Belize celebrated Emancipation Day for the first time on August 1st and on that Sunday there was an ecumenical service at the St John's Cathedral where mutli denominational leader spoke on slavery and redemption in the context of spiritual life, but the Anglican Bishop took it one step further, he said that the residual shackles of slavery still remain to this day within his own denomination
Philip Wright, Anglican Bishop
"I have long lamented the fact that we in this region and in particular here in Belize whose history both in church and state, irrefutably includes the evil of slavery have not seriously reflected theologically on the reality of effects of slavery on us, the descendants of slaves and or the beneficiaries of a system that has effectively enshrine in us a mindset of divide and conquer. We have remained suspicious of each other and have perpetuated the kind of dynamics of relationship among ourselves that undoubtedly finds its origin in the era of slavery."
"Though the British slave trade officially ended in 1807, it was not until 1st August 1834 that slavery ended in the British Caribbean following legislation that was passed the previous year. Greater freedom for the freed slaves came in 1838. Even so, we know that the end of slavery and apprenticeship in the Caribbean many were still not free. Many continue to struggle to survive and make a living for themselves and their family. They struggle to own land, develop their own communities and build a better future. It is a fact that members of our church, the Anglican Church, once served the colonizers, supported slavery and even owned slaves. We are not proud of this part of our history and neither will we deny it."
