The night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in Santo Domingo (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) saw the beginning of the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is commemorated every year on 23 August.
The day intends to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples. In accordance with the goals of the intercultural project “The Slave Route”, it should offer an opportunity for collective consideration of the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of this tragedy, and for an analysis of the interactions to which it has given rise between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean.
The Director-General of UNESCO invites all citizens and especially people of goodwill to commemorate this event every year around this time.
Brigidine Sisters are committed to collaborating with others to bring an end to the scourge of human trafficking and modern day slavery in all its forms in the world.
As well, we will continue deepening our own understandings of the factors such as poverty, displacement, lack of education, gender bias and other injustices that leave people so vulnerable to being tricked and traded into slave-like situations and making others aware of these issues and challenges.
