Today in History: July 28

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – On this day in Bahamian history in 1860 – the last captured ship of enslaved Africans was shipwrecked near Lynard Cay off Abaco.

They were first quarantined then transported to New Providence to serve a sentence and eventually freed in what is now called Congo Town, Fox Hill.

Then in 1945, William Lindsay Murphy became governor of The Bahamas succeeding the duke of Windsor as governor of the colony. Murphy served for five years until1950.

As governor, he officially opened the famous Lerner Marine Laboratory on Bimini, which is a field station of the American Museum of Natural history.

During his time in office the use of the secret ballot in elections was extended to the outer islands in 1949.

Then in 1994, The Bahamas established diplomatic relations with the Republic of South Africa.

The spirit of this cooperation also served to enhance collaborative efforts in international organizations such as the United Nations.

Seventeen years later in 2021, offices in the Department of Social Services were shut down across the country as employees used their lunch break to protest what they called government’s failure to address concerns.

Employees took to the streets waving signs that read “Slavery is Over”. Workers had threatened industrial action if their voices were not heard.

Also, that same day. Over 200 employees called in sick at Bahamas Power and Light, as union negotiations fell through .

The union was asking for millions of dollars to pay members but BPL executives refused saying the power company did not have an extra dime to pay.

And finally, in 2022, the viewing of former House Speaker Vernon Symonette was held after his passing on July 7, 2022.

He was first elected to Parliament in 1982 and served as MP for Inagua and Mayaguana and was speaker of the house from 1992 to 1997.