Williams family to host Liberty Day celebration, but next year is a question mark

ST. CROIX – David Hamilton Jackson and his contributions to freedom of the pressin the Virgin Islands will be among the highlights of this year’s celebration of the local holiday named in his honor.

Observed Nov. 1 annually, it’s the day in 1927, Jackson is said to have given one of his most memorable speeches. It is also the date of the first publication of his newspaper, The Herald. As is customary, and for more than 40 years now, a special recognition ceremony and feast is being planned for Estate Grove Place, with volunteers and members of the Williams family doing the heavy lifting. Raymond Williams, event coordinator, said he is excited about the event which usually brings hundreds of people into the Estate Grove Place and encourages residents to come out and be a part of the history, tradition and cultural celebration associated with the day and the man it celebrates.

The ceremony will share Jackson’s significance to V.I. history, fighting for truth and everyone’s right to be informed. “As a proud community, here in Grove Place, we always want to foster a community commemoration and keep the spirit of D. Hamilton Jackson alive,” Williams said. “He stood for a lot of things that we still maintain as important in character building in our community and its important to pass it down to the next generations.”