Prime Minister recognizes forefathers & ancestors during Emancipation Day Activities

“Says a final decision on the Emilio Wilson Estate and the cleanup and zoning of the Great Salt Pond need to take shape to fully recognize all that is proclaimed on Emancipation Day”


The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams joined His Excellency the Governor of St. Maarten Drs. Eugene Holiday, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs Ms. Sylveria Jacobs, the President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell and various other dignitaries and officials for the first celebration of Emancipation Day on St. Maarten.

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The activities commemorating Emancipation Day started with the 149th Anniversary Ecumenical Service at the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church followed by wreath laying ceremonies at the statues of One Tete Lohkay and the Freedom Fighters. Activities continued with a Cultural Parade that ended by the Courthouse and subsequent addresses by the Minister of Culture Ms. Sylveria Jacobs, the Prime Minister, the President of Parliament Ms. Gracita Arrindell and by his Excellency Governor Holiday. The Celebration of Emancipation Day ended with cultural manifestations at the Salt Pickers roundabout.
The Prime Minister stated that for several decades successive governments, private individuals and the people of St. Maarten have been requesting and longing for the recognition of Emancipation Day:
“I stand still as I recognize the efforts of those members of our society who have kept the flame burning for Emancipation Day, those who, holiday or not, celebrated the commemoration of July 1st every year. The most important observance in my opinion however comes from those who have gone to great lengths to research, document and transmit our history, a history that is as colorful as a patch quilt,” commented the Prime Minister during her official address.
“There is no denying that the importation of men and women to our island in the 17th century is the foundation of our modern day society. That our forefathers had to labor in slavery, as abominable and reprehensible as that practice was, has also shaped who we are today. They built with their sweat, tears and yes blood, our foundation as a nation. When you really think about it, is not that long ago that this practice existed, until its official abolition in 1863, a mere 149 years ago. If I consider my mother’s age at 91 and that of her contemporaries, it brings our history rather close,” continued the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister emphasized that our forefathers, firstly as slaves and then as free men and women, shaped our history and that their history made them the people they turned out to be and eventually made St. Maarteners the people they are today.
“After the initial shock of being plucked up, sometimes sold by your own, transported like animals, sold like a commodity, and taken to strange and unknown parts, the human spirit overcame, they adapted, and despite all, gave birth to a resilience that transcended decades of enslavement. These were the spirits that were set free on July 1, 1863, after many before them had already fled to freedom on the northern side, after its abolition in 1848. This is our inheritance. This is what we celebrate today. That on July 1, one hundred and forty nine years ago around this same time, at the location we are standing now, men and women of this land were told that they were given charge over their lives,” stated the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister continued by stating that St. Maarteners come from a strong people, with a strong history and that by recognizing all of those we have gone before us, those who have labored and toiled; those are our ancestors the people of St. Maarten realize the Greatness on St. Maarten came.
“This afternoon I feel the same energy, the same triumph that we felt on the night when we stood by the Courthouse and raised the St. Maarten Flag proudly becoming our own country on the 10th of October 2010. Those of St. Maarten and those who have come to St. Maarten must recognize the inheritance that we have received. We must recognize the legacy that we are called to carry. A people that want to move forward and who are fortunate enough to call St. Maarten home. The Government of St. Maarten calls on you to join your hands together as we continue to fight for our country, for our nation. Today is just the beginning, the first year in which we take off our hats to the St. Maarten ancestry, an ancestry that is so strong and wonderful. The St. Maarten we come from is one that was built on the blood, sweat, tears and strength of our ancestors. A strength that can never be broken. And together we join in shouting out happy Emancipation Day and on reflecting back to 149 years ago when our ancestors stood here and shouted that they were Free at last”
There Prime Minister concluded by stating that the Government of St. Maarten is a busy one with much on its plate, but she is convinced that at least two initiatives, directly related to the history we celebrate today, need to take shape in the coming months; a final decision on the Emilio Wilson Estate and the cleanup and zoning of the Great Salt Pond.
“Would that not be the ultimate recognition of all we proclaim today? Putting our hands to the plough, indeed,” ended the Prime Minister.