V.C. Bird Day 2023: Date, History and 5 Fascinating Facts

V.C. Bird Day 2023: December 9 is the annual V.C. Bird Day celebration. On this day in history, Antigua and Barbuda’s national hero, Vere Cornwall (V.C.) Bird, was born. He held the position of first Prime Minister for the Caribbean country.

Being a fierce trade unionist who led the fight for independence from the United Kingdom and fought for the rights of farmers and workers, he is renowned for his revolutionary work. In 1994, as his tenure as prime minister came to an end, Bird was hailed as a national hero. Recalling his accomplishments, Antiguans honor his valiant sacrifices with reflection today.

The Background of Veterans Day

Cornwall, Vere The capital of Antigua and Barbuda, St. John’s, is where Bird was born on December 9, 1910. Living in an impoverished neighborhood, Bird’s family was of modest means. His early life exposed him to the hardships and humiliations of his fellow citizens, which encouraged him to become an activist and politician. Within the Antigua Trades and Labor Union (A.T.L.U.) he joined as an executive member in 1939 and rose to the position of president in 1943. When the A.T.L.U.

Entered electoral politics for the first time in 1946, Bird led the movement for higher pay and better working conditions. Bird was given responsibility for trade and production after Antigua and Barbuda’s ministerial system and universal adult suffrage were implemented in the 1950s. In 1960, he was appointed Chief Minister.

Following the Progressive Labor Movement party’s (P.L.M.) victory in the election of 1971, Bird was forced into political exile. Nevertheless, he came back to power in 1976 and held it until 1980, when he won the election on the platform of securing Antigua and Barbuda’s independence. Following the country’s independence from the British one year later, Bird was appointed as the first Prime Minister of the Caribbean.

His party won all of the Antiguan seats in the legislature in 1984 under his direction, and he continued to be a prominent figure throughout his term.

With his son Lester now in position to take over his position, Bird left politics in 1994. Despite the passing of their patriarch in 1999, the Bird family—dubbed a dynasty by some—kept their hold on power in Antigua’s politics. Today, Antiguans remember V.C. Bird as a great statesman and hero.

How to celebrate it

Look over Bird’s rules.

Check out a few of Bird’s initiatives that improved Antiguan citizens’ quality of life. It’s a good place to start to look at his trade union activism.

Get knowledge about Barbuda and Antigua.

One needs to know the state of the nation prior to Bird’s ascent to power in order to fully appreciate what he did for his people. Studium the historiography of Antigua and Barbuda.

Craft a floral wreath.

Among V.C. Bird Day’s most significant events is the wreath-laying ceremony. Make your own flower wreath as a tribute to Bird and his admirable contributions, even if you aren’t present to do it in person.

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V.C. Bird: 5 Fascinating Facts

Fire and blood.

During two years, Bird was employed by the Salvation Army.

A very tall person

Standing seven feet tall, Bird was impressive.

He wasn’t a learned man.

Bird had only attended primary school and had little formal education compared to his political peers who were eminent scholars and lawyers.

He transformed the sugar sector.

While he oversaw significant political changes in Antigua and Barbuda, Bird is most remembered by the general public for his contributions to the sugar industry.

Some referred to him as a despot.

Some called Bird a dictator, likening him to Haiti’s Francois Duvalier, in spite of all of his accomplishments.

The Importance Of V.C. Bird Day

He ended child labor.

Eliminating child labor was one of Bird’s greatest accomplishments. His time in the Trade and Labor Union saw the termination of numerous detrimental practices, this being one of them.

He made things better at work.

Working conditions for Antiguan laborers, especially in the cane fields, were greatly improved as a result of Bird’s advocacy for workers’ rights and the constitutional reform processes that followed. Streamlining their interests with laborers, he also supported small farmers’ interests.

He brought his people to freedom.

Antiguan and Barbudan people were freed from colonial bonds by Bird. By his multi-decade campaign, he achieved the protection of common people’s rights and liberties, enabling them to establish a thriving nation and community.

V.C. BIRD DAY DATES