ON November 26, 1962, women in The Bahamas voted for the very first time. It was an occasion that will forever be etched in the annals of Bahamian history.
When women in The Bahamas voted, the majority of the people, for the first time, had a collective say about the affairs of their country. Women represented the majority of households in the country. They represented their families, their communities, and they represented the interests of the people of The Bahamas. This empowering act by women, allowed the people of The Bahamas to have greater control over their destiny. This weekend marked 60 years since that day - one that dramatically changed the trajectory of this country.
This day was inevitable. Countries all around the world were changing. The suffrage movement was making its presence felt from country to country, and The Bahamas was no exception.
In 1951, Mary Ingraham and Mabel Walker sponsored petitions to the House of Assembly for the right to vote. They were members of the Civil Liberties Committee of the Curfew Elks Lodge, and they were also members of the Star of The Eastern Lodge of Samaritans. They were no strangers to community activism.
There were many Suffragists who made a difference. Dame Doris Johnson, a social and political activist, joined the Women’s Suffrage Movement in 1958 when she returned to Nassau from university in America.
By 1959, her passion and oratorical skills moved many as she addressed Parliament: “Mr Speaker and members of the Honourable House of Assembly, the Women’s Suffrage Movement speaks today on behalf of over fifty-four thousand women; more than one half of the total adult population of our islands. The women of The Bahamas have been awakened to their responsibilities and duties as citizens for many generations, and in the last thirty or thirty-five years, women have vigorously carried out their duties and responsibilities in a manner comparable to those performed by the women of any highly civilised country.”
Suffragist Eugenia Lockhart travelled to London with Doris Johnson, and Sir Henry Milton Taylor in 1960 to present the case for universal adult suffrage to the Secretary of State to the Colonies. Sir Henry Taylor is a co-founder of the Progressive Liberal Party. He, along with Sir Lynden O Pindling and Sir Milo B Butler travelled to London in 1956 to discuss political conditions in the colony. With the help of women, they helped to usher in a new era in Bahamian politics.
In 1961, Parliament passed Legislation to enable women to vote and sit in the legislature of The Bahamas. In the 1962 General Election, women voted for the first time. By 1967, black women had organised themselves into a voting bloc. This propelled the Progressive Liberal Party to victory and ushered in Majority rule.
When the legislation was passed allowing women to vote, it had to be followed with the proper processes and procedures to accommodate an increase in the voting population of The Bahamas. Eligible voters - including women - were called to register.
The very first woman to register was honoured this past weekend in a special gala affair, commemorating 60 years of women voting in The Bahamas.
The Progressive Liberal Party hosted a Gala Ball in her honour at the Baha Mar resort on Saturday, November 26.
A day later, the Department of Gender and Family Affairs, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, hosted a Memory March at the Southern Recreation Grounds, attracting scores of men and women representing a wide range of organisations throughout the country.
Ruby Ann Cooper-Darling was not only the first woman to register to vote in The Bahamas, she was also the first black woman to work in the reservations office at the Balmoral Hotel.
One to break glass ceilings and forge a path for other women to succeed in her country, Ruby Ann became one of the first women to offer herself as a candidate for an election. She is an ordained Minister, counsellor, former Senator, former Member of Parliament, and a Sunday School teacher.
Kathryn Campbell records Ruby Ann’s recollection of the moments that led up to her history-making act: “The Lord said, ‘Ruby, they fought for it and you’re the one to get the prize [the opportunity to register to vote]. You better be there because I made you 21 years old on Friday. When Monday comes you better be the person to put your name there so that you can capture the prize for those who fought so valiantly for it.”
Even at the tender age of 21, Ruby Ann understood the assignment. She grew up in the fear of God, love for herself and humanity, and an attitude of service above self.
She was born on June 28, 1941, to the late Reverend Reuben E Cooper and Florence Cooper. As a prominent Baptist minister and freedom fighter in the struggle for Majority Rule, Rev Cooper paved the way for his daughter to carry the baton for the people.
Ruby Ann praises the heroic acts of suffragists such as Dame Doris and Mrs Lockhart, as well as others, like Mabel Walker, Mary Ingraham, Georgiana Symonette, Althea Mortimer and Albertha Isaacs.
As The Bahamas gears up to celebrate its golden anniversary of Independence in 2023, let history record that trailblazing women like Roby Ann moved swiftly into action in nation building.
Independence occurred on July 10, 1973, and just a year later, Ruby Ann ran as an independent candidate in the St Barnabas constituency. In 1982, she was appointed a Senator and served in that capacity for five years.
By the 1987 General Elections, she was ready to vye for a seat again. She ran and was elected as the Member of Parliament for the George Town/Ragged Island constituency on the Progressive Liberal Party ticket.
But politics is just one aspect of Ruby Ann’s colourful and ambitious life. After her days of breaking barriers at the hotel, she moved on to work for Oxyquip company in Oakes Field. Later, she became manager of the business department of Prince William High School.
Time has not slowed down her passion for people and country. She has selflessly served to help establish and maintain a number of national institutions, including the Urban Renewal Commission and the Willie Mae Pratt Centre for Girls.
Ruby Ann even has a career in media that gives her a national voice on matters that are important to her. She once hosted the popular Radio Show “The Baptist Hour” that had a successful trek for many years. She has a long-standing column in The Nassau Guardian newspaper, which she still publishes to this day.
In 1995, Ruby Ann became an ordained Minister of the Gospel and thereafter, she eventually became a Justice of the Peace and a marriage officer, allowing her to touch many lives and even bless unions.
In 2017, Ruby Ann received the Legacy Award from the prominent Women of Colour... Women on the Move celebrations, which highlight black women of excellence making a global impact.
Ruby has gained local and international awards and accolades; but she remains humble, stating that she simply remains a humble servant, listening to the Lord’s call to blaze her own trail in life, and impact others for the better.
Ruby Ann is the mother of three: twins Dwight and Dawn, and Odessa. She also has six grandchildren: Nia, Joshua, Ashley, and twins Faith and David.