Bahamian Matriarch Reflects on an Independent Bahamas

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Beverley Wallace-Whitfield has spent a lifetime serving The Bahamas. A pioneering educator, diplomat, and community leader, who served as the first female Chief of Protocol for The Bahamas, and the wider Caribbean.

She is also the widow of Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, a founding father of the Free National Movement.

However, this time of year holds a special place in her heart, because more than five decades ago, she was part of the secretariat that helped plan the Bahamas’ historic independence celebrations.

She says after months of preparation, she stepped out of the office to watch history unfold.

Beverley Wallace-Whitfield – Bahamian Matriarch

“ So [it] had an extra meaning to me because I could then sit there and watch all the fireworks, the dances, the song, singing, the, preaching, the everything that took place that night.”

Looking back… Wallace-Whitfield says the country has transformed in countless ways from technological advances to social changes.

Beverley Wallace-Whitfield – Bahamian Matriarch

“ We had big changes like that and, and micro oven, you know. What? You could cook in a little piece of thing in the corner, you know? And vast, vast changes over the almost 100 years that I have been in existence. So in a sense, we have a brand-new country now. And one I’m proud of and and happy that I have experienced…”

Another evolution she says she’s proud of, is the role women now play in the country.

Beverley Wallace-Whitfield – Bahamian Matriarch

“ I feel wonderful. I feel delighted. I feel they have come into their time, because women are no less intelligent than men. We’re no less capable than men, and so, [we’re] just fulfilling a role that has come in our time.”

As the country marks another year of nationhood, the Bahamian matriarch has one simple message for every citizen – show respect for the symbols that define the nation.

Beverley Wallace-Whitfield – Bahamian Matriarch

“ When you hear the national anthem, stand to attention. When you hear the national anthem, you are entitled to sing it, not just listen to it. It’s not a concert item. It is the hymn of the country,”