Note: This show was postponed last Saturday due to a technical glitch in the system beyond our control.

When one wants to learn more about one’s ancestors, one turns to sources of information. When it comes to learning more about our Virgin Islands ancestors, an extensive and readily available source is as close as the Internet via our University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Libraries, more specifically, their 2000 Digitalization Award Project.

The UVI Libraries, in partnership with the VI Division of Libraries, Archives, & Museums (DLAM), were awarded a National Leadership grant for digitization from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in 2000. The Project sought to enhance access to sources of information on VI's history and culture for scholars, students, historians, and researchers in the territory and abroad. The award was given for the purpose of digitizing USVI's materials in areas of biography, education, history, and culture for access on the Internet. Materials were drawn from the libraries' collections include:

Funeral Booklets - developed for memorial services detailing life and family history of the deceased;

 Historical Photographs - documenting events in political and social life of Virgin Islanders;

 Newspaper Articles - commentaries written by local ecologist Olasee Davis to highlight environmental, historical, and cultural issues;

 Project Introspection materials - developed by the VI’s Dept. of Education to document and explain history and customs of Virgin Islanders & used in the K-12 school program;

 Research Reports and Occasional Papers - findings on agricultural, home economics practices, & historical events of the region.

The documents can be searched through the UVI Libraries online catalog.

When one wants to learn more about one’s ancestors, one turns to sources of information. When it comes to learning more about our Virgin Islands ancestors, an extensive and readily available source is as close as the Internet via our University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Libraries, more specifically, their 2000 Digitalization Award Project.

The UVI Libraries, in partnership with the VI Division of Libraries, Archives, & Museums (DLAM), were awarded a National Leadership grant for digitization from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in 2000. The Project sought to enhance access to sources of information on VI's history and culture for scholars, students, historians, and researchers in the territory and abroad. The award was given for the purpose of digitizing USVI's materials in areas of biography, education, history, and culture for access on the Internet. Materials were drawn from the libraries' collections include:

•    Funeral Booklets - developed for memorial services detailing life and family history of the deceased;

•    Historical Photographs - documenting events in political and social life of Virgin Islanders;

•    Newspaper Articles - commentaries written by local ecologist Olasee Davis to highlight environmental, historical, and cultural issues;

•    Project Introspection materials - developed by the VI’s Dept. of Education to document and explain history and customs of VIers and used in the K-12 school program; and

•    Research Reports and Occasional Papers - findings on agricultural, home economics practices, and historical events of the region.

The documents can be searched through the UVI Libraries online catalog.

Please note your time zone. Show times: 12:00 noon Atlantic, 11:00 am Eastern, 10:00 am Central, 9:00 am Mountain, and 8:00 am Pacific.

Today we turn the tables! We'll love to hear your sides of things Virgin Islands. Today is your opportunity to interactively exchange the outcomes of your experiences of having lived on a Virgin Islands island, whether, as one of our listeners, you be a native (Bahn ya), a transplant (a Snow bird or other who ran away from the cold), a visitor (a tourist by cruise ship, plane, or sailboat), and hopefuls (hoping to one day visit or migrate to the Virgin Island), about their favorite island and why.

We'll start the ball rolling, but we'd really love to hear your input. Give us a call 437-237-4374 during the show.Looking forward to hearing from you.

To whet your appetite, here are colloquial expressions:

Ah: of, as in "I geh two ah dem" (I have two of them) 

Ah good!: serves you right (St. Croix) 

Ah nex: another, as in "I geh ah nex one" (I have another one) or I’m next in line. In sequence 

All ah we: all of us

Ahyuh: all of you 

Antiman: a gay person

Babylon: the United States, the police, or the government 

Bahn ya: literally "born here," an important and commonly used phrase in Virgin Islands society, used by some to determine whether someone is or is not a "native Virgin Islander." For example, someone might say "My parents are from Antigua, but I'm a Virgin Islander, because I bahn ya!"

Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history.

The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans.

Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.

From 1790-1863 half the workforce that built the White House and the Capitol were enslaved people. In May of 2005 a bipartisan task force was created to recognize the work done by enslaved men in the nation's capital due to an investigative story in 2000 by WRC-TV reporter Ed Hotaling. He found US Treasurypromissory notes to those who hired enslaved workers. Headlines in the London Independent read "White House and Capitol built by $5-a-month slaves”. “Temples of Freedom Founded on Slavery", said the Times of London. 

When planning for the Capitol began, slave labor was not discussed. The government, architects and contractors sought white skilled craftsmen and laborers from Virginia and Maryland. One of the commissioners in charge of the construction was Thomas Jefferson and it was he who made the decision to use the least costly labor. In other words those enslaved. Approximately half of all those enslaved in the United States at the time lived in Virginia and Maryland and were hired out at much lower rates than free labor would have cost. The commission initially authorized the use of up to 100 slaves a year for the two largest projects in the District. 

In September 1794 George Washington appointed Dr. William Thornton as a commissioner for the Federal district. Thornton,an amateur architect, was also a slave-owning Quaker who helped establish the American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Color. 

Coutesy of: www.figah.us/Who_Built_the_WhiteHouse.html

Every February, St. Croix hosts the largest agricultural festival in the Territory. The St. Croix Agricultural Fair, or AgriFest, is a colorful display of locally produced agricultural products, livestock, arts & crafts, & native cuisine. Taking place over 3 days, festival goers can taste, touch, & see everything to do with St. Croix agriculture.

The Boy Scouts of America in the USVI was served in the early 20th Century through National Council Direct Service. Then the troops later were added as the Virgin Island District in the Puerto Rico-Virgin Islands Council. During the late 1960s & early 1970s, Troop 152, sponsored by Saint Patrick's Church, Frederiksted, Saint Croix, formed a steel band of grammar-school-age Scouts that was managed by Vivian Bennerson. The band toured internationally.

The Scout Association of the British Virgin Islands operates as a branch of the United Kingdom Scout Association, as the British Virgin Islands' affiliation as a British Overseas Territory. The BVI Scout Oath and Law, & other Scouting requirements, closely follow that of the United Kingdom.

Jump Up, held 4 times yearly, is a "carnival like" cultural party held in the streets & along the boardwalk of Christiansted. Sponsored by the CRRA (Christiansted Restaurant & Retail Association), it has become one of the islands' favorite social events for both locals & visitors alike.

Friends of Virgin Islands National Park and the National Park Service will partner to present the Annual Folk Life Festival in celebration of Black History Month in February on St. John. 

Visit AgriFest at www.VIAgrifest.org/.

Carter Godwin Woodson (Dec. 19, 1875 – April 3, 1950) was an African-American historian, author, journalist and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Woodson was one of the first scholars to study African-American history. A founder of The Journal of Negro History in 1915, Woodson has been cited as the father of black history. In Feb. 1926 he announced the celebration of "Negro History Week", considered the precursor of Black History Month.

Carter G. Woodson was born in Buckingham County, Virginia, the son of former slaves, James and Eliza Riddle Woodson.[5] His father helped Union soldiers during the Civil War and moved his family to West Virginia when he heard that Huntington was building a high school for blacks.

Coming from a large, poor family, Carter could not regularly attend school. Through self-instruction, he mastered the fundamentals of common school subjects by age 17. Wanting more education, Carter went to Fayette County to earn a living as a miner in the coal fields. He was able to devote only a few months each year to his schooling.

In 1895, at the age of 20, Woodson entered Douglass High School, where he received his diploma in less than two years.From 1897 to 1900, Woodson taught at Winona in Fayette County. In 1900 he was selected as the principal of Douglass High School. He earned his Bachelor of Literature degree from Berea College in Kentucky in 1903 by taking classes part-time between 1901 and 1903.

Courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_G._Woodson

The Department of Health of today functions as both the state regulatory agency and the territorial public health agency for the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

As set forth by the Virgin Islands Code, Titles 3 and 19, the Department of Health (DOH) has direct responsibility for conducting programs of preventive medicine, including special programs in Maternal and Child Health, Family Planning, Environmental Sanitation, Mental Health, and Drug and Substance Abuse Prevention. 

DOH also is responsible for health promotion and protection, regulation of health care providers and facilities, and policy development and planning, as well as maintaining the vital statistics for the population.

DOH provides Emergency Medical Services, issues birth and death certificates, performs environmental health services, and conducts health research and surveys. The Department is also responsible for regulating and licensing health care providers and facilities, and assumes primary responsibility for the health of the community in the event of a disaster.

An Obstetrician, Surgeon and General Practitioner, Dr. Knud Knud-Hansen was born in Denmark. He received his early education in Copenhagen and upon completion he entered the University to pursue a medical career. Dr. Hansen in his autobiography, From Denmark to the Virgin Islands, describes these years as "long years of happy misery". To support himself through medical school he taught Zoology in a Miss West's Higher Girls School and doubled as a news critic for a newspaper syndicate.

When slaves became ill or their sense of justice was stifled, they often sought help in the spiritual world and went to the “Obeah man”. With rituals and magical objects, he could restore health and a sense of justice.

The United States Virgin Islands Dept. of Education (DOE) is an executive branch of the Govt. of the US Virgin Islands mandated under Titles 3 and 17 of the Virgin Islands Code. It is the largest governmental entity in the Virgin Islands and it functions as both a Local Education Agency (LEA) and a State-level Education Agency (SEA). The DOE is headed by a Commissioner at the SEA level and a District Superintendent at the 2 LEAs.

The DOE’s role as stipulated by Title 3, Chapter 7, Section 96, VI Code, encompasses the authority to exercise general control over the enforcement of laws relating to free public education in the Virgin Islands. Its responsibilities include the development, implementation, & monitoring of instructional programs for all K-12 students & adult learners, & provision of support services such as child nutrition, pupil transportation, library services, & the maintenance of educational facilities & offices under its purview. Services are provided at 33 buildings supporting 40 activity centers.

In Fiscal year 2010, the DOE endeavored to address the needs of the 15,493 students enrolled in the system. 1,176 students territory wide were identified as students with disabilities and 519 as English Language Learners. Of the 1,056 students who were enrolled in 12th grade, 912 earned high school diplomas and an additional 16 graduated with certificates of completion.

(St. Croix) 21-33 Hospital Street, Christiansted, St. Croix, 00820

Phone: 340-773-1095 Fax: 340-778-8895 Email: [email protected]

(St. Thomas) 1834 Kongens Gade, St. Thomas, VI 00802

Phone: 340-774-0100 Fax: 340-779-7153 Email: [email protected]

The United States Virgin Islands Dept. of Education (DOE) is an executive branch of the Govt. of the US Virgin Islands mandated under Titles 3 and 17 of the Virgin Islands Code. It is the largest governmental entity in the Virgin Islands and it functions as both a Local Education Agency (LEA) and a State-level Education Agency (SEA). The DOE is headed by a Commissioner at the SEA level and a District Superintendent at the 2 LEAs.

The DOE’s role as stipulated by Title 3, Chapter 7, Section 96, VI Code, encompasses the authority to exercise general control over the enforcement of laws relating to free public education in the Virgin Islands. Its responsibilities include the development, implementation, & monitoring of instructional programs for all K-12 students & adult learners, & provision of support services such as child nutrition, pupil transportation, library services, & the maintenance of educational facilities & offices under its purview. Services are provided at 33 buildings supporting 40 activity centers.

In Fiscal year 2010, the DOE endeavored to address the needs of the 15,493 students enrolled in the system. 1,176 students territory wide were identified as students with disabilities and 519 as English Language Learners. Of the 1,056 students who were enrolled in 12th grade, 912 earned high school diplomas and an additional 16 graduated with certificates of completion.

(St. Croix) 21-33 Hospital Street, Christiansted, St. Croix, 00820

Phone: 340-773-1095 Fax: 340-778-8895 Email: [email protected]

(St. Thomas) 1834 Kongens Gade, St. Thomas, VI 00802

Phone: 340-774-0100 Fax: 340-779-7153 Email: [email protected]