(EDITOR’S NOTE: A strong case can clearly be made that the historical data published by BAHAMIANOLOGY should be included in the curricula of The Bahamas’ school system. A case in point is this historical treasure trove sent to me by a friend.)
In 1957, when a visiting Colonial Office official from London came to the Bahamas, he accepted a dinner invitation from the predominantly negro and coloured, political Opposition, Progressive Liberal Party.
During the dinner, out of customary manners, Mr. F. Kennedy, the Colonial Office representative, fell into making a toast to his hosts, the predominantly negro and coloured, Progressive Liberal Party. Kennedy would later write in confidential papers to Bahamas Governor Sir Arthur Raynor that because of the sequence of events evolving during dinner, he was taken by surprise. Kennedy would say, out of polite manners, he had no choice but to make the toast.
Consider that in 1957, a white British colonial official, having dinner with coloureds and negroes, from what was seen as a fringe, rabble rouser, political party, was about as sensational an event that could ever happen, in racially segregated, socially separated, Nassau.
This dinner and toast, heard about around the Bahamas, was viewed with anger by influential United Bahamian Party whites, who made up the majority party, in power. To them, it was seen as Britain grossly interfering in local island politics.
Members and supporters of the Progressive Liberal Party, however, saw it as an early acknowledgement by Britain that they were finally ready to listen to the voices of the people. Click on the following link for complete BAHAMIANOLOGY report: https://bahamianology.com/secret-political-file-on-progressive-liberal-party-1957-declassified-london-1988/
