Speaking Truth to Power

We knew this week would be difficult, just like last time. Shock and awe, poorly written executive orders, attempts to fire civil servants. But there was a shining moment of bravery in all of it, when Episcopalian Bishop the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde stayed true to her faith.

Addressing the January 21, 2025, Interfaith Service of Prayer at the National Cathedral, she prayed for unity, the kind “that fosters community across diversity and division. A unity that serves the common good.” She described unity’s three foundations: honoring the inherent dignity of every human being, honesty in private conversation and public discourse, and humility “which we all need.” And she asked the new president to “have mercy” on the very people he has already targeted.[1] Spoken with a soft smile and in a calm voice, her words offended the minority who support this regime but inspired many more.

Over ninety years ago, a Black woman spoke her truth to a president: in July 1934, Ella Gift “outwitted police” stationed by the Virgin Islands governor “to prevent a demonstration” of the Suffragist League.[2] Gift handed President Franklin D. Roosevelt a fourteen-point complaint against the governor.[3] Her plea was simple: “Oust [Governor] Pearson and give us a Negro governor. We are begging you for a new deal.”[4] A year later, President Roosevelt appointed a new acting governor, followed by several others.[5]

She was born in about 1882 in the Virgin Islands, just a few years after a labor revolt by formerly enslaved people protesting continued slave-like work conditions.[6] A year before her encounter with President Roosevelt, Ella Gift advocated for a return to Navy rule over the U.S. Virgin Islands, as the “Navy gave people employment.”[7] Ella Gift may have advocated for government change, but she also smuggled alcohol into the Virgin Islands during Prohibition, which inspired a folk song about her methods.[8]

She later fought against false depictions of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, writing against “the ‘reporter’ in an American paper” who claimed there were “Bands of Wild Children Rov[ing] Virgin Islands.”[9] She vigorously defended the island and its care of children: “There are only 25 destitute children according to the statement of the Commissioner of Public Welfare. St. Thomas should be able to take care of them.”[10]

Bishop Budde calmly prayed for unity, honesty, and mercy, knowing the anger that would follow. Ella Gift fearlessly stood for truth and change, even when a governor blocked path.

Be brave. Be a Bishop Budde. Be an Ella Gift. Stand true to your principles and speak out, while you still can.

[1] The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, Sermon, Washington National Cathedral (21 January 2025), minutes :45–54, 8:05–10:35, 12:49–12:57; YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwwaEuDeqM8). It was the only the last statement that splashed across social media, but all of her words are worth hearing. All websites were accessed 25 January 2025.

[2] “Woman Slips Past Guards, Hands F.D. 14-Point Protest,” The Afro American (Baltimore, Maryland), 14 July 1934, p. 1, col. 5; imaged, OldNews (www.oldnews.com).

Other reporting makes it unclear whether Gift slipped past police, but it is clear she used a bit of subterfuge to deliver her message: other papers reported that a first letter had been previewed by Secret Service; she handed President Roosevelt a second letter she had protected from scrutiny. “F.D. ‘Understands’ Islanders Request for Native Rule,” The Spokesman (San Francisco, California), 26 July 1934, p. 1, col. 3; imaged, Internet Archive (archive.org/details/spokesman71934161935sanf/page/n19). “Virgin Islanders Hail Roosevelt,” The New York Times, 15 July 1934, p. 8, cols. 4-5; imaged, Internet Archive (archive.org/details/sim_new-york-times_1934-07-15_83_27931/page/n57/).

[3] “Woman Slips Past Guards,” The Afro American (Baltimore, Maryland), 14 July 1934, p. 1, col. 5.

[4] “F.D. ‘Understands’ Islanders Request for Native Rule,” The Spokesman (San Francisco, California), 26 July 1934, p. 1, col. 3.

[5] Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_governors_of_the_United_States_Virgin_Islands), “Governors to the U.S. Virgin Islands,” revised 22:36, 30 November 2024. It was not until 1946 that a president appointed a Black governor; William H. Hastie was the first. Ibid. In 1970, the U.S. Virgin Islands began electing its governors, rather than having them appointed by the president. Ibid.

[6] In 1930, she was enumerated as 47 and single. 1930 U.S. census, King, Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, enumeration district (ED) 21, sheet 13A, dwelling 73, family 446, Ella Gift; imaged, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R8F-9C1).

It appears she lived her last days in an elder care home. “Dept. of Welfare Toured by Gov. With Comm. Klint,” The St. Croix (Virgin Islands) Avis, 18 October 1963,  p. 4, col. 3–4; imaged, Chronicling America (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84037526/1963-10-18/ed-1/seq-4/). An obituary was not found. OldNews.com, Newspapers.com and NewspaperArchive were searched for records her death in 1964; Chronicling America’s image sets end in 1963.

The United States purchased the islands from Denmark in 1916 for $25 million in gold. Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Islands), revised 12:34, 18 January 2025.

For information on the post-slavery era in the Danish West Indies (as the land was referred to then), see Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_West_Indies), revised 19:42, 18 January 2025.

[7] “Local,” St. Croix (Virgin Islands) Avis, 6 Apr 1933, p. 1, col. 2; imaged, OldNews (www.oldnews.com).

[8] Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Gifft), “Ella Gifft,” revised 13:56, 13 July 2024. The entry clarifies that her name was variously spelled with one “f” or two.

[9] “Local,” St. Croix (Virgin Islands) Avis, 14 May 1933, p. 1, col. 2; imaged, OldNews (www.oldnews.com).

[10] Ibid.