourism dollar.

If such hotel owners as D.K. Ludwig and the Moores, who once owned the old Elbow Beach, were attracted to invest in Bermuda as a tourist destination despite the intervention of Sir Henry, without Bermuda's climate, the nearest of America's east coast and once again the geniality of Bermuda's population as a whole - all of these factors came together to enhance the viability of a Bermuda tourism trade.

Was Sir Henry in fact this great social reformer that some like to believe that he was? A powerful myth has grown up surrounding his role in Bermuda's racial and social reform, one that history does not bear out.

The impetus for racial and social reform in fact did not come from him. It was the black Bermudian's civil rights struggle that forced social and racial change in this country soon to be followed by political change.

What allows Sir Henry to stand above his fellow white contemporaries of the day was because he saw the writings on the wall which allowed him to make very pragmatic decisions concerning the future racial and political direction of Bermuda. But even so, as it was made clear in the book The Peaceful Warrior: The Life of Sir Edward Richards, it was Sir Edwards that prompted him to make what change that did take place. The nature of which was to take the form of conservative change. Sir Henry did not envision a Bermuda that was not going to be governed by the United Bermuda Party. It was thought that former PLP member of parliament Renee Webb was the first to make the statement; 'People who look like me'; but in fact it was Sir Henry who made the original statement and what he meant was t hat any black who joined the UBP would have to adhere to the conservative politics that is the driving force behind that party.

Sir Henry made other statements that did not necessarily portray him as one who willingly accepted the rise of political pluralism in Bermuda with the free and regular change of government. He once boasted that he intended to take all the seats in parliament and that would include those that were held by the than PLP political opposition.

During the era of Dr. Gordon the two men were political antagonists with Dr. Gordon experiencing a parliamentary environment that was less than respectful. Up at Government House on one of its walls, there hangs the painted pictures of the two men. I was shown those full length paintings some years ago on a visit when then-Governor Posner used to hold Government House lunches by invitation for ordinary Bermudians.

There was no love lost between the trade union movement in this country and Sir Henry as there was no point of agreement with the black youth who rebelled on the streets of Bermuda during the black power revolts of the 1960s and 70s.

During the protests, Bermuda's anti-Apartheid movement picketed Sir Henry's Bank of Bermuda for its economic links with that white minority ruled state. Sir Henry stated on the front page of The Royal Gazette that he "saw no reason why Bermuda should concern itself with the interests of every Eskimo on the planet".

I am old enough to have lived through the remaining years when Sir Henry Tucker held political sway over the economic and political affairs of Bermuda. I understand fully why black Bermudians have not seen his role in Bermuda's history with the same enthusiasm that others may view him.