CSA Emancipation Day Message

From the Office of the President
Professor Donna P. Hope
August 1, 2025

Dear Members of the Caribbean Studies Association,

On this Emancipation Day, I greet you in solidarity, reflection, and hope.

Across the Caribbean and its diasporas, August 1st marks a powerful moment in our collective memory—when our ancestors threw off the shackles of chattel slavery and claimed their first breaths of legal freedom. Today, we honour their courage, resistance, and sacrifice, and we acknowledge the ongoing work required to realize the full promise of emancipation.

As scholars, cultural workers, educators, and activists, we in the CSA understand that emancipation is not simply a historical event, but a living, evolving struggle. The legacies of colonialism and enslavement remain embedded in our institutions, our economies, our languages, and our cultural identities. Yet, we are also witnesses to—and participants in—the resilient spirit of our people, who continue to create, rebuild, and affirm life on their own terms.

Let this Emancipation Day be a call to remembrance and responsibility. May we continue to engage critically with our histories, advocate for justice and equity, and centre the lived experiences and voices of Caribbean peoples in all we do.

As we move together toward CSA’s 50th Conference in Kingston, Jamaica, in June 2026, we carry these legacies with us. We also carry a responsibility to shape futures grounded in freedom, dignity, and radical imagination.

One love and continued blessings to each of you on this sacred day.

Happy Emancipation Day!

Professor Donna P. Hope
President (2025-26),

Caribbean Studies Association (CSA)
www.caribbeanstudiesassociation.org