Honoring Around the globe Ladies Big date and you will VI Record Day, our company is showing about three fearless feminine in order to who the brand new Region owes a beneficial high obligations. There was continue to work to get complete, that is the reason i review attain desire and you can support about Virgin Islanders with moved just before united states.

Queen Mary

Mary Thomas, known as Queen Mary, (california. 1848–1905) is one of the frontrunners of your own 1878 “Fireburn” labor riot, otherwise uprising, towards the isle regarding St. Croix.

Mary Thomas is actually from Antigua and arrived in St. Croix on 1860s to take focus on new ranches into the this new area. Adopting the 1848 emancipation regarding enslaved Africans on Danish West Indies, a keen 1849 labor laws repaired wages and you can labor conditions for everybody plantation gurus and blocked bargaining to have top wages or works standards. Which produced plantation really works unappealing and several professionals opted to go out of the latest plantations therefore the islands, to seek better requirements elsewhere. The federal government responded into the work shortage by creating they more difficult so you can to own specialists to depart the hawaiian islands, demanding health certificates and asking charge having passports. When earnings would be to be negotiated throughout the fall off 1878, the workers’ demands have been declined, and the new harsh requirements having travel was basically implemented. This started the fresh new very-entitled Fireburn riots, that happen to be known as biggest labor riot when you look at the Danish background, and you can during which more than 50 ranches was burnt.

Due to their particular role because the a commander for the uprising age are labeled as “Queen Mary”. The staff picked their unique as well as 2 other female, “King Agnes” and “Queen Matilda”, as the “queens” to do ritual and celebratory services for the uprising. King Mary was detained and you may attempted along with other leadership of labor uprising https://kissbrides.com/hot-mumbai-women/. At demo of work frontrunners Thomas was sentenced in order to passing to have arson and you will looting however, had their unique phrase commuted to help you life imprisonment, and you may was moved to Copenhagen and you will placed at the Ladies Prison, Christianshavn for the 1882, however in 1887 try repaid so you can Christiansted, St. Croix to suffice the remainder of their phrase.

Anna Heegaard

Anna Heegaard stays an intriguing profile inside the Virgin Islands record. She’s paid which have improving conditions towards enslaved African and “Free Coloured” populace of Danish West Indies from the nineteenth century as a direct result their unique 20 year connection with the new islands’ Governor General, Peter von Scholten.

With respect to the Encyclopedia off Antislavery & Abolition, “Heegard let me make it clear swayed brand new movement to possess legal and you can public equality having totally free black people on Danish Western Indies.” Heegaard grew up in St. Croix in the January regarding 1790 to help you unmarried mothers called good “free mulatto lady” and a Danish Government clerk. She grew up with her mom and you will 1 / 2 of siblings for the Christiansted. Heegard relied on their wits and you may charm to create liaisons having St. Croix’s wealthiest and you may strong dudes, at some point crossing pathways toward Governor-Standard shortly after his coming from inside the 1827. By the that time, she got by herself end up being a somewhat prosperous lady.

Heegard while the Governor-General began meeting on a regular basis to discuss the brand new predicament of your own Totally free Coloured population and you may the woman is considered has actually assisted him get ready a listing of societal reforms he presented to new Danish King, who designated a commission to review and you will perform brand new laws to have social justice getting low-whites regarding the D.W.I. . Reforms with the “unfree” eventually integrated – a managed length of work-day, curtail out of corporal abuse, forbidding from societal slave auctions, an excellent reprieve getting pregnant women, establishment of universities and you can construction advancements. Von Scholten along with has worked to lift barriers 100% free black and you can colored anybody – establishing them publicly positions and you may holding racially integrated personal properties, to provide his very own dining activities presided more than by Heegard. They lived because people and you can partner for many off a couple of ily for the Denmark, and finally the two settled within Bulows Minde Property Household outside Christiansted.