The spirit of peaceful change behind the 1959 Theatre Boycotts endures in the Flatts community, where civic organisations are joining together in partnership.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette in the wake of a well-attended tour through the area’s history, Glenn Fubler of Imagine Bermuda said the initiative was “not just about looking back”.

“The reason we’re doing this is to show that what we did back then is something we can do today,” Mr Fubler said. “If people in 1959 could achieve so much, what more could we do?”

Imagine Bermuda’s July 2 walk through the area commemorated the 58th anniversary of the boycott’s success, when segregated cinemas finally bowed to demonstrators.

But Imagine Bermuda is also “networking around the hub of Flatts to bring together the football clubs and other community groups”, Mr Fubler said.

“It’s about generating civic society, particularly related to the development of our young people.”

The commemorative walk started at the Whitney Institute and ended with light entertainment at the Bermuda Aquarium, where groups such as Crossroads Football Club plan to meet again to deepen their ties — reminiscent of the “Yes Day” organised in 2011 at Whitney, aimed at fostering positive connections.

Members of the Progressive Group, which organised the boycotts, joined the Flatts walk, and the roughly 80 attendees called on the home of Edouard and Rosalind Williams, née Ratteray, where the group met in secret to organise the peaceful anti-segregation protests.