As a citizen, a Senator and the Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise Development, I feel a profound responsibility to respond to the people of Trinidad and Tobago following our commemoration of African Emancipation this weekend.

African Emancipation Day was forged out of the bloodshed, the countless lives lost, and the unyielding sacrifices of our ancestors who fought for human dignity, justice, and freedom. Their struggle was about liberation from bondage, and moreover, about affirming the equal worth of every human being.

This is a time intended to elevate us, to honour our heritage, and to remind us of the strength that lies within our collective history. I was deeply saddened, therefore, to witness the significance of these observances tarnished by hostility, partisan politics, and racial division.