Kudos to the hundreds of residents who took part in the recent re-enactment of the 1949 Great March. Together, they staged an impressive and appropriate commemoration of an enormously important event in Virgin Islands history.

Indeed, the lessons of the 1949 protest remain relevant today, and we would love to see it re-enacted every year in a similar manner.

When writing about history, the phrases “seminal moment” and “turning point” tend to get thrown around a lot. But rare instances truly merit the term.

Once such moment was the peaceful demonstration undertaken by a determined band of Virgin Islanders 75 years ago to protest to the lack of locally elected representation.

On Nov. 24, 1949, Theodolph Faulkner, Isaac Fonseca and Carlton de Castro led about 1,500 people through the streets of Road Town to the office of then-commissioner J.A.C. “Ian” Cruikshank, who represented the crown at the time.

There, they presented a list of demands, including “a measure of political freedom for ourselves and the generations of the future.”

One of their key grievances was a lack of representation. At the time, Mr. Cruikshank and four nominated individuals governed the VI through an Executive Council.

In 1947, Howard Penn, a member of that group, had presented a resolution to the UK government that would change this system by creating a locally elected Legislative Council.

The resolution, however, got nowhere. According to Mr. Penn’s memoirs, it was accepted by the British secretary of state, but Mr. Cruikshank said he would prefer for the territory to start out with “village councils” that would in turn elect representatives to a Legislative Council.

By 1949, concern among VI residents was rising — not just because of the representation issue but over some of Mr. Cruikshank’s spending decisions, which purportedly included designating a large portion from the public construction budget to refurbish Government House.

Mr. Faulkner, an Anegada fisherman, was also angered when his ill wife needed medical care, and the territory’s one doctor, a good friend of Mr. Cruikshank and his wife, did not come to Anegada to care for her.

Mr. Faulkner turned his discontent into action. He began speaking nightly to the public at what is now the Sir Olva Georges Plaza.

Mr. Fonseca, a businessman, later joined him in giving lectures on problems facing Virgin Islanders at the time. Together, they demanded constitutional reform.

Mr. de Castro, a boat captain who shared their views, helped the men organise a peaceful demonstration on Nov. 24, 1949.

The march did not achieve one of its two main aims: the resignation of Mr. Cruikshank. But by February 1950, a government committee had been formed to address the second goal by creating a new constitution that would restore the Legislative Council.

In 2024, a time when the territory remains under an order in council that allows the UK to impose direct rule, VI residents’ desire for a locally elected government that is attentive and accountable to their needs remains strong.

But civic engagement isn’t just for election season. Though many residents often feel compelled to remain silent about their political ideas for fear of reprisal, change comes only when people speak up.

The Great March, then, isn’t ancient history. It’s proof that ordinary impassioned citizens can, with persistence and organisation, make themselves heard and build a better VI for current and future generations.