City Announces Black History Month Display

Hamilton – January 30^th, 2024

The City of Hamilton is both delighted and honoured to announce the creation of a special display curated in recognition of Black History Month.

The mini exhibition will be on display in the Washington Mall (by the ‘Wall of Words’, Level B, Church Street) from February 1^st to February 29^th and features four black Bermudians, each with a link to the City of Hamilton, who made a positive difference in Bermuda.

The City partnered with the Bermuda National Trust to curate the exhibit, with assistance from the Bermuda National Library and the Bermuda Archives.

The exhibit features John Henry Thomas Jackson, Brother William (Syke) Smith, William Henry Thomas Joell and Blanche Louise Smith.

“We wanted to showcase impactful exhibits for Black History Month this year in the hopes of educating the public on the legacy and rich history of those who played a significant role in building the social fabric of our Island and capital city,” said the City’s Director of Marketing & Communications Ms Jessica Astwood. “These stories are important, and we are proud to highlight them. We decided to choose Bermudians with strong ties to the City and celebrate their contributions to Bermuda and the Black community.

“What stood out to us about the selected individuals was how different and distinct their contributions and lives were. Brother William (Syke) Smith, for example, was a Black Bermudian architect who designed the Colonial Opera House – one of Bermuda’s grandest buildings at the time – having never left Bermuda nor received any formal training. Meanwhile, Blanche Louise Smith was a City resident who made significant contributions to the nursing field. William Henry Thomas Joell was Bermuda's first Black Member of Parliament and was one of the founding members of the Berkeley Educational Society. We also featured one of Mr. Joell’s contemporaries, John Henry Thomas Jackson, who was a local Hamilton businessman and resident and the second Black member of the House of Assembly.”

Much of the information for the display was sourced from the book Hamilton Town and City by the Bermuda National Trust.

To further commemorate Black History Month, the City has painted the King Street ‘quote wall’ black for the month with the following quote from City CEO Dwayne Caines, “Strength lies in our roots, resilience in our history & courage in our Bermudian spirit. Let’s honour our past, to inspire our future.”

The City would like to wish everyone a happy Black History Month and encourages the public to stop by both the exhibit and quote wall to reflect and learn more about local Black history.

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