Cabinet Approves $350K for Long Look Freedom Celebration

Cabinet has approved $350,000 to support the upcoming commemoration celebration of the 250th Anniversary of Freedom at Nottingham Estate in Long Look.

According to a recent Cabinet report, the funding was allocated in the 2026 Budget to facilitate a series of activities marking the historic milestone in the East End/Long Look community.

“...That funding in the amount of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($350,000.00) was allocated in the 2026 Budget Estimate,” the report stated.

The funds will be used to support an opening ceremony, church observances, a heritage parade, commemorative concert, lecture series, gala event, commemorative booklet and the production of a documentary.

The government has declared June 30 a public holiday in observance of the 250th anniversary of Freedom at Nottingham Estate.

According to the Government Information Service (GIS), the celebration is being organised through a partnership between the Government of the Virgin Islands and the Long Look Heritage Group.

The commemoration aims to honour the struggle, resilience and legacy of those who gained their freedom in the Long Look community, while highlighting the historical significance of Nottingham Estate in the Territory's journey toward emancipation.

History

In 1776, 25 enslaved persons, later to be known as the Long Look Free People, paid Samuel and Mary Nottingham £5 to reclaim their freedom. The Free People were later gifted the Long Look estate in 1782 by the Nottinghams in order to build a community and to sustain themselves.

The Free People earned the money to purchase their freedom from the sales of livestock, produce from their provision-grounds and crafts products, and hiring themselves out when Long Look, a cotton estate was in its offseason. When they were gifted the estate, they operated it as a cotton estate until the 1820s, after which they switched fully to farming of ground provisions and livestock rearing. Other economic activities were huckstering, boatbuilding, and fishing.

Up to the end of apprenticeship period in 1838, Long Look existed as a free black village in the midst of enslaved plantations. The planter community did not favour Long Look as they viewed it as "injurious to their interests". However, the Free People transitioned the Long Look estate to the Long Look village, making collective decisions for the mutual benefits of all. They built a community which attracted other free and enslaved persons and became a center for families, landowners, artisans, and entrepreneurs.

Long Look whether as an estate or a village has been in existence for over 300 years (since 1713) and in its various stages, Long Look and the Long Look Free People (since 1776) have contributed significantly to the heritage of the Virgin Islands. Long Look served and continues to serve as a beacon of hope.