Today, March 25th, we pause to recognize the International Day of Remembrance for Victims of Slavery.
For centuries, an estimated 15-million men, women and children were the victims of perhaps the darkest chapter in history – the human slave trade.
Today is an opportunity to remember and honour the countless victims of this tragic part of our past, during which millions paid with their freedom and their lives. The intergenerational trauma inflicted by the slave trade is still felt today and we cannot ignore or forget this impact or its root causes.
We also pause today to recommit ourselves to eliminating all forms of human trafficking, as well as the racism, prejudice and persecution that are still pervasive in our society.