- "UNTIL JUSTICE IS BLIND TO COLOUR, UNTIL
EDUCATION IS UNAWARE OF RACE, UNTIL OPPORTUNITY IS UNCONCERNED WITH COLOUR OF
MEN'S SKINS, EMANCIPATION WILL BE A PROCLAMATION BUT NOT A FACT." ~ LYNDON
B. JOHNSON.
TODAY is Emancipation day – a day when St Lucians,
in particular, African St Lucians, observe the ending of chattel slavery and
the dawn of freedom from servitude. Rayneau Group of Companies Ltd takes
this opportunity to join the government in saluting our African St Lucian brothers and sisters as they
celebrate with the rest of St Lucia what is easily the most important day on
their calendar and by extension the St Lucian calendar.
August 1, 1834, marked the end of slavery in the
Caribbean and in some countries August 1 is observed as a national holiday. All
across the Caribbean— in St Lucia, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana,
Dominica, Grenada, all the islands — there will be tributes to our ancestors,
church services, and street processions to observe the end of this very dark
period in our history.
August 1, 2022 marks 184 years since the
proclamation of full freedom for Africans in the British colonies. Emancipation
Day is a way for people of African descent in the Caribbean to remind
themselves of the struggle for freedom.
It was not until 1834 that slavery was
actually abolished on Saint Lucia. Even after slavery was officially abolished,
all former slaves had to serve a four-year ‘apprenticeship’ which forced them
to work for free for their former slave masters for at least three-quarters of
the work week, meaning final freedom did not come until 1838. Full freedom
for enslaved Africans in St Lucia was not achieved until August 1, 1838.
Emancipation Day was first
"established," after the British Parliament passed the Slave
Emancipation Act in 1833 banning its policy of enslaving and transporting
Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean islands.
On August 28, 1833, the bill for the abolition of
slavery in the British dominions received the royal assent. It stated:
- Be
it enacted, that all and every one of the persons who on the first day of
August one thousand eight hundred and thirty four, shall be holden in
slavery within such British colony as aforesaid, shall, upon and from and
after the said first day of August, one thousand eight hundred and
thirty-four, become and be to all intents and purposes free and discharged
from all manner of slavery, and shall be absolutely and forever
manumitted.
The passage of this bill in the British Parliament
in England led to the emancipation of slavery in all British colonies,
including St Lucia, on August 1, 1834.
The bill's passage immediately transformed thousands of enslaved Africans who
were six years and older into apprentices with the intention of manumission in
1838 for former household enslaved Africans and 1840 for those who worked in
the field. All children six years and under were to be made free immediately.
In 1998, members of parliament unanimously voted
to designate August 1, Emancipation Day as a public holiday in Saint Lucia - It had been recognized on the first
Monday in August. The introduction of Emancipation Day as a holiday provides
the opportunity for us to reflect on the journey of our ancestors in their
struggle for freedom. As Bob Marley sings, "If you know
your history, then you would know where you coming from". An
understanding of our past and the experiences of our ancestors is important as
we continue to build our country.
Not much has changed in the lives of the children
of the slaves since Emancipation from our 400-year-long nightmare. We keep the
hope that we can completely free ourselves of the shackles that were once on
our feet.
Today, Rayneau Group of Companies Ltd joins our
brothers and sisters in the Caribbean in remembering the pain of slavery,
vowing that no one will ever put us in chains again. We keep the hope for a
better future for our children.
As we celebrate another Emancipation anniversary, let us as a nation redouble our efforts to wipe away the blood and tears of slavery and make Emancipation a reality of Freedom, Equality and Justice for the sons and daughters of the enslaved and for all St Lucians regardless of race, ethnicity and culture.
Happy Emancipation Day to all of our customers, clients, and by extension all
St Lucians, both here and in the diaspora!
Shop with us today! Our stores are conveniently located in Corinth 450-7247, Vide Bouteille 450-7246, Monchy 450-7248, or Babonneau 450-5759. Check out our website and you can also follow us on FaceBook
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