A martyr is someone who dies because of a cause or belief. Many of us have stood for causes or have sounded our voices in the face of oppression, but we did not lose our lives because of it. Would any of us volunteer to be martyrs? Even if our dying meant that the systems that have oppressed us and the discord that conquers and controls us would collapse and give way to a more balanced and peaceful world?
In the Christian faith, Jesus Christ, who the story tells was put death by being nailed to a cross, would be considered a martyr. It is also written that his purpose was to give his life to save the world, but this is not a theological piece to discuss the truths or untruths regarding that.
There are countless people who would have died during the transatlantic slave trade and could be considered martyrs. Emancipation is about two weeks away and we will call names like Cuffy, Damon and Quamina, who along with thousands of others died for freedom.
