Grange Pays Tribute to the Rt. Excellent Samuel Sharpe on the 188th Anniversary of His Death

Please see below photos and captions regarding the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s (JCDC) hosting of a Gathering in Memory of the Rt. Excellent Samuel Sharpe, National Hero, on Saturday, May 23 at the National Heroes Park in Kingston.The somber event was held in commemoration of the 188th Anniversary of his death. Sam Sharpe led the 1831 Christmas Rebellion in Jamaica, which broke the back of chattel slavery in Jamaica and eventually led to the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of slaves in Jamaica and the wider Western Hemisphere.

(left to right):Major Anthony Lysight of the Jamaica Defence Force; Miss Daffodil Thompson, Interim Executive Director at the JCDC; The Hon. Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport; Mr. Bert Samuels, Deputy Chairman of the National Council on Reparations and Professor Verene Shepherd, Council Member of the National Council on Reparationsstand in solidarity at the shrine of the Rt. Excellent Samuel Sharpe, National Hero,during a gathering to commemorate the 188th Anniversary of his death,following his involvement in the 1831 Christmas Rebellion in Jamaica. The event was held on, Saturday, May 23 at the National Heroes Park in Kingston.Honourable Olivia Grange, CD, MP, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport gave brief remarks while laying a floral tribute on the shrine of the late national hero.

She said: “The absolute and decisive rejection of slavery by the Rt. Excellent Samuel Sharpe led to the kind of society we have today, where our citizens must be properly rewarded for their labour. That was a pivotal moment in Jamaica’s history and we salute Sam Sharpe and those who fought alongside him in that uprising. In taking the stance he did, he was not only liberating Jamaica but the entire region. We remain eternally grateful for his acts of selflessness and bravery.”

Samuel Sharpe was named National Hero of Jamaica in 1975.