"Am I not a man and a brother?" Few of us will remember where this phrase comes from, but we will celebrate the passing of the Emancipation Act.
This Act heralded the end of slavery — a system that said black people were not equal, not fully developed as humans, and therefore could be whipped, sold, raped, and killed.
One of the questions posed to those supporting slavery was this: Are all men not equal? And, do they not have rights? Were they not our brothers?
Today, we know that we are all brothers, yet with a different racial heritage. But we know that difference does not justify being beaten or killed.
We even accept, without thinking, that we all have rights as citizens. No longer can we be denied justice or opportunity because of our race. A law was changed, in the face of great opposition, to grant freedom to all Caribbean people burdened by slavery.
Today we celebrate the changing of that law and freedom from arbitrary arrest, loss of property, beating and killing. But, tomorrow we will go back to a system that remains silent when someone is beaten and killed because they are different; because they have a "different" sexual orientation, or dress differently. Why do hate someone becaise they are gay or lesbian in an emancipated Caribbean? And, why is there silence when beatings and killings occur? Are we really emancipated?
It is not OK to kill someone because you don't agree with their choice of partner. Just as it was not OK to enslave, beat or kill another human being in the pre-Emancipation era. Recent events in the region emphasise that prejudice can quickly escalate to the loss of life. Two weeks ago two men were killed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Days later a teenager in St James, Jamaica, was beaten to death by some patrons at a party. These two were killed because of their perceived sexuality, their way of dress. But they were our brothers.
Jamaica's Minister of Justice Mark Golding, rightly pointed to both the nation's violent past and its current-day pluralism in his condemnation of the killing. The Jamaican motto rings true as a guiding principle in these times. We do differ by race, colour, gender, class and all Caribbean societies know how such distinctions have been used to divide families and people. We have struggled to counter hatred. Why then, in 2013, is violence against gay people still acceptable?
These acts were extreme, but not isolated. They are an expression of a wider climate of anger. They point to a willingness to judge. The challenge before us is to consistently treat others with respect, regardless of difference. Government and the police must send a clear message that violence against our brothers will not be tolerated.
That is the Emancipation message that must be heard in 2013; that our leaders are not scared to free us from laws that make us unequal. Emancipation Day offers us an opportunity to reaffirm our rejection of all forms of inhumane treatment as relics of the past.
Dr Ernest Massiah is UNAIDS Caribbean Regional Support Team Director.
Emancipation for all
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This Act heralded the end of slavery — a system that said black people were not equal, not fully developed as humans, and therefore could be whipped, sold, raped, and killed.
One of the questions posed to those supporting slavery was this: Are all men not equal? And, do they not have rights? Were they not our brothers?
Today, we know that we are all brothers, yet with a different racial heritage. But we know that difference does not justify being beaten or killed.
We even accept, without thinking, that we all have rights as citizens. No longer can we be denied justice or opportunity because of our race. A law was changed, in the face of great opposition, to grant freedom to all Caribbean people burdened by slavery.
Today we celebrate the changing of that law and freedom from arbitrary arrest, loss of property, beating and killing. But, tomorrow we will go back to a system that remains silent when someone is beaten and killed because they are different; because they have a "different" sexual orientation, or dress differently. Why do hate someone becaise they are gay or lesbian in an emancipated Caribbean? And, why is there silence when beatings and killings occur? Are we really emancipated?
It is not OK to kill someone because you don't agree with their choice of partner. Just as it was not OK to enslave, beat or kill another human being in the pre-Emancipation era. Recent events in the region emphasise that prejudice can quickly escalate to the loss of life. Two weeks ago two men were killed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Days later a teenager in St James, Jamaica, was beaten to death by some patrons at a party. These two were killed because of their perceived sexuality, their way of dress. But they were our brothers.
Jamaica's Minister of Justice Mark Golding, rightly pointed to both the nation's violent past and its current-day pluralism in his condemnation of the killing. The Jamaican motto rings true as a guiding principle in these times. We do differ by race, colour, gender, class and all Caribbean societies know how such distinctions have been used to divide families and people. We have struggled to counter hatred. Why then, in 2013, is violence against gay people still acceptable?
These acts were extreme, but not isolated. They are an expression of a wider climate of anger. They point to a willingness to judge. The challenge before us is to consistently treat others with respect, regardless of difference. Government and the police must send a clear message that violence against our brothers will not be tolerated.
That is the Emancipation message that must be heard in 2013; that our leaders are not scared to free us from laws that make us unequal. Emancipation Day offers us an opportunity to reaffirm our rejection of all forms of inhumane treatment as relics of the past.
Dr Ernest Massiah is UNAIDS Caribbean Regional Support Team Director.
Emancipation for all
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