Nevis Celebrated The U.S. Inauguration
How does Nevis feel about the New U.S. President? Well let’s just say celebrations were top priority last week. Here is what three huge Nevis influences had to say…
The Premier of Nevis, Joseph Parry said, “It is a great day for black people all over the world, as we understand the importance of Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.”
Meanwhile, residents all over Nevis Island paused to witness this historic event at schools, bars, offices and at the public library in Charlestown Nevis. The anticipation of an event, not expected in our lifetime, was electrifying.
The moment President Barack Obama took the stage to take his oath, the large crowd of young people who watched the inauguration on a big screen television at the Charlestown Secondary School clapped and shouted.
According to the premier, this outpouring of support for democracy only serves to strengthen our resolve for a better and brighter future.
St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas in a message Tuesday to the new President of the United States of America, the Hon. Barack Obama said:
His inauguration as the 44th President of the United States of America epitomizes the importance, the power, and, indeed, the audacity of hope.
Keenly aware of the historic significance of this moment, the Government and people of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis extend heartfelt congratulations, and pray for God’s blessings and guidance in all that you may do.
The people of St. Kitts and Nevis will be among the billions of people from every corner of the globe who are captivated by the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America.
The world is fixated in ways that are different from the way that they are usually drawn to, say, the world cup…..or some global entertainment extravaganza. From Paris to Port-of Spain, and from Tokyo to Tunis, people are drawn to this phenomenon because of what it says about the power of the human spirit….the ability of human-beings to chart their own destiny……the possibility of mankind to overcome tremendous, stupendous, even frightening odds.
He said that the Caribbean, like President Barack Obama, “have the blood of Africa flowing through our veins, we take a special pride in what this black man, against all odds, has achieved in the most powerful nation on earth.”
And out of this pride must come, I hope, a renewed commitment to take up the tasks that are before us, and the challenges that are uniquely ours, with as much dedication and determination and dignity as the man who captivates the world today has always handled the tasks, and met the challenges, that have been placed before him.
Leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM), Lindsay Grant, has congratulated his former Harvard colleague Barak Obama, on becoming the first black American to be sworn in as President of the United States of America.
Grant said “I am touched by the moment. Today is indeed an historic occasion…not just for the United States of America but for the world at large.”
I did not believe for a moment that in my generation, a black person would hold the highest position, the highest office in the United States of America,” the PAM leader added.
Grant, a graduate of Harvard University said that when both he and President Obama walked the halls of the University some nineteen (19) years ago, he did not believe that either of them would have ended up in politics in almost the same period.
“…time is really a magnificent thing because nineteen years ago when we, that is Obama and I walked the hallowed halls of Harvard University, Harvard Law School, neither of us knew then,…what …our destiny would be.”
But the PAM leader is The PAM leader said he hopes that after all the celebrations and euphoria have died down, that the Caribbean would see some benefits coming to it from the presence of a black man in the
When asked about possible similarities between himself and his former classmate Obama, as he prepares for a general election this year, Grant said he believes that Obama fought for the same things that he is fighting for.
“Its equality, justice and a fairness for all, and that we are all equal in the nation state. That’s what I’m fighting for. I’m fighting for the fact that I’m trying to reach out across partisan lines for the better and the good of St. Kitts & Nevis.”
“Today the 20th of January, 2009, he is now president of the United States of America [and] in this very same year, who knows I might very well be the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis.”
“I feel a sense that his moment is now and my moment is now. I feel a sense of destiny and only time will tell.”
Nevis Lover ~ Becca Briley 
