In a message to the Anguilla, Nevis and St. Kitts Associations Reunion, US Senator, Hillary Clinton, wrote that the United States thrived “on diversity and individuals from the three islands have made many contributions to New York State and the nation as a whole.”

That comment made the nationals of the three islands really happy as they met last weekend in their reunion ceremonies at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Long Island, New York. It gave them a feeling of being appreciated for their service to that great nation which for them, and many, has been “the land of opportunity” and better living.

Anyone who attended the ANSAR activities (see reports elsewhere in this issue) could not but admire the gay abandonment, fellowship, commitment and zeal with which the nationals went about their patriotic business. They are for the most part academic and professional people, true role models and ambassadors extraordinary. Their ties to their homelands remain unbroken and fierce and they make their leaders and people proud of them.

The nationals came from various parts of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and on the European continent. Taken together, they are a powerful and influential people and are obviously highly thought of wherever they live and work. The reunion has been a real blessing to all of them, a time of fellowship and love. The reunion transcends the politics of the islands and certainly the Anguilla Revolution which left St. Kitts and Nevis as a two-island federation, has no part in the affairs and unity of the Anguilla, Nevis and St. Kitts associations.

The leaders and people of the three islands must remember their nationals abroad and keep them abreast of events in their homelands. The ties are important to both sides. There is much to be gained from that bond and from the help and publicity the nationals can give their islands on the international scene or the assistance they can provide for their people back home.

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