23 Nov “The Unbreakable Virgin Islanders” Offer Inspiration At East Coast Debut

Katherine Nails admits that like many Americans she knew very little about her fellow countrymen in the US Virgin Islands.

That, of course, was before viewing the “Paradise Discovered: The Unbreakable Virgin Islanders” at the film’s East Coast debut at the University of Delaware.

“The film taught me a lot about US citizens that I knew nothing about,” says Nails a graduating senior who serves as managing editor of the college paper alongside writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Nails was among the many students, professors and other civic leaders who packed inside Kirkbride Hall for the highly anticipated screening, part of the university’s journalism program Front Page Cafe series sponsored by Delaware Humanities. The film’s director Peter Bailey is a graduate of the university’s journalism program.

After debuting on Bailey’s native St. Thomas on his birthday back in September, Unbreakable made its US mainland debut at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. The screening marked the first time a chapter in Virgin Islands history was ever showcased at the nation’s most prestigious film school.

Sharifa Paul, a high school classmate of Peter Bailey drove down from Philadelphia for the screening.

Unbreakable is based on Bailey’s New York Times’ Op Ed “Has America Forgotten the Virgin Islands?” which he wrote while building a make-shift roof. The film paints a personal portrait of Bailey alongside his family and other Virgin Islanders’ struggle to take care of each other in the aftermath of surviving both hurricanes Irma and Maria. The tragedy marked the first time in history two category 5 storms struck the same place in less than two weeks. The film is part of Bailey’s “Paradise Discovered” series capturing the voices of Caribbean hurricane survivors. The first film from the series, “The Anguilla Connection”, debuted on the island of Anguilla in July.

Bailey has dedicated this most recent film to his late father Joseph Bailey, who passed away on September 3 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s.

“Unbreakable is the story of how we as a community gave each other light when nature and the rest of the world left us darkness,” says Bailey.

That reality struck a familiar chord with Virgin Islanders in attendance.

“I laughed. I cried and identified. Someone is finally telling our story,” said an emphatic Sharifa Paul, a high school classmate of Bailey’s who drove down from Philadelphia for the event.

Legendary journalism professor Dennis Jackson who Bailey credits as his mentor in helping to inspire his journalism career. Shortly after the hurricanes, Deborah Gump, the university’s current journalism program chair contacted Bailey to offer her residence to displaced hurricane survivors.

“I’ve considered the folks at UD to be family. The storms have strengthened that bond,” says Bailey.

Nails agreed.

“Tragedy I think brings out the best and worst in people. You learn that for the Virgin Islanders tragedy brought out the best in their community,” she said.

Watch Peter Bailey’s full Front Page Cafe lecture: