The Premier made those remarks while commemorating the 70th anniversary of the said march on Sunday, November 24.

“The Great March of 1949 ignited the spirit of self-determination in the hearts of Virgin Islanders and was the catalyst that led to the constitutional, political, economic and social development of the territory up to today,” Fahie said.

And while noting the challenges that resulted in the march back in 1949, the Premier said a new set of challenges exist today with the BVI’s political development, namely aspects of its outdated constitution.

“In this anniversary month of the Great March of 1949, the Virgin Islands will initiate the process that will lead to the overdue Constitutional Review which was scheduled for 2017 based on the practice of a review every 10 years — the last being 2007,” he said.

“Hence, provisions are made in the territory’s 2020 Budget Address to request the commissioning of a constitutional review. I delivered this address on the 19th of November, 2019 titled Transformation for Resilience and Sustainability: SMART strategies, Empowered People, and Green Development,” the Premier added.

History of the March

The March was led by territorial hero Theodolph Faulkner who was joined by Isaac ‘Glanny’ Fonseca, Carlton deCastro and more than 1,500 British Virgin Islanders.

They marched through the streets of Road Town to the Commissioner’s Office in protest of issues adversely impacting the territory of which they had no control or say.

The march was successful, and as a result, the Legislative Council of the Virgin Islands was reinstated in 1950, after being abolished for 49 years.