Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis is standing in solitary with thousands of Americans who have marched for miles and made their voices heard during nine days of widespread protests over the police killing of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis.
Bahamians living in cities across the United States have joined in on those protests, demanding an end to systemic racism.
“Many Bahamian families have a son, or daughter, or nephew, or cousin, or grandchild, who study or work in the United States. We stand in solidarity with the peaceful protestors. We share their anger and despair. We understand how high the stakes are,“ according to Davis.
“We know the costs of systemic racism, the costs of justice postponed. It is not just policing that needs reform. Racial inequality remains widespread in housing, employment, and education. And the protests come after months of seeing the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on black communities. The virus has affected everyone, but it has not affected everyone equally,“ he continued.
Davis, who held a press conference at the party’s headquarters this morning, said such inequalities exist in The Bahamas as well where he says the “wealthy and well- connected have been able to weather this storm with their lives mostly untouched”.
Davis said that small group is experiencing inconvenience, but not despair. He added that is not the case for a large majority of Bahamian families.
“We need change in The Bahamas. We need to do the hard work of building a more equal and more just country. How many older Bahamians have no security, despite a lifetime of hard work? How many young Bahamians are prevented from reaching their full potential? How can that be right?” David asked.
He said the PLP may not be a perfect party, but it has a perfect cause: it works and fights for progress and justice.
“In the PLP’s last term in office, we increased the minimum wage by 40% to provide Bahamians with more income to take care of their families. We executed more than one dozen labour contracts, prioritizing fair compensation and benefits for thousands of Bahamian workers, “ said Davis. “We also established the Tripartite Council to promote collaboration between the private sector, unions, and the government in creating economic and labour market policies.”