At 2:46 p.m. on February 23, 2016, an uninvited visitor graced the home of my parents and made its way to the room in which my maternal grandmother lay. Death came to take away the matriarch of our family while her children and grandchildren watched her in those final hours. Hilda was our rock and our strength; she was the apple of our eyes and the wind beneath our wings. Alas, in a twinkling of an eye she embarked on a voyage of no return.
Lest this piece be dampened with sorrow and grief, I must express gratitude to the Most High for preserving her life for almost 86 years and for blessing Hilda with the privilege of seeing her great grandchildren. In the words of the Psalmist, "the days of our years are threescore years and 10 and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off and we fly away". This scripture was no doubt fulfilled in the life of my grandmother whom we fondly called "Grammy" and now she has flown away.
Early childhood
Hilda Cooper was born on March 30, 1930 in the settlement of Georgetown on the island of Exuma. During her lifetime, she recounted on a number of occasions, the adversities that she confronted at a very early age. However, none of those rare moments in which she opened up about her past are as significant as the last interview I conducted with her about two weeks before she died.
We had just returned from the doctor and I had the uncomfortable task of explaining the diagnosis to a woman who believed in fighting against all odds. She took the news quite well and as if she had a premonition of her death, began to speak about her life's journey. To state that she had a difficult childhood and learned to fend for herself at a very early age would be an understatement. She recalled having a sick mother as a child and a fateful journey from Exuma to Nassau.
The purpose of that particular voyage was to bring her mother to the capital for much needed medical attention. Regrettably, her mother never made it to Nassau as she passed away on the boat and was buried on Steventon Cay. The death of her mother followed the death of her father and she had been orphaned by the age of 10. And so she arrived in Nassau with her younger sister and began what can only be described as a life of much struggle but one dedicated to love and service.
Daughter of the soil
My grandmother was a strong woman who believed in fighting for that which is right. She was never caught up in titles or organizations but rather focused on the cause which had to result in the progress of mankind in order for her to earn her support. Hilda Cooper spent some of her formative years on the island of Abaco where she began to work as a maid at an early age. She later returned to New Providence in the 1950s where she remained until her death. In spite of her travels and many journeys, she never forgot her roots and island of her birth.
Hilda Cooper joined the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks around the World and became the founding member of many sections of the Elks. She would remain faithful to the mandate and service of this organization even to the time of her demise. Her life was divided into three main parts - her love for her family, her service to God and her church and dedication to society of which the Elks Lodge was a main component.
An activist and nationalist
As fate would have it, her return to Nassau coincided with a season of change in the political, social and economic landscape within The Bahamas. The majority of the population who were of African descent was seeking inclusion and a better way of life for themselves and their children.
Hilda would not be left behind. She spoke of her involvement in the process to achieve universal suffrage and in particular the right of women to vote. She recollected how while pregnant with her oldest child, she knocked on doors encouraging women to sign the petition to allow women to vote at the risk of facing victimization and losing her job. She recounts portions of this story in Marion Bethel's documentary on the Suffrage Movement in The Bahamas titled "Womanish Ways" alongside her fellow Elks Lodge members - her baby sister Myrtle Murphy and Mrs. Patsy Wring.
The history books may not highlight the contribution of one Hilda Francina Cooper and many others that fought for freedom we enjoy in the modern Bahamas. However, the exemplary lives of faith, courage, sacrifice and strength that ordinary Bahamians of her era lived must not only be appreciated but also emulated by those of us in this generation. Grammy Hilda's many travails included advocacy and agitation for inalienable rights for the Bahamian people.
We salute her because we know that her commitment and struggles for a better Bahamas paved the way for the birth and achievement of the Bahamian Dream not just for her descendants but also for 21st century Bahamians. She seemed to understand the words of an African poet that "the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them". Hilda Francina Cooper lived her life standing on the side of right as she would rather die standing than live on her knees.
The final chapter
In her final months on earth, Grammy discontinued her annual travels and made fewer appearances at public events but never missed family events. On February 23, 2016, Hilda walked many of her family members gathered around her bedside through her journey across the Crystal Sea and into the Pearly Gate. She never once complained or expressed regret because she said that she had done all she needed to do in life - she knew her time had come. Hilda's life is testament to the truth in the words of Abraham Lincoln that "in the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years". My beloved grandmother bid us farewell but left us with enough cherished memories for a lifetime.
Conclusion
As our legislators prepare to debate the four bills on the proposed referendum for gender equality, I trust that sitting parliamentarians will seek to make the first step in writing wrongs that never should have been. Moreover, as a right-thinking Bahamian female, I would like the opportunity to continue the tradition my grandmother Hilda begun to fight for equality in different sectors of Bahamian society, particularly now that her life has ceased. Indeed this writer will be voting yes to all the bills if given the opportunity.
Meanwhile, a great "Iroko" tree has fallen and the music of life has ceased for Hilda. She has completed her dance on earth and her candle has burned out while its pleasant fragrance remains. A scion of the Cooper Clan now sleeps in the company of her ancestors. Indeed a silver saint has joined the celestial band above. Our jewel of inestimable value has departed and our sage has transitioned from this realm to the other side. Our Rock of Gibraltar is no more for us to lean on but her presence is felt daily in our hearts.
William Shakespeare perhaps captured what we have just experienced and a bridge we must all cross at some point when he said that "All the world's a stage and all men and women merely players. They all have their exits and entrances." Our matriarch's time on the stage of life has come to an end and she has played her part with distinction and much excellence. Her demise is nothing but her exit from this stage, she has taken her bow and has disappeared behind the curtains into eternity.
Adieu, Hilda Francina Cooper. Rest on in glory knowing that the world is a better place because you stopped by.
o Arinthia S. Komolafe is an attorney-at-law. Comments on this article can be directed to a.s.komolafe510@gmail.com.
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