D.H. Jackson and C. Holstein: Early collaboration in fighting for political reform 1921-1927

Event: D. Hamilton Jackson and Casper Holstein: Early Collaboration in Fighting for Political Reform, 1921-1927

Time/Date: April 21st, 2024 at 2pm ADT

How to Attend:

• In-Person at the Caribbean Genealogy Library;
• and Virtual via Zoom.

Location:

The Caribbean Genealogy Library is located in Al Cohen Plaza, Building 3, Raphune Hill, St. Thomas. 

Cost:

• Free for Current 2024 Library Members;

• and $5 for Non-Members 

If attending in person, as a non-library member, payment is collected at the door. If attending via Zoom then you must buy a ticket from this page using the Buy Ticket button.

About the Presentation:

In the years before the Transfer, two men rose to be leaders among their followers. They were both born in Christiansted, of middle-class parents. David Hamilton Jackson (1884-1946) in the East End at East Hill School, and Casper Holstein (1876-1944) on Hill Street in Free Gut. While they each were born into prosperity, there were innumerable recently freed laborers that had been emancipated and were forced by the Danish colonial government to work and live on the plantations, as impoverished cane cutters.

Holstein, with his mother, migrated, as had thousands of others from the islands to New York to find greater opportunities for higher education, better jobs, and living conditions. In New York Holstein met with American-born Blacks who considered themselves superior, and racism from Whites which manifested itself in all ways of life, especially in getting a higher-paying job.

The lives of Jackson and Holstein intersected in 1915 when Jackson was in transit to Denmark where he had argued for a free press on St. Croix and was granted a license. While there he visited labor unions, talked about strategy with their leaders and spoke to the membership in open-air meetings. Jackson brought his new ideas to the New York diaspora, where he discussed and received their feedback in mass meetings.

Jackson saw the agricultural workers on St. Croix suffering with low wages and poor living conditions, controlled by the planters whose actions were reinforced by the Danish autocracy. His experiences led to the formation of the St. Croix Labor Union. Holstein experienced the double standard of racism for Blacks in New York. They were shut out of housing, jobs, and businesses. He formulated the Congressional Council in 1921 and brought its services to the islands. Over time, both organizations fought against injustices, and for civil rights which led to the quest for political rights for Virgin Islanders in the territory and in the US.

The lecture on April 21st at 2pm at the Caribbean Genealogy Library follows both men to 1927 as they worked together, each with their respective organizations, to fight by writing protest letters and testifying before Congress. Information for this presentation is gleaned from selected newspapers both in St. Croix and New York.

The presenter will be in-person at the library for this lecture. Come out to hear about their research findings, meet them in person, and socialize with fellow attendees that appreciate and enjoy learning about Virgin Islands history.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Elizabeth 'Betsy' Rezende serves as president of the Society of Virgin Islands Historians, is a member of the St. Croix Friends of Denmark and a member of the Caribbean Genealogy Library. She taught Virgin Islands history and English at the University of the Virgin Islands for over 28 years. She received her Ph.D. from Union Institute in Cincinnati, OH and spent her post doc year at the Center for Humanities and Social Sciences at Williams College, Williamstown, MA.

Library Membership:

Become a member of the Caribbean Genealogy Library today! Membership options start at $40 a year for an individual. Visit the library's membership page for more information and details.

About the Library:

The Caribbean Genealogy Library’s mission is to identify, preserve and provide access to Caribbean genealogy, history and cultural heritage information resources for the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. The library houses unique and rare books on Virgin Islands and Caribbean history and culture, funeral booklets, community booklets, reference books, and provides access to church records, newspapers and other material. CGL is a FamilySearch affiliate library. This affiliation allows for access to millions of digitized records within the FamilySearch collection. The library is in Al Cohen Plaza, Building 3, Raphune Hill, St. Thomas. The library's website is: www.cgl.vi.