Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. has issued a proclamation commemorating Monday, Nov. 1, as David Hamilton Jackson Day, which also is known as Liberty Day, in honor of the esteemed labor leader, journalist, politician, educator, statesman and community activist from St. Croix who established the first labor union and started the first privately owned newspaper, The Herald, to write about social injustice.
Among his many accomplishments, D. Hamilton Jackson also served as a judge under the U.S. Naval Administration and was instrumental in the formulation of the Organic Act of 1936, which guarantees civil liberties and became the foundation of the Revised Organic Act of 1954.
“D. Hamilton Jackson felt the suffering of the people and through the power of the press was able to bring about social and economic change to better the lives of residents of the territory,” Bryan wrote. “D. Hamilton Jackson’s invaluable contributions have greatly enriched the territory and lives of many Virgin Islanders.”
