Senate Committee Approves Bill to Honor Cultural Icon Willard John

Community members, including Aminah Saleem and Samuel Sanes, testify to Mr. John’s impact on local youth and cultural preservation

On Friday, lawmakers on the Senate Committee on Government Operations Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection voted in favor of honoring Willard John “for his many contributions to the youth and the culture of the Virgin Islands.”

‌Sponsored by Senator Marise James, Bill 35-0195 seeks to officially cement Mr. John’s legacy in the territory. However, as Senator James noted, “our children aren’t going to look at the bills and resolutions – right now they need to see it in books.” She made the comments after having attended a recent book launch by a Virgin Islands author, and advocated for more such projects telling the life stories of the territory’s heroes.‌

Aminah Saleem, one of the afternoon’s testifiers, called Mr. John not just a friend but “an honorary family member for over the last 30 years.” She described her late son as being one of the catalysts for Mr. John’s work bringing the culture of the moko jumbie to the children of the territory. Ms. Saleem described how her son and his friend “spent an entire summer walking all around Estate Strawberry on stilts they made out of the old closet door. They wanted to be moko jumbies so badly that they thought that they could teach themselves.” That spurred the adults around them to contact Mr. John who “responded immediately and said ‘yes, I’d love to start a group.’ That’s how the Ricardo Richards Moko Jumbies were formed.” Ms. Saleem recounted. The group eventually evolved into the Guardians of Culture Moko Jumbies, and Mr. John has been at the helm for over 30 years, inducting over 500 Virgin Islands youth into the artform. Mr. John is now engaged in mentoring a new instructor so that the moko jumbie culture can grow and thrive for an additional 30 years and more, said Ms. Saleem.‌