having been born in 1957, a child of the sixties, I remember watching Martin Luther King, Jr's 'March On Washington' on television; and the crying when Bobby Kennedy and MLK were killed. (One would think they were locals). I remember being sheltered from the real situation in Bermuda by not being allowed to see the movies To Kill a Mockingbird or Imitation of Life. Most of all, I remember the brief disturbances in 68 that led to change.

I was one of 4 blacks in my class when Warwick Academy--and Saltus, etc--first went semi-private. Local radio show host and close friend, Ashfield DeVent, Jr, was one of my classmates. Sports figure, the late Denton Hurdle, came in the following year. There were a few ahead of us, but they were mostly from well-off black families (Herman Tucker and Paul Ross, come to mind).

You mention that you were the only white boy in your neighbourhood and school for a time. I remember when our Portuguese-Bermudian neighbours, the Pedros, first moved into their home next door to ours at Ely's Harbour, Somerset. They weren't the only whites in our neighbourhood, but they were the first to mix with us. Whenever I am home, I still make an effort to see them if possible. Amos Lopes Market in Somerset was the main shopping mart before Piggly Wiggly opened its doors just up the road. It's amazing how so many different people can be thrown together on such a little island and yet remain apart. Even as little kids we were made to feel that we were somehow superior to the Portuguese. I guess the Anglo kids were taught to feel the same way about the rest of us. I will never understand how anyone of my generation can continue to feel that way. And if we don't, how is it that our children and their children continue to perpetuate the same ill-feelings?

One of the many great joys of living in Spain is its proximity to many different countries and cultures. The opportunities to really travel (not sightseeing), to get to know other cultures are amazing. That's how I got to know the mainland Portuguese. I love Portugal and have many friends there. They stay in my home when they visit Madrid, and I in theirs when I visit Lisbon. I often talk to them about how ill-treated the Portuguese were in Bermuda when I was growing up. I find the Portuguese to be a noble, hardworking, open and friendly people. Unfortunately, it seems that Homosapiens have this desperate need to feel superior to someone else and it is the Spanish who look down on their poorer cousins to the west, even while going there to lap up the sun on Portuguese beaches and enjoying the wonderful food. I, for one, learned many years ago not to let even the slightest hint of racism pass unopposed--we must speak up.

Before moving to Spain, I lived and worked in Washington, DC. I had a wonderful Government teacher who taught me a very interesting thing about Representative Democracy. It is something that few people understand, is rarely talked about, and I have never forgotten it. Democracy is NOT rule by the masses! Democracy protects the little guy, the powerless, from the masses and thereby guarantees equal rights for all. The masses can be a very dangerous group. That is why it is sometimes necessary for government to implement change, when related to individual rights, without direct consultation of the people because it is the right thing to do and for the overall good of society. This often requires much bravery on government's part, but it must be done. Desegregation in the US was an excellent example of this; the abolition of captial punishment in Bermuda was another. The LTR situation requires this kind of bravery. It cannot be denied that the UBP had 30+ years to do the right thing but didn't. Their hypocrisy on this issue is so great that many could use a good old-fahioned ear boxing. However, I find it even worse that the PLP is using the LTR's majority support of the UBP against them and the LTRs are finding themselves in a sort of payback situation. The PLP made its promises long ago when they were essentially powerless, promises to do right by the LTRs. If the PLP wants their support, they must actively seek and earn it. Now it is time for the PLP to put up and (not or) shut up. I have always been a PLP supporter (nothing strange there, considering my generation) however I have been appalled by the pettiness of both parties I have been reading about in the online papers. Some years back, after I moved to Spain, my parents sold their home in DC to move to Florida. Neighbours came up to my mother asking her not to sell her home to Hispanics. My mother replied that she would sell to whomever she chose and promptly sold the house to Hispanics. I was/am very proud of her.

You know, this is a very important year for me. I have been seriously considering returning home, and have decided that I must make up my mind this year. My friend Ashfield has been trying to convince me for years to return home and get involved. He even tried to get me on his talk show last summer (I chickened out). My main concern is with starting over--yet again. I was hoping that the British citizenship thing would be resolved by now so that my pension from Spain could be easily transferred to Bermuda, but as we all know that will not be addressed until next year. My other concern is the small-mindedness of a tiny affluent society. Bermudians often brag about being one of the most well-travelled people on earth, which takes me back to the differences between travelling and sightseeing. Maybe we should stop sightseeing so much abroad and start travelling at home to allow ourselves to fully experience and appreciate the richness of our multi-cultural society. I love my country and its people. All of them.

Cheers,

Mervyn.