The Valley – Thursday, September 12th 2019: A gentle breeze blew, and the sizzling Mr. Sun seemed to have retired for the day, but left his balmy warmth behind, under cooling clouds of grey. Folks from various walks of life, especially many young ladies, slowly gathered on the grounds of the Caribbean Commercial Complex around 5:30 for noble reasons: to pay tribute to the late Taitu Goodwin; to share their concerns regarding the cause of her untimely death; and to reminisce on her life in an organized candle-light vigil.
As a prelude to the vigil, those gathered would make an anti-domestic abuse statement by silently engaging in a police-guarded “Remembrance Walk” led by former Miss Anguilla personalities. The walk’s route followed from the Commercial Complex, up St. Mary’s Street, through the grounds of The Valley Police Station and Courthouse, then back to the Complex. There, a sombre service was held with focus on the renowned Taitu.
Twenty-seven year-old Taitu Goodwin was a gem of a young lady. She was one of Anguilla’s most brilliant minds who had excelled to the ranks of a highly qualified professional — and was on the verge of ambitiously launching her career as an accomplished lawyer. Sadly, however, as news broke last Monday morning (September 9th), it was reported that Taitu was brutally cut down at the hands of the very man with whom she had once shared a romantic relationship.
Born in Antigua, she had come to reside in Anguilla — at a young age — with her mother. Taitu, though young, had contributed much to Anguilla’s society as a teacher, and a trade and investment officer in the Ministry of Finance. Her smile was simply captivating, and she shared the countenance of her kind, exuberant spirit wherever she went.
Her father, Mr. Bruce Goodwin, is a former Antiguan Ambassador to Cuba. He had this to say about her tragic loss in an interview with the Antigua Broadcasting Service (ABS): “Taitu Kai Goodwin was my most beautiful, brightest, and the best of my eleven children. She was the greatest love of my life…She was among the best and brightest of her generation.”
Among the many great feats in her life, Taitu was crowned Miss Anguilla in the year 2012. Indeed, hers is a death that every conscientious resident of Anguilla finds difficult to grapple with.
And so, at about 7:00 on Thursday evening the vigil got underway — moderated by Ms. Olufunmike Banks-Devonish, another former Miss Anguilla. First was a solemn prayer by Teacher Lisa Anthony that the love of God would create a shield against such tragedies. This was quickly followed by a second prayer of invocation, by Apostle Elmead Allen, that God would bring comfort and peace both to the families of Taitu and the families of her assailant.
Pertinent passages of scripture were read by Ms. Carencia Rouse, another former Miss Anguilla, and close comrade of Taitu. Her last reading — from 1 Corinthians 13 — depicted what true love is and what love is not. It was this reading that caused Ms. Rouse to choke with emotion, bringing her to tears. This made it necessary for her to be supported by two of her peers — former Miss Anguillas Ms. Mekeelah Skellekie and Ms. Olufunmike Banks-Devonish — who rushed to stand beside her, providing comfort, thereby allowing her to complete the reading.
Many tributes were voiced by caring individuals who took to the microphone to express their sentiments regarding such a pitiful loss. One such tribute came from Ms. Palmavon Webster, Leader of the Opposition in the Anguiilla House of Assembly, herself a former Miss Anguilla. She remarked: “Thank you for the opportunity to be able to join with you in solidarity, tonight, at this difficult time when we remember Taitu. It has been a tough week for many of us.
“To her parents, and all of us who remember her beauty, her caring and her love, we realize the incredible person that she was. Taitu represented love, and she had an abundant measure of it. As the scripture told us tonight, ‘love is kind’, and that is what she was — a model of kindness. We are happy to know that she touched our lives, and we will certainly continue to have blessed memories of her.”
Tribute was also given by Mrs. Evalie Bradley, Ministerial Assistant to the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs. She noted that she had met Taitu only three weeks ago, and that she was impressed with her personality after meeting her for the first time. She stated: “Taitu recently made a presentation to the Executive Council in which she was quite articulate and intelligent in her delivery. She seemed to be a wise young lady who had life going in a positive direction, and it grieves us all to see how she was taken away at such a tender age.
“This is a hard time for her parents, family and her loved ones, but I would like to encourage you to find comfort in the promises of God. He is your refuge and He is your strength, and when all else fails you can turn to Him who has promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
One admirable feature of the night was a timely calypso entiled “Enough is Enough” sung by Ms. Fedalia “Shae Shae” Richardson, yet another former Miss Anguilla. She was crowned Miss Calypso Monarch in 2012, the same year that Taitu won the Miss Anguilla (Queen) title. Her song spoke to the threats, abuse and hardships that vulnerable women have to deal with at the hands of insensitive, uncaring and aggressive men. Shae Shae passionately performed her song — flanked by a group of beautiful ladies who were all crowned with the title of Miss Anguilla over recent years.
The closing prayer was offered the President of the Anguilla Evangelical Association, Pastor Philip Gumbs. In it he asked God to bring healing to our country. He prayed that those who harbour feelings of anger, bitterness and hatred in their hearts — those who are contemplating tragically using a knife or a gun — would instead find a haven of peace in the midst of life’s storms, and that peace and safety would prevail on our island.
Following the vigil, The Anguillian took the opportunity to speak with the 2017/18 Miss Anguilla, Ms. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers (Miss Great Britain 2018) to hear her views on the evening’s event. She commented: “First and foremost, this evening was about remembering Taitu as an incredible woman. She had great potential and she was very driven and highly educated. In fact, she had achieved two Masters Degrees and was going on to do great things for Anguilla.
“It is very sorrowful and tragic when someone is taken from us so suddenly, especially in such gruesome circumstances. There are a lot of conversations that need to happen, and continue to happen, so that we can try to prevent anything of this nature from happening again in the future.
“Couples in relationships must learn how to live together without aggression. This event that we organized tonight in remembrance of Taitu, was a stand in solidarity with Taitu’s family — and with all the people who might have fallen victim to such acts of aggression. We hope that this will help to bring the dawn of a new day for Anguilla, and that our young women can feel safe in their relationships — and would never have to ask, ‘what if that was me’”
The walk and candle-light event was organized by the Gender Development Department in the Ministry of Social Development — where Ms. Carencia Rouse is Acting Coordinator — in collaboration with the Miss Anguilla Pageant Committee.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
