COMMENTARY: BY OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHIGTON, D.C., October 27, 2021 – Voters in The Bahamas may still not be aware of the fact that the recent visit by Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis to Washington, D.C., to participate in several events celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Martin King Jr. Memorial will have a far-reaching impact on the friendly relationship between The Bahamas and the United in for many, many years into the future.
Although it was not a U.S. government-sponsored official visit by Prime Minister Davis, the events in which he participated most certainly provided him with opportunities to showcase the historical nature of The Bahamas’ close relationship with the United States as its closest Caribbean neighbour.
Shortly after he arrived in D.C. on Thursday, October 21, Prime Minister Davis presented the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation with a national gift from the people of The Bahamas. At an anniversary gala dinner Wednesday night, held under the theme, “Moving the Dream Forward …Forever a Stone of Hope,” Prime Minister Davis presented an attractively framed blown-up historic photograph of Dr. King in intense discussion with renowned Bahamas Labour Leader Sir Randol Fawkes during a visit by Dr. King to Nassau in November 1958.
Of course, Dr. King was a regular visitor to the Bahamas island of Bimini, and this is where he retreated to write the Nobel Prize-winning acceptance speech he delivered in Oslo, Norway, on December 10, 1964.
Prime Minister Davis also addressed the National Board of Directors of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the first black intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity, of which Martin Luther King Jr. was a member, and expressed his excitement in welcoming them to The Bahamas for their upcoming international conference.
Then on Thursday, October 21, the Prime and First Lady Ann-Marie Davis attended the ceremony on the Mall in downtown Washington, D.C., in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the ceremony.
Although the Prime Minister did not get the opportunity to meet and interact with President Biden, it certainly would have been great if they had met. Unquestionably, President Biden is a great friend of The Bahamas. Indeed, he has some fond memories of The Bahamas, where he met his first wife, Neilia Hunter, on the beach at the British Colonial while a college student on spring break in 1963. The two were married in August of 1966, and moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where “new-fledged lawyer Joe also got his first start in politics by serving on the New Castle County Council,” according to published reports.
Tragically, the first Mrs. Biden was killed in a traffic accident while shopping for a Christmas tree in December of1972. According to published reports, “Joe Biden had just been elected to the U.S. Senate in Delaware when his first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden, decided to take the couple’s three children to get a Christmas tree. In the tragic accident, the family’s vehicle was struck by a truck carrying corncobs.”
The Bidens sons, Beau and Hunter, survived, but Nelia Biden and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, were killed.
Although the tragic accident unquestionably revives some very sad and depressing memories for President Biden, surely memories of him swimming off the beach at British Colonial Hotel with Naomi when they first met will revive some wonderful memories should he decide to make an official visit to The Bahamas.
I am sure that Usha E. Pitts, who has done a remarkable job diplomatically since she became Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Nassau on New Year’s Day, 2021, would welcome the opportunity to arrange the necessary welcoming ceremonies for an official visit by President Biden to The Bahamas.
One aspect of Prime Minister Davis’ recent visit to Washington, D.C., is that he interacted with some of the most prominent Black politicians in the United States.
But this was not by accident. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, US Representative from California’s 43rd Congressional District, is in essence an “Honorary Bahamian,” having been a close fiend of The Bahamas since her husband Sidney Williams was Ambassador to The Bahamas from 1994-1998.
In fact, I would venture a guess that the Invitation to Prime Minister Davis to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial ceremonies was extended by Congresswoman Waters through her close friends Sir Franklyn Wilson and Lady Sharon Wilson.
Indeed, Congresswoman Waters and her husband have been very close friends of Sir Franklyn and Lady Sharon since Mr. Williams’ diplomatic tenure in The Bahamas. Since then, they have frequently been house guests of Sir Franklyn and Lady Sharon on their visits to Nassau, mainly during the Christmas season because they are huge fans of Junkanoo.
An indication of the close friendship she shares with Sir Franklyn and Lady Sharon is reflected in the fact that when I was Press, Cultural Affairs and Information Manager at The Bahamas Embassy in D.C., I accompanied the then Bahamas Ambassador Dr. Eugene Newry to a meeting with Congresswoman Waters at her congressional office and prominently displayed on the wall behind her desk is a photo of Sir Franklyn and Lady Sharon.
Hopefully, Prime Minister Davis will build on the strong ties The Bahamas already has with one of the most prominent members of the U.S. House of Representatives – and by extension, the entire Congressional Black Causus – to further enhance the effectiveness of The Bahamas’ diplomatic presence in Washington, D.C.
Also, on his upcoming visit to Scotland for the climate change conference, if Prime Minister Davis gets the opportunity to meet President Biden in person he most certainly should extend an official invitation to him to visit The Bahamas.
