Recently, The Anguillian Newspaper conducted an interview with a visiting native, Mrs. Rennetta Lewis-Christian, a young Anguillian currently residing in the United States. Rennetta hails from the village of South Hill, where she lived with her father but, prior to that, she spent many of her formative years living in Long Bay, where she had resided with her mother.
We asked Rennetta to provide us with some background to her upbringing.
“My father’s name is Renford Lewis of South Hill and my mother is Hazell Adams of Long Bay,” she said. “I am the first of my mother’s four children, and I am my father’s only child. During my childhood, I attended the West End School, and had the privilege to be a student there when its name was changed to the Alwyn Allison Richardson Primary School. So I witnessed first-hand that historical change.”
“I was required to move from Long Bay to live in South Hill at an early age. As a result, I had attended both the Emanuel Methodist Church in West End as well as the Bethel Methodist Church in South Hill. I have a great admiration and love for both congregations. In fact, I always will. Both of these churches have instilled in me the importance of family, and they have made me sensitive to my roots with a certain degree of innate consciousness.”
“As I grew, I attended the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School,” Rennetta reflected. “As a student there, I had struggled to excel in my academics because somehow I found the odds were stacked against me as far as achieving meaningful grades was concerned. For all of my subjects I was in Bands 3 or 4, and I felt really academically challenged – somewhat stifled.
“At the age of 15, I was a Fifth Form student. It was then that I left Anguilla and migrated to St. Croix to live with my mother and siblings. In St. Croix, I had done much better in my academic pursuits, but I felt rather homesick for I had missed Anguilla a great deal. Anguilla was to me like a mother. Of course, it is my native homeland, and I have a passionate love for this country. So, to some extent, I suffered mentally from missing home. I really missed Anguilla.
“However, after a while I got accustomed to life in the Virgin Islands, and I managed to settle down in a home away from home. As a result of eventually fitting in, I was able to pick up my learning and carry on with my life. I was soon able to pursue a degree in Communications while in St. Croix, before the opportunity came for me to relocate to the United States.”
Since she has migrated from St. Croix and now lives in the US, we asked Rennetta what was really her mission in life.
She responded: “I had struggled hard to find myself, but by God’s help I was able to make something of my professional self. In St. Croix, after completing my Bachelor’s in Applied Communications, I had continued to develop my love for writing and poetry and I had set a goal to write a book of poems by the age of 21. Well, thank God I did attain that goal. I was happy to publish my first poetry book in 2019. It’s called: “A Girl’s Thoughts in Poetic Art”, and it has been available for some time on Amazon. I was also fortunate, in my struggles, to attain a Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Leadership and a Certificate in Human Resources.”
“It is from this point that my mission was defined. It came out of a great desire and drive that I have to assist CDF students who are struggling in school like I was. My mission is to be here for those children who face challenges in reading and writing.”
I gingerly paused to ask her what is meant by “CDF students”.
She replied: “CDF students are those who are not academically strong – like I was. I would have considered myself a CDF student. My high school report card used to be full of Cs, Ds and Fs. So ‘CDF students’ refers to those who hardly get grades above C, D or F on their exam scores.
“It is my passion to assist these struggling students. I know they can feel disenchanted – like they are left out. I know how they can feel when they can’t get a prize or an award or when they get no recognition, even though they might try hard. I have experienced that feeling. For some time I used to feel that way – feeling less than – like I never could achieve. So, my mission is to work with these students and to see them improve.”
Rennetta was asked by what method she would help these local students, seeing that she is residing in the United States.
“The power of social media keeps me connected. Whether it is Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, I utilize such media to connect with students who need my help,” she said incessantly. “Yes, I do use the net. Over the last six years, I have connected through social media with students who have graduated, and I volunteered to aid them with writing resumés or preparing them for job interviews. I do this pro bono for it gives me a pleasure to stay connected with my people and contribute to their development in whatever way I can, always cognizant of where I came from myself.
As Rennetta specializes in helping children in their reading and writing subjects, we asked her how far she would go in continuing to do this.
Her response was: “Well, naturally, reading and writing go together. If a child reads well, he or she will most likely be a good writer. It is my desire to continue helping children in these areas as long as I possibly can – indefinitely. It is my calling, and I won’t just lay it aside or neglect my duty.
“As long as I have the ability, I will continue to help children with remedial reading and writing. I do video calls and I get a reward from helping to empower struggling students. I am endeavouring to build my base, so that I would be able to offer help both virtually and in-person. Once the opportunity presents itself to set up a physical space for a facility in Anguilla, then I will pursue after it.”
Turning to the island of Anguilla and its development in general, we asked her what was one of her main concerns as she views Anguilla politically.
“Perhaps one of my main concerns is the selfishness of Anguillians who are living overseas and come back home just to vote on Election Day,” she stated, “with airfares provided by one of the contesting parties in the election. They then happily return to their regular country of residence after they would have voted, as if they always resided here in Anguilla. I have had a related experience which taught me that to vote in a national election must be a matter of conscience in every sense of the word.”
“The year 2015, was the first year that I would have been of age to vote in Anguilla,” she explained. “I had turned 18 a couple years prior. At that time I had long been in St. Croix studying for my degree in Communications. When I heard that election was called I thought to myself that I can now vote for the first time. But [when] I read the website I found that it was clear about how long I had to be residing on the island continually before I could qualify.”
“I was getting offers of a trip home to vote from the two major parties,” Rennetta said, “but when I considered it all I determined, ‘No!’ I can’t do this. I am too honest to go to Anguilla just to vote and come back to St. Croix to live – to live with my conscience. I couldn’t take the ticket money. The parties tried to persuade me, but I stood my ground and made up my mind and said ‘No!’”
“My view is that if I live away from Anguilla and I do not reside here for a certain period of time to be aware of the issues that concern the people; if I am not dealing directly with what my people are experiencing, then I should not impel my opinion upon the election process by casting a vote at election time. It is simply not ethical.”
“What comes to mind now is a message I received from one of my friends last Anguilla Day. As a fellow Anguillian, I had sent him an Anguilla Day greeting, and his message in return read: ‘I consider you to be one of Anguilla’s biggest patriots, and I always look forward to how you celebrate and acknowledge your patriotism.’
“You see, patriotism does not need to be bounded by a vote. If I am patriotic, and living away from home, I must be patriotic enough with respect to allowing those who live in Anguilla to have ‘their say’ through ‘their vote’ and not hinder ‘their vote’ by casting mine. That is patriotism.”
“That being said,” she continued, “I am always inspired when young people like myself enter the political arena in Anguilla and endeavour to put the country above themselves. As long as they put themselves and their personal ambitions on the back burner, and as long as they steer the country forward, then I would admire and applaud them.”
“I am a nationalist,” Rennetta said. “You see, I do not get involved in ‘party politics’. I do not support any particular political party. I only support what is right. I know that Anguilla has to develop in one way or another, and I am always eager to sanction those who will come aboard and take the lead in any new administration. I am always interested in new features and fresh characters in Government, as long as they share the same vision, national interests, drive and grit as I do.”
The tide of questioning then turned, as we inquired from Rennetta what her views were in light of the violent gun crimes that have been experienced on the island lately among a certain sector of youth.
She solemnly responded with a comprehensive view: “In my opinion, when young people turn to violence, it’s not just anger, but it’s a cry for help. Through these kinds of crime, I have lost classmates and friendships that never had the chance to grow. It is painful, and we must do whatever it takes to have it stop. We can’t water it down or speak around it. This is real harm with lasting consequences, leaving families broken and communities heavy with grief. No parent should ever have to stand over their child’s grave.
“What is missing is not only jobs or money that our youngsters need. But they need guidance and life skills that many of them were never taught – skills like emotional control, conflict resolution, self-awareness, healthy communication, and sound decision-making. These are the kinds of tools that can stop violence before it starts, but too often, such skills are missing in the spaces where they’re needed most.
“We can in no way justify what is wrong. This kind of crime should cause us to be honest about the gaps and do something meaningful to close them. Our young people don’t need pity nor do they need another lecture. They need someone to show them how to move differently and how to morally lead themselves before life corners them. Efforts to curtail these grievous crimes will take truth, consistency, discipline, and grace. And at this critical juncture, it’s going to take all of us.
On a lighter note, we finally asked Rennetta what was her favourite pastime for leisure when she chances to visit Anguilla.
“Boat-racing!” she exclaimed. “I come from a sailing family like many other Anguillians, and I am one of those Anguillians who can’t swim,” she jovially admitted, “but I really love the water. The water tugs my heart to it, as it were. I admire all the boats, really. They all go together to make the completion worthwhile.”
Asked whether she favours any one boat for the spirit of the competition, she answered: “Well, I used to back the ‘Sonic’, really, but now I support the ‘Real Deal’.”
When asked why the ‘Real Deal’, Rennetta answered: “I have a very strong connection to the Real Deal, for one peculiar reason. Most of my family actually sails on the Sonic, but the Real Deal, indeed, has an alignment with who I am. This boat is characterized by people who have the same vision and the Real Deal is goal oriented like me.
