The Bryant Youth Professionals perform at the Reichhold Center.



Nartel Green Scholarship, a Gift to the Future



or 30 years, educator and com-

F munity activist Nartel Green



made her home on St. Croix,

where she established a reputation

as a professional and caring school

guidance counselor and a champion

of anyone in need. Not even death

could make her forget the countless

numbers of island youth whose lives

she touched - or her mission to open

the world to them.



She made sure to leave a legacy of



opportunity behind her.



This year, that gift will benefit a

student at the University of the Vir-

gin Islands with a one-year scholar-



ship.



“This was part of her will,” Green's

sister, Jean Patton, explained. “Nartel

was not a wealthy woman (but) she

cared deeply about people, and about

opportunity for black people ... She

was sensitive to injustice ... She was

especially supportive of women’s is-

sues, and she liked young people. It



just made sense to do what she did.”



The M. Nartel Green Endowed

Scholarship is funded by a bequest

of $24,000. In its first year, it will

provide $1,250 for the scholarship

recipient, but as the endowment in-

vestment grows, so will the award.

The scholarship is open to an African

American female, in her sophomore



year or above, in any field of study.



It is a one-year award, but recipients



may re-apply for subsequent years.



The remembrance booklet pub-

lished for Green's memorial gives

eloquent testimony to her presence

on St. Croix, where, in the words of

former Gov. Charles Turnbull, “she

worked to improve the status of the

society by providing educational op-

portunities for our students.”



Over the years, she served as a

counselor at several public schools on

the island, including Central High

School, where she mentored students

and was instrumental in helping un-

derprivileged youth get assistance to

attend college.



Colleagues and friends also re-

member her as someone who spoke

out against inequality and injustice

and involved herself in social and cul-

tural issues.



A charter member of the American

Counseling Association of the Virgin

Islands, Green was respected as a pro-

fessional, and a pioneer in the field in

the Virgin Islands.



She was active in a number of or-

ganizations, including the African

Family Union, Phi Delta Kappa so-

rority, and the Caribbean Association

for Feminist Research (CAFRA).



In the memorial booklet celebrat-

ing Green’s life, Margaret Gill, then

chairwoman of CAFRA, lauded



her for her “endurance, hard work,



style and creativity in service to the

regional women’s movement.” On

behalf of the African Family Union,

Margo Oyake thanked Green for her

service and support. She noted that

Green joined the group soon after it

was started, in 1994, and was active

in supporting all of its activities, in-

cluding African Liberation Day cel-



ebrations.



Before settling in St. Croix, Green

had proved herself a citizen of the

world. She served in the Peace Corps

in Brazil, lived in Spain, in Africa

and in South America, and traveled

widely in Europe and throughout the

Caribbean. She even made a trip to

Cuba while it was still closed to most

Americans. Much of her travel was in

the cause of social justice.



Family and friends found it most



fitting that her last act, before being

struck by sudden, fatal illness, was to

attend an AIDS conference in the



Dominican Republic.



Patton said she and her other

sisters all looked up to Green, who

was the eldest. Her first name was



“Mary” but she never used it.



“Nartel is a more interesting name

and it suits her,” Patton said. “She

had a flair for life and she had an en-

ergy. She tended to be a leader.”



She also thought ahead and

planned for a way to continue her

life’s work of helping others. Now

her generosity of spirit will reach

into the future.



Nartel Green