Songs of independence, liberation and emancipation including “We shall Overcome,” “Gern Down Burma Road” and “I’m Proud to Be a Bahamian” echoed through the campus of Palmdale Primary School on Friday, January 8, as faculty, administrators and students recognized Majority Rule Day.

The courtyard of the school on Madeira Street was the scene of the special assembly, which depicted a reenactment of the road to Majority Rule. The assembly also featured poetry, skits, drumming and prayers.

The Bahamas will recognize Sunday, January 10, as Majority Rule Day and mark this day as the 49th anniversary of the first government the majority of the country elected on a one man one vote basis.

In her address Mrs. Ruby-Ann Darling, the first Bahamian woman registered to vote, took a walk down memory lane recalling the struggle to Majority Rule by William Bill Cartwright, Sir Alvin Braynen, Sir Henry Taylor, Cyril Stevenson, Sir Stafford Sands, Sir Lynden Pindling and others. She also told the children of the fight for Bahamian women to vote by Mable Walker, Doris Johnson, Eugenia Lockhart and others.

Mrs. Darling reminded the students that prior to Majority Rule black Bahamians could not visit neighborhoods like Palmdale Primary, Collins Avenue and more.

“You’re sitting here with your arms folded. How did you get in Palmdale? You see the wall over there in the back of the school you could not put your foot there. That is where the white people lived. The furthest they let you was across the street at Eastern Senior where I attended school.

“We have a history like nobody has a history. American blacks don’t have that kind of history because they’re still in the back. They’re still scared to speak. They’re not as liberated.  A Bahamian is totally liberated. He lives beyond the fears of yesterday,” she said.

During the assembly a Majority Rule Message from Governor-General Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling was read by the school’s principal, Deanne Huyler, and vice principal, Dr. Clinton Josey Sr.

By Kathryn Campbell | Bahamas Information Services

Mrs. Ruby-Ann Darling, the first Bahamian woman registered to vote in a General Election, accepts a token of appreciation from students of Palmdale Primary School.

Dressed in colours of the Bahamian Flag, students dance to the song “I’m Proud to be a Bahamian” during Palmdale Primary School’s Majority Rule Day assembly.

Female students of Palmdale Primary talk about the experience of Bahamian women who fought for the right of women to vote.

Students speak out for their rights during the Majority Rule assembly.

A Palmdale Primary student tells the story of the road to Majority Rule.

Shown from left: Dr. Clinton Josey Sr., vice principal; Mrs. Ruby-Ann Darling, first Bahamian woman registered to vote in a General Election; and Mrs. Deanne Huyler, principal.

Mrs. Ruby-Ann Darling, first Bahamian woman registered to vote, addresses a special assembly in honor of Majority Rule Day at Palmdale Primary School. (BIS Photos/Letisha Henderson)

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