Dear Editor,
Cuffy250 Committee joins with the rest of Guyana in saluting the African Guyanese community on the observance of the 177th anniversary of the formal abolition of slavery. We urge that as we celebrate we should not ignore the uncomfortable truth about the state of the African Guyanese community. African Guyanese communities have been persistent victims of discrimination, stereotyping, and state violence.
This year’s observances should serve as a reminder to all Guyanese, especially those charged with governance at all levels, of the Emancipation promise of liberty, freedom and equality. Cuffy250 calls for a determined commitment, in word and deed, by government to make good on those promises; a commitment that must go beyond festivities.
African Guyanese must also participate in the restoration of their equal standing in Guyana. We again urge African Guyanese begin to plan as a collective to lift itself. We in Cuffy250 will set the ball rolling at our Third Annual State of the African Guyanese Forum to be held on Sunday August 9 at 10am at the Critchlow Labour College where we intend to raise anew the quest for ethnic equality in Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
David Hinds
For Cuffy250
