All Anglican churches in Bermuda will on Sunday remember the enactment of the Emancipation Act with the a declaration that acknowledges the impact of slavery over generations.

The declaration was affirmed by the Anglican Synod of Bermuda, comprising the House of Bishops, clergy, and laity.

The declaration reads: “On this Emancipation Sunday, the Anglican Church of Bermuda joins the people of this island in remembering the coming into force of the Emancipation Act on August 1, 1834.

“We honour the resilience, faith, and dignity of those who endured slavery, those who continue to experience intergenerational trauma as a result of slavery and the segregation that followed, and the generations whose labour, culture, and spiritual strength have shaped the Bermuda we know today, and we give thanks for the freedom for which they longed and prayed.

“As followers of Christ, we reaffirm our commitment to justice, truth, and reconciliation. We pledge to confront the continuing legacies of injustice, to uphold the worth of every human being, and to work for a Bermuda where all may flourish.

“May God grant us courage, wisdom, and grace as we walk together in the light of freedom.”