Happy Birthday Cyril King

Today marks the 104th birthday of Governor Cyril Emmanuel King. I never got to meet him - he died just two months before I was born, but I grew up hearing stories from my mother, who worked for him. She always spoke of him with deep respect. She was in her early 30s with a PhD when he appointed her Director of Consumer Affairs.

Over the years, I’ve seen many Virgin Islanders speak of Governor King with pride. He’s remembered as one of our most beloved Virgin Islanders and former Governors. But admiration alone isn’t enough. Very few have truly followed in his footsteps.

In 1968, Governor King and a few others broke away from the Democratic Party to form the ICM Party. Today, with over 31,000 registered voters in the Virgin Islands, fewer than 700 are members of the ICM Party. I’m a registered Democrat, but I believe in competition. It’s one of the most important lessons I learned as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. Competition sharpens us. It keeps us accountable.

The Virgin Islands needs that kind of accountability. Not just from our leaders, but from each of us.

We have too many people clinging to party labels out of habit or convenience, not out of conviction. Some of you might belong in the ICM Party. Others in a new conservative movement. What matters most is that we stop waiting for someone else to fix things. That we stop assuming someone else will lead.

Governor King once said, “Let us continue; let us continue with the task of setting our house in order and building a better future for all residents of the Virgin Islands.” By “us” he didn’t mean government alone. He meant all of us.

So let’s honor his legacy, not just with words, but with action. Let’s hold ourselves accountable. Let’s challenge each other to step up. And let’s get to work.