The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE man behind the case that has sparked one of the most significant judicial rulings in recent Bahamian history said he always knew the matter was much bigger than his own quest for citizenship.

“My thing was never to just get my own documents,” said Shannon Rolle after the Privy Council ruled in his favour yesterday and affirmed that children born out of wedlock to Bahamian men are citizens regardless of the nationality of their mothers.

“I felt this was something that I could get to make a change for everyone in this alien status. So my thing never was just for me.”

Mr Rolle said he found out he won the case a few days ago but kept the verdict a secret until the Privy Council released it on its website.

“My lawyer told me we found this out, it’s passed, but keep it to yourself. She said in a few days this is going to blow,” he recalled. “When she told me, I actually prepared for a lot of stuff. I did some research on it. I love how it finally came through.”

Mr Rolle, whose father is Bahamian and whose mother is Jamaican, secured Bahamian citizenship in 2020 at age 20 through the normal application process.

His brother and sister have since secured citizenship as well.

Mr Rolle is currently the owner of a general maintenance business. He said he attended the University of the Bahamas to study “electrical single phase.”

“Before we got citizenship, we went through the same things everyone goes through: not being able to open a bank account, not being able to license a vehicle in your name, not being able to start a business. There was a lot of things you are deprived off when you don’t have citizenship,” he said.

Mr Rolle said his initial attempt to get citizenship was costly and futile.

“My first lawyer, she told me my father had to legally adopt me and if he could legally adopt me then I would be granted citizenship. So while doing this process, I think I paid a good amount of funds, near $3000, and on my 18th birthday she said it’s too late now for him to adopt me because I’m 18,” he said.

Despite the difficulties, Mr Rolle said he is grateful for the experience.

“I feel like in life, people who go through things at an early age, it kinda makes your shoulder a bit broader and kinda makes you stronger throughout life itself, so to be honest with you, I thank God I went through that because it made me a stronger man today.”

Reflecting on the landmark ruling yesterday, Mr Munroe said he did not charge his clients.

“I didn’t require him to pay me a fee,” he said. “Generally you might charge a retainer, fifteen, twenty thousand dollars, but looking at these young people, they didn’t have it. When you have to file documents, sometimes it would take them a while to file the document, but if you confident that they have a right that must be vindicated, you can’t tell somebody bring me $15k. You know they’re not gonna get it. With these young people, two of them weren’t working at all. With Shannon, he was working but had expenses.”