When students from the St. Croix Educational Complex unveiled their artwork Wednesday night at Fort Frederik Museum, they weren’t just sharing self-portraits and digital collages—they were honoring the legacy of David Hamilton Jackson, whose fight for civil rights reshaped life in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The display is part of the fifth annual educational art project and exhibition launched by the Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums (DLAM) in November 2021 to honor the legacy of David Hamilton Jackson and his monumental contributions to civil rights in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The exhibition featured pieces created under the instruction of art teacher Danica David and English teacher Cleone Lynch.
Born on St. Croix in 1884, Jackson fought for freedom of the press, voting rights, higher wages, workers’ rights, and founded the St. Croix Labor Union. Students first studied his life and leadership before creating artwork inspired by his advocacy and the broader struggle for civil rights during a time of deep racial inequality in the territory. Through symbolic imagery, storytelling, and reflection on leadership qualities such as bravery, honesty, and vision, they connected Jackson’s legacy to their own identities and values.
Lynch said the project helped her students strengthen both knowledge and identity. “Through their work, whether academic research, poetry, or visual art, my students deepened their understanding of our past and strengthened their sense of identity. I always tell them that while we celebrate athletic achievements, academic competition carries the same importance. I push them to challenge themselves, participate, and be engaged,” she shared.
Among the featured works was a digital piece by eleventh grader Daija Hall, who used two opposing heads to symbolize the relationship between past and future, with an egg representing the tension and merging of both timelines. She used color symbolically: blue for freedom and loyalty, red for danger and passion, purple for its beauty, and green for nurture and growth. She tilted her piece The Paradox.
Another student, Wayne Cherubin Jr., transformed a selfie into a historical style portrait inspired by Jackson’s dedication, aiming to reflect the continued importance of hard work and advocacy.
DLAM Chief Curator Monica Marin explained that the initiative began in 2021 as a youth empowerment project encouraging students to become agents of change within their community. The goal, she said, is to help young people use their voices through art, research, and poetry to take a stand on issues affecting the Virgin Islands.
This year’s focus on symbolic self-portraits began with students learning about Jackson’s life through a presentation by Marin. They identified leadership traits they felt embodied his activism and incorporated those qualities into their creative work. Students took selfies and used AI tools to reimagine themselves in Jackson’s era, pairing the images with personal statements.
Marin noted that this is the fifth annual exhibit, an initiative that encourages students to step into their own power just as Jackson once did. She also gave special acknowledgement to Stephanie Chalana Brown, the Education Department’s Territorial Director of the Division of Cultural Education, for her contributions and support of the program.
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