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COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, VETERANS AFFAIRS AND CONSUMER PROTECTION BILL NO. 36-0333 Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Virgin Islands July 21, 2026 An act renaming Queen Street in the town of Christiansted, Queen Street in the town of Frederiksted, and Custom House Street in Frederiksted in honor of the Queens of the Fireburn of 1878 PROPOSED BY: Senator Clifford A. Joseph, Sr. Sponsor: Angel L. Bolques, Jr. WHEREAS, on July 3, 1848, enslaved Africans led by Moses “General Buddhoe” 1 Gottlieb on St. Croix rebelled against the brutal system of chattel slavery and the deceptive 2 “gradual emancipation” plan enforced by the Danish Crown in the Danish West Indies; and 3 WHEREAS, over 9,000 enslaved people marched on Fort Frederik in Frederiksted, 4 demanding immediate freedom or threatening to burn the town; and 5 WHEREAS, Danish Governor-General Peter von Scholten, shocked and overwhelmed, 6 granted the demand, declaring all enslaved people in the Danish West Indies free; and 7 WHEREAS, in 1849, interim Danish Governor General Peder Hansen drafted and 8 decreed the Labor Act of 1849 to appease plantation owners; and 9 WHEREAS, King Frederik VII of Denmark and Danish Prime Minister Anders S. 10 Orsted ratified the Labor Law of 1849, which bound the formerly enslaved to one-year 11 2 contracts on plantations, and only permitted the formerly enslaved to change employers or 1 renegotiate terms once a year on October 1; and 2 WHEREAS, on October 1, 1878, estate laborers on St. Croix organized a protest against 3 the plantation owners, protesting their systematic economic exploitation and the plantation 4 owners’ refusal to repeal the labor law; and 5 WHEREAS, from October 1, 1878 to October 5, 1878, the protest escalated when 6 houses, sugar mills, sugar fields, and stores on approximately 50 plantations on St. Croix were 7 burned down; over half the town of Frederiksted was burned down, as well as mid-island and 8 some parts of what is now known as Christiansted, with the intention of burning all the way 9 east to Bassin Jailhouse; and 10 WHEREAS, Mary Thomas, Axeline “Agnes” Elizabeth Salomon, Mathilda McBean, 11 and Susanna Abramsen served as strategic organizers and leaders of the 1878 rebellion, leading 12 agricultural workers across St. Croix; and 13 WHEREAS, the women used traditional chants, songs, and visual symbols to unite the 14 workers, instill courage, and break the psychological fear of the Danish military; leading and 15 participating in the systematic burning of sugar cane fields, mills, and estate houses; and 16 WHEREAS, immediately after the Labor Uprising of 1878, widely known as 17 “Fireburn”, martial law was declared during which over 400 laborers were arrested and tried, 18 including Mary Thomas, Axeline “Agnes” Elizabeth Salomon, Mathilda McBean, and Susanna 19 Abramsen; and 20 WHEREAS, on June 19, 1882, Mary Thomas, Agnes Salomon, Susanna Abramsen and 21 Mathilde McBean were transferred to Christianshavn women’s prison in Copenhagen, 22 Denmark to complete their sentences; and 23 3 WHEREAS, in 1886, Susanna Abramsen was repatriated to St. Croix to serve the 1 remainder of her life sentence in local custody; and 2 WHEREAS, in 1887, Mary Thomas, Agnes Salomon, and Mathilda McBean were 3 repatriated to St. Croix to finish their life sentences under local custody; and 4 WHEREAS, Mary Thomas, Axeline “Agnes” Salomon, Mathilde McBean, and Susanna 5 Abramson are recognized as the “Queens of the Fireburn” for their role in the 1878 Labor 6 Uprising; and 7 WHEREAS, Act No. 7158 established Fireburn Day, commemorated in public schools 8 on October 1; and 9 WHEREAS, Act No. 8543 mandates the erection of a monument honoring and 10 commending the Fireburn Queens and the other estate laborers involved in the Labor Uprising 11 of 1878; and 12 WHEREAS, the thoroughfare connecting Frederiksted and Christiansted is named the 13 Queen Mary Highway in honor of Mary Thomas; Now, Therefore, 14 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: 15 SECTION 1. (a) Queen Street in the town of Christiansted is renamed the “Axeline 16 "Queen Agnes” Elizabeth Salomon Street”; 17 (b) Queen Street in the town of Frederiksted is renamed the “Mathilda “Queen 18 Mathilda” McBean Street”; and 19 (c) Custom House Street in the town of Frederiksted is renamed the “Susanna “Queen 20 Susanna” Abramsen Street”. 21 SECTION 2. The Department of Public Works shall erect street signage bearing the 22 names of the streets in section 1 and a plaque with the respective queen’s biography, at both 23 ends of the streets. 24 4 SECTION 3. (a) Notwithstanding the use restrictions in 33 V.I.C §3087(a), there is 1 appropriated in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, the sum of $30,000 from the St. 2 Croix Capital Improvement Fund to the Virgin Islands Department of Public Works to erect 3 the appropriate street signage and plaques. 4 (b) The funds appropriated in subsection (a) remain available until expended. 5 BILL SUMMARY 6 This bill honors the Queens of the Fireburn of 1878 by renaming Queen Street in the 7 town of Christiansted, the “Axeline “Queen Agnes” Elizabeth Salomon Street”; Queen Street 8 in the town of Frederiksted, the “Mathilda “Queen Mathilda” McBean Street”; and Custom 9 House Street in the town of Frederiksted, the “Susanna “Queen Susanna” Abramsen Street”. 10 This bill also appropriates $30,000 from the St. Croix Capital Improvement Fund to the Virgin 11 Islands Department of Public Works to erect the appropriate street signage and plaques. 12 BR26-1211/July 13, 2026/GC 13