theatre boycott which directly dismantled segregation in Bermuda.

On Wednesday at noon on the front steps of City Hall a group of church leaders will lead a half-hour ecumenical service and invite the city's workers to join them.

The service will be preceded by four minutes of church bell ringing around the Island.

There will also be a community dialogue at 7.30 p.m. on Thursday at Astwood Hall on Church Street.

The theme of the dialogue will be "Examining the Past/Preparing for the Future'' and organisers expect to draw practical lessons from the Island's history.

Wednesday is the 40th anniversary of the start of the two-week long boycott which had been organised in secret by the Progressive Group.

Eight church leaders including The Roman Catholic, Church of England, African Methodist Episcopal, and Salvation Army bishops and divisional commander have signed an open letter to the people of Bermuda encouraging them to attend.

Other signatories include representatives from the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality and Beyond Barriers group.

The letter asks employers to "exercise some flexibility'' to allow workers to attend the service and encourage those who cannot attend to reflect on the boycott.

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