The 200th Anniversary of the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade has recently been observed and there have been many schools of thought expressed in Anguilla and elsewhere about this terrible enslavement of people of African descent and those who were shamefully involved.

Bishop Errol Brooks

Following is a statement made by Anguilla’s top clergyman, The Right Rev. L. Errol Brooks, at a service held at the Spring Garden Moravian Church in St. John’s Antigua on Sunday, March 18, 2007. The service was to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Act to abolish the slave trade.

“My brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we give thanks to God for the freedom which is ours in Jesus Christ, we acknowledge that throughout human history there were persons, and there are still some, who have sought to deprive God’s children of freedom by enslaving and even killing them. The institution of slavery, with all its variations, led to the vicious trafficking in human cargo between the African continent and the new world.

My reading of the history of that period tells me that the most revealing connection between slavery and natural progress was the eagerness of the most progressive people to join the system. To refrain from acquiring slave colonies or from engaging in the triangular trade was, at the time, as unthinkable as spurning nuclear technology in the world of today. One may say slavery and the slave trade were part of the culture of the time. William Wilberforce and his colleagues in Britain and those in the colonies who agitated for the abolition of the slave trade were up against powerful political alliances. We bewail the extent of the involvement of the Church in the culture of slavery and resolve not to do the same.

As we commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the British Territories, what are some of the lessons we need to learn? Where do we go from this point on?

1. All persons have been created in the image of God, It should be of interest to note that the anti-slavery debate in the British Parliament commenced in the same year that the French Revolution took place. That revolution asserted the right of personal dignity, regardless of birth or creed. Wilberforce’s central thesis was that the slave trade violated the principles of justice, humanity and religion and therefore should be abolished. Human rights had now become an issue. This is an issue to this day.
2. Human beings must never be treated as things – the slaves were regarded as merchandise. This slave trade and the long continuance of slavery in the West Indies were predicated on financial gain – economics? Whenever economics is the primary and over-riding interest, people are inclined to engage in the most despicable and dehumanising activities – prostitution, drug-trafficking, kidnapping etc. “The love of money is the root of all evil.” We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to these evils.
3. This commemoration is also a time for us to make confession and repent of “all our past unfaithfulness; the pride, hypocrisy and impatience of our lives – our self-indulgent appetites and ways and our exploitation of other people.”
4. There is currently great pressure on the church to collude in the culture of our day by sanctioning same sex unions. This runs counter to biblical teaching and we must never support such lifestyles.
5. The Synod of the Church of England (please note I am not a member of the Church of England). Just as all the English-speaking Caribbean territories are part of the Commonwealth and have ties with Britain, the C.P.W.I. is not part of the Church of England in its debate on the Bicentenary of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade passed the following resolution:

“That this Synod
a) recognising that the commemoration of the Bicentenary of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807, to be celebrated in 2007, will provide unprecedented opportunities to acknowledge the Church’s complicity in the Slave Trade and tell anew the Christian story of creation and redemption;
b) acknowledge (i) the progress made to release men, women and children from the dehumanising and shameful consequences of slavery; (ii) that the process of emancipation of all people from all expressions of enslavement is scandalously unfinished work; and (iii)the substantial work currently being undertaken in this campaign by the Church and other agencies;
c) in the light of our involvement in the Slave Trade and of the Christian demands of repentance and sorrow, resolve to
(i) support vigorously every effort by the Church and other agencies to protest against human trafficking and all other manifestations of slavery across the world;
(ii) affiliate to the Stop of Traffik Coalition;
(iii) call on Her Majesty’s Government and the European Institutions to give the highest priority to enabling legislation to bring to an end the causes and outcomes of slavery;
(iv) urge the Archbishops’ Council to encourage and resource the Church to address with greatest seriousness the legacy of the Slave Trade and to tell the story of release and redemption to our own and successive generations by prayer and study, reflection and action; and
(v) recognising the damage done to those who are heirs of those who were enslaved, offer an apology to them.

Let me say that I sit in the camp of those who share the view that along with repentance and reconciliation there must be restitution. There ought to be a definite and intentional policy on the part of the governments of countries and institutions who benefited from the Slave Trade and slavery to support all efforts to assist the descendants of slaves to live wholesome lives. It should be noted that the slave owners received financial compensation the abolition of slavery. That was remarkable!

Finally, I believe that a special obligation devolves upon Caribbean people as children of slavery, of indenture and of colonialism, to ensure that no trace of servitude lingers or re-emerges in our society. We must guard against that freedom which is our divine right. The gulf that existed between master and slave must never have a modern day equivalent in the West Indies of today or tomorrow. We must also remember that freedom is not an end in itself. Freedom carries with it responsibility.”

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