The Tribune

HISTORY was important to Dr Gail Saunders. And Dr Gail Saunders was important to our history.

One of the foremost – probably the foremost – historian of our age, Dr Saunders passed away on Friday aged 79.

The tributes to her were unstinting in their praise – but perhaps what was most striking was the number of people talking about what they had learned thanks to her. Not only was she important to people as a person, but Dr Saunders elevated the lives and knowledge of those around her.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis called her “a beacon of light, a repository of wisdom, and a resounding voice in preserving and narrating our national story”.

Dr Saunders did not just record what happened in our nation’s history but examined what it meant, and fundamentally helped to define our understanding of race and class in The Bahamas.

Her passing comes as we approach a landmark in history – 50 years as an independent nation.

In preparing for The Tribune’s own Independence supplement which will appear in Friday’s edition, we had been looking through our archives from the very first Independence celebration.

To mark that day, The Tribune published – as it has every year since – a special supplement. And one of the stories from that very first edition that we had been considering for inclusion this year was one from young Dr Saunders.

It was only fitting that we reprint it today instead, as a reminder of Dr Saunders and her work, and that she has not only catalogued our history, but is also a part of it. Her voice has helped to chart the path we have taken, and steer the way we still have to go.

Her article, featured in today’s Insight, talks of how our country journeyed from emancipation to Independence. It talks of prejudice and discrimination, and the stumbles on the way to removing the legal hurdles to achieve equality.

It is too easy to think of history as an inevitable consequence. Dr Saunders helped to show the battle that it took to end slavery, and to remove social and racial divides. She shows the importance of using your vote, of taking up a democratic right that for too long many were denied.

Seeing the struggles of history also informs us of the need today to fight for what we believe in.

Others who have gone before us have fought for rights that must not be neglected – and the hurdles they overcame were far greater than many of us face today.

Listening to the voices of history shows us how far we have come – but close examination shows how hard it was to get here. In turn, for the future, it shows what we must live up to.

Dr Saunders was meticulous, and she was honest. She built the foundation for those historians who followed her.

May those who follow her live up to the impact she has made on The Bahamas – and may she rest in peace.