Some residents of Greenland fear that the United States will treat their territory the same way it treated the Virgin Islands, which were purchased from Denmark in 1917 and have been used by the U.S. military. The story draws parallels between the historic acquisition of the Danish West Indies-now the U.S. Virgin Islands-and the current negotiations between President Donald Trump and Denmark over Greenland. Residents of the Caribbean islands, many of whom have Danish place names and heritage, have never had a voice in the sale of their land. Stephanie Chalana Brown, a visual historian of Afro‑Caribbean descent, warns that if Greenland is handed over to the U.S. without consultation, its people may lose their identity and autonomy. Brown recalls her ancestors were enslaved and sold by Danish colonial powers, and she fears a repeat of that history for Greenland’s inhabitants. The article highlights that the U.S. bought the Virgin Islands for $25 million in gold in 1917 and has used them as a strategic military base. It also notes that Woodrow Wilson acquired the islands during World War I to secure trade routes and counter German influence, a strategy echoed by Trump’s rhetoric in the current Greenland talks. The concern is that Greenland could undergo a similar process of “Americanisation” without local input, echoing the historical experience of the Virgin Islands and their people.

Original article can be found here.