Virgin Islands leaders paid tribute to the territory’s seven oldest residents on Sept. 22 as the Social Development Department marked National Centenarians Day. “Our centenarians are living treasures who have …
September 30, 2025
August 14, 2025
‘Emancipation without freedom’
Each year, the territory’s August Emancipation Festival commemorates Aug. 1, 1834 — the day the British Parliament’s Slavery Abolition Act, 1833, came into force. But the actual history of emancipation …
August 1, 2025
EDITORIAL: Virgin Islands has much to consider in marking emancipation
The 71st August Emancipation Festival is well under way, and we are excited to take part in the ongoing celebrations. But amid the revelry, we hope everyone will remember the …
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June 27, 2025
First female gov’t minister remembered
Eileene Parsons, a former government minister known for promoting Virgin Islands culture and breaking down gender barriers in politics, died on Sunday at the Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital. She …
June 9, 2025
Festival to focus on culture
As musicians from Elmore Stoutt High School played the territorial song and other numbers, a crowd grew at the Market Square in Road Town for the launch of the 71st …
March 14, 2025
Auction raises funds for museum
During an auction on the evening of March 7 at Government House, historian Mitch Kent held up a plastic-sheathed copy of an 1867 London newspaper containing a story about the …
November 28, 2024
VI marks 75 years since Great March
Hundreds of residents marched down Main Street on Sunday afternoon, following in the footsteps of some 1,500 protestors who took the same route 75 years earlier to demand greater political …
November 26, 2024
FROM THE ARCHIVES, 2016: New hospital dedicated
On June 7, The BVI Beacon turned 40. To celebrate, it is re-publishing some of the biggest stories from its archives over the past four decades. The article below was …
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November 15, 2024
Tourism manual coming soon
One of the first roads in the Virgin Islands stretched from the Chalwell junction to Windy Hill, and it was called the “paved walk” because it was composed of stones …
November 7, 2024
BBC historian to kick off Lit Fest today
United Kingdom author and filmmaker David Olusoga will kick off the four-day BVI Literary Arts Festival at 4 p.m. today with a lecture exploring citizenship in the United Kingdom and …
September 2, 2024
FROM THE ARCHIVES, 1999: Looking back at 1949
On June 7, The BVI Beacon turned 40. To celebrate, it is re-publishing some of the biggest stories from its archives over the past four decades. The article below was …
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July 22, 2024
Old records shed new light on VI history
Soon after Dr. Angel Smith was appointed to oversee the government’s archives last year, he was assessing old records when he found a series of documents that shed new light …
July 22, 2024
Oldest archives not open to public
Two-century-old land records displayed during a recent archives exhibition were found “purely by accident,” according to Archives and Records Management Unit Director Dr. Angel Smith. Dr. Smith discovered the documents …
December 8, 2023
Culture month ends with familial reflection
Community members looked back in history on Nov. 30 in Long Look while celebrating the conclusion of Culture and Tourism Month, which entailed a full month celebrating music, history, art, …
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July 10, 2023
EDITORIAL: Third time the charm for Virgin Islands Day
We were elated by the full schedule of traditional activities organised for the territory’s third celebration of Virgin Islands Day on July 3. The way forward for the observance is …
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June 7, 2023
Museums bring VI history to life
Life in the Virgin Islands looked quite different for most residents in the 1960s than it does today, and artist Reuben Vanterpool dedicates much of his time to showcasing his …
April 4, 2023
EDITORIAL: Proposed culture policy is most welcome
Kudos to the government for drafting the five-year Virgin Islands Culture and Heritage Policy and Strategy, which promises to preserve, revitalise and study a cultural heritage that has been neglected …
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December 6, 2022
Great March holiday passes very quietly
Though last year’s commemoration of the 1949 march that led to the restoration of the Virgin Islands Legislative Council inspired a spirited re-enactment, the second celebration of the 1949 Great …
October 24, 2022
EDITORIAL: Heroes, foreparents forgotten?
Around this time last year, we sang the government’s praises for the decision to replace St. Ursula’s Day with Heroes and Foreparents Day as part of a larger programme of …
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July 19, 2022
Historians reflect on 2nd VI Day
Local historians contemplated what it takes to foster a resilient legacy during a panel discussion hosted by H. Lavity Stoutt Community College on July 4 in observance of the second …
March 28, 2022
EDITORIAL: Where, oh where, is the new library?
All too frequently in recent months, we have found ourselves writing about another hurricane recovery project that is far behind. This week, it’s the public library. The main branch in …
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March 21, 2022
One Mart continues expansion
One Mart owner Mark Vanterpool thinks Virgin Islands residents should have more local places to shop. And by that, he means they shouldn’t have to go more than a few …
February 18, 2022
Education reform highlighted at memorial
With waves crashing against the rocks, community members dressed all in white tossed bouquets of pink and yellow flowers into the sea on Feb. 13 to memorialise victims of the …
November 25, 2021
1949 march brought to life
Partway through an evening of storytelling, poetry and music on Nov. 21, event organisers called everyone’s attention to the clock at 5:30, the exact moment when about 1,500 people arrived …
October 26, 2021
VI heroes heralded on historic holiday
Past and present collided as some of the Virgin Islands’ brightest minds looked back on history’s change-makers during the inaugural Heroes and Forefathers Day on Oct. 18, drawing comparisons between …
