The following is an Emancipation Day statement from MP Hon. Peter David, Leader of D’ Movement, on behalf of the Interim Executive, and the members and supporters of the political organisation.
Today is Emancipation Day — 1 August 2025. For the first time in our history, we’re observing this day on its proper date; not the first Monday in August like we used to do. Not some convenient long weekend.
Today — 1 August — the actual day our enslaved African ancestors gained their freedom in 1838. And, here’s what I want to say about that: It’s about time! But this change didn’t happen overnight.
It took advocacy, consultation, and people like Arley Gill and Dr John Angus Martin pushing for years to get this right. The [Grenada] Cultural Foundation, the National Reparations Committee — they kept making the case that our most important historical moment deserved proper recognition. Because, let’s be honest — 1 August 1838, is the most significant date in our history as a people.
Without that day, without our ancestors’ struggle for freedom, we wouldn’t be here having this conversation. But, getting the date right reminds us of something important about how freedom was actually won. Our ancestors didn’t gain their freedom as individuals; they gained it together. Through resistance, through solidarity, through refusing to accept that their situation was permanent.
Our ancestors understood that real change required unity of purpose. And, here’s what strikes me: that same spirit of coming together for something bigger than ourselves — that’s what we need today. Not just to remember what happened in 1838, but to build on what our ancestors started.
Our ancestors didn’t just wait for freedom; they fought for it, resisted for it, sacrificed for it. That spirit of determination, that refusal to accept less than they deserved — that’s what we need to carry forward today.
Emancipation Day should be a celebration, yes; but, it should also be a reminder that freedom comes with responsibility. The responsibility to build the Grenada our ancestors dreamt of when they finally walked free.
So today, let’s not just mark a date on the calendar. Let’s honour the struggle, celebrate the progress, and commit to finishing the work our ancestors started.
First, we got the date right. Now, let’s get the celebration right. Finally, let’s get the future right.
D Movement
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