ST. CROIX — Thursday’s Transfer Day Commemoration, in its 99th year, had more attendees than usual, and for many reasons: dignitaries from the U.S. mainland and Denmark — Dept. of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell,\u00a0Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas Esther Kia’aina, and Consul General of Denmark Anne Dorte Reggelsen — were present, and 44 residents born in various parts of the world pledged allegiance to the U.S. flag as they became citizens of the country.<\/p>\n
So it was day filled with profound joy made evident by the cheers that filled a tent erected at\u00a0Fort Christiansvaern. But it was also a day for the territory to begin contemplating how it wants to move forward, according to Ms. Jewell, who clearly stated that the Virgin Islands could choose to remain part of the U.S. or seek independence.<\/p>\n
“As you look to your centennial, as you look to the next hundred years, what would you like to be? What would you like for the Virgin Islands? Do you want to continue to be a U.S. territory as you are today with the opportunities and yes, the challenges, that comes with that? Or do you want to move towards statehood with the challenges and opportunities that come there? Do you as a people want to become an entirely new country represented in the United Nations with the opportunities and certainly the challenges that come there?<\/p>\n