KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Leader Mark Golding, in his Emancipation Day 2025 message, has urged Jamaicans to reflect on the meaning of true freedom and to continue the fight for social justice, equality, and opportunity for all.

“Today, we join together in solemn reflection and in powerful celebration as we observe Emancipation Day, 2025, a sacred day in our nation’s history when we honour the courage, resistance and unyielding spirit of those who came before us and fought for the freedoms that we now enjoy,” said Golding in a statement issued Friday.

He paid tribute to freedom fighters such as Nanny, Takyi, and Sam Sharpe, calling Emancipation the result of “generations of struggle and sacrifice.”

On August 1, 1834, slavery was abolished across the British Empire. Golding described this milestone as a “triumph of good over evil,” but stressed that the work to fully realise emancipation continues today.

“Emancipation is not only a historic event. It is a living mandate that calls each of us to examine whether we have truly broken the chains of mental slavery, systemic injustice, and economic exclusion,” he said.

Golding raised questions about the state of freedom in Jamaica, asking, “Are our people truly free if a mother must choose between buying food and sending her child to school? Are we truly emancipated when the system deprives so many of our youths of the chance to achieve their potential?”

In outlining a vision for a more equitable society, the Opposition Leader called for:

• Opportunity for all to access quality education
•  Opportunity for all to benefit from affordable healthcare
• Opportunity to own a piece of the land we call home
• Opportunity to move up from poverty and build intergenerational wealth
•  Opportunity to live with safety, dignity, and pride, no matter what your background is or where you were born.

He acknowledged the global impact of Jamaican culture and the nation’s resilience, but emphasised that the “promise of emancipation” must be fulfilled for all Jamaicans, not just a privileged few.

“Let us step forward and craft a new chapter, one where freedom means full inclusion, and independence means real power in the hands of the people,” Golding encouraged.

He closed his address by urging Jamaicans to remain united in purpose, stating that “Our journey continues, as our work is not done. Together, with purpose and unity, we can build a nation that befits the great sacrifice of our ancestors who we celebrate on Emancipation Day.”