Reflections from a Native Son - Emancipation Day, Jewel Grande Resort and Spa, Montego Bay, Jamaica

August is a special month for the nation of Jamaica. The first and the sixth day recounts two significant historical events that occurred for the people of this Caribbean island.

August 1st is recognized as the day British slaves on the island of Jamaica were conditionally freed in 1834. Shackled by mandatory apprenticeship, many of the Caribe and African people of color continued to fight for their right to be free.

It’s tough to consider the day on which any of God’s children are released from their oppressor’s bondage as a day of celebration. In the case of Jamaica, people of color - mostly from Africa - were stripped of their freedom by the British.

Stories of the African’s forced into captivity and enslavement in Jamaica are as brutal as the horrifying conditions imposed on enslaved Africans in the United States of America. Being present at the August 1st event in Montego Bay, Jamaica renewed my sense of unity with every citizen of the world, regardless of their color, religion, nationality, gender or gender preference.

Reflections of times past remind me of man’s inhumanity to man. It is puzzling how anyone can justify such extreme cruelty as slavery. As an African American born in the south, discrimination and racial hate are all too familiar.

Nomad’s Lens would like to thank Jewel Grande Resort and Spa for their courage in providing an educational performance of a dark period in their nation’s history and the ultimate abolition of the wretched practice of slavery in 1834 and ultimately in 1838.

August 6th is quickly approaching. Nomad's Lens will be back on the shores of America but will pause to give thanks for Jamaica's transition from a British colony to a resilient and proud independent nation in 1962.

Nomad’s Lens would like to thank the reader for their continued support. Let us love, respect and honor each other.

All photos (unedited) captured with iPhone X.