Democratic Labour Party tracing political roots

THE Democratic Labour Party’s 64th Anniversary celebrations got under way yesterday.

Scores of members assembled at the George Street Headquarters from as early as 6 a.m. for the start of a historical stop and learn walk led by Historian Trevor Marshall, tracing the DLP’s history to Roebuck Street, Independence Square, Cheapside and Land’s Ends.

“What we are doing as part of our rebuilding process is energising our base again,” President of the DLP, Verla De Peiza, explained to The Barbados Advocate.

“It is intended for our rank and file members to get back to our roots... I think that it is important going forward to actually step back first and have a reminder of what we used to be, how we used to be, who our players were so that we can get back the pride in our Party and move forward.”

She said that all stops along the educational walk are important to the history of the Democratic Labour Party, highlighting, “This is our headquarters now, but this is not where we started. There were other places that were important to the Party along the way. Our very first official headquarters was in Roebuck Street; our very first formal meeting was held at Cheapside; and the very first grouping of our founding fathers and founding mother, the lone female, was held at Brandons where the walk will end.”

The DLP’s 64th Anniversary will be held under the theme, “Back to Basics”.

De Peiza revealed that the week of activities will continue on Friday, April 26, with a Member Induction Ceremony at the DLP Headquarters.

Approximately 150 persons have joined the Party since its 2018 defeat at the polls.

“Of course this is not a time when you would think that people would want to be associated with the Party and we are grateful to them,” the President expressed.

“We want to recognise these persons who have stood up for the Party when things are at its lowest and start putting them to work. Therefore, the ceremony will be a ‘Mix and Mingle’. We want our new members to get acquainted with our older members and get used to our different organisations, so that they can become a fully functioning member of the Democratic Labour Party and not just paying dues all the time. We want to get everybody working.”

Also, on Saturday, April 27, a Farmer’s Market will be held at the headquarters from 8 a.m.

“We recognise that in these tough times – it’s tough for farmers and also for consumers. So, what the farmer’s market allows is for farmers to sell their produce and for persons to come out and acquire these produce cheaper than if they went to the supermarket. So, we see it as a win-win situation and our stalls are selling quickly,” De Peiza said. (TL)