Fellow Jamaicans,
Today we commemorate one of the most profound and defining moments in our history. On the first day of August 1838, that is 188 years ago, our people awoke to a new reality. The brutal institution of chattel slavery, which had denied generations their humanity, their liberty and the fruits of their labour, had finally come to an end.
Emancipation was not bestowed as an act of benevolence or charity. It was won through extraordinary courage, sacrifice and resistance. It was secured by men and women whose names history has not always recorded, but whose determination changed the course of our nation’s history forever.
This year’s national theme, “United in Celebrating Resilience” is therefore fitting, as it reflects the time-tested resilience which has defined our national character from inception.
It is reflected in the resilience of the enslaved who endured the unimaginable horrors of enslavement without surrendering their dignity. It is borne out in the resilience of our National Heroes, Nanny of the Maroons, Samuel Sharpe, Paul Bogle, George William Gordon, Marcus Garvey, Norman Washington Manley and Sir. Alexander Bustamante, and indeed so many others who, in different ways and across generations, challenged injustice and expanded the boundaries of freedom for those who would follow.
The resilience that defines Jamaica is not only the ability to survive hardship. It is the determination to transform hardship into hope, adversity into opportunity, and injustice into righteousness. It gives us the courage to believe that tomorrow can be better than today, and it is the source of our willingness to work together to make that vision a reality.
