A Bermudian slave who became the face of the anti-slavery movement has been formally named a national hero.In a ceremony at Barr’s Bay Park on Saturday, more than 200 people gathered to remember the life and sacrifices of Mary Prince, who was born into slavery in 1788 in Bermuda.Her autobiography, ‘The History of Mary Prince’, made history when it was published in 1831, detailing first hand the brutality of slavery in Bermuda and the British Caribbean.Addressing the crowd, Premier Paula Cox said that while today people put a great deal of focus on our material goods, Ms Prince was a woman who risked everything on principle.“Mary Prince is the hero of her own story,” Premier Cox said. “She is a woman who stood up for principle. She is a woman who stepped out of her comfort zone, and she is a woman who felt we have to become the change that we want.“She did it at considerable risk, cost and peril to herself and here tonight it is certainly a privilege for us all to celebrate and acknowledge and salute the 2012 National Hero.”Reading the official proclamation, she said: “Her words live on in the pages of her autobiography, a first hand description of slavery whose publication in the UK in 1831, while slavery was still legal in Bermuda and the British Caribbean, contributed to its abolition in Bermuda and the Caribbean.”As the Premier formally named Ms Prince a national hero, the crowd stood in applause.Ms Prince is the fifth person named a national hero, following Dame Lois Browne-Evans, Dr Edgar ‘Mazumbo’ Gordon, Sir Henry ‘Jack’ Tucker and Dr Pauulu Kamarakafego.Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Patrice Minors said that because last year three national heroes had been named, there was not an intention to name a new national hero this year.However that plan was changed after the Induction Committee received 12 unsolicited letters from members of the public calling for Ms Prince to be celebrated this year.Ms Minors said: “In the past week or so I have been particularly heartened by the way that all seem to have come together to celebrate this year’s selection of National Hero.”During the outdoor ceremony, the audience were treated to singing performances by Kassandra Caines, granddaughter of Dame Lois Browne-Evans, and the Marsden First United Methodist Church Praise Team.Induction Committee Member and PLP MP Ashfield DeVent read a brief biography of Ms Prince, while Tramaine Stovell performed a dramatic reading and Shahnel Woodley performed an interpretive dance choreographed by Conchita Ming.Wanda Ming, from Pembroke, said Ms Prince was a perfect selection for National Hero because of her contribution to Bermuda and the Caribbean.“If it wasn’t for people like Mary Prince who were willing to take what was I’m sure a big chance to do the right thing, who knows where we would be,” she said.* For more pictures of the event, see the photo gallery section of www.royalgazette.com