A full schedule of events is planned for Monday, Emancipation Day, on St. Croix.
Starting at 8 a.m. at the Frederiksted Pool is a running race that finishes at Budhoe Park. From 8 a.m to 11 a.m. the Frederiksted Emancipation Committee will hold a breakfast at the park, followed by a cultural exposition from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The official Emancipation Celebration program starts at 2 p.m. at Budhoe Park with appearances by Gov. Charles Turnbull, Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II, Delegate Donna Christian Christensen, and Senate President Vargrave Richards.
At 6:30 p.m., the United Caribbean Association will present a program called Emancipate Yourself from Mental Slavery. A Millennium Emancipation Quadrille will be held at St. Gerard’s Hall starting at 10 p.m. Christensen, meanwhile, asked Virgin Islanders to consider their role in shaping the territory's future during her annual message in honor of Emancipation Day.
"Our islands are at a major turning point in their history today, and only we can determine which path our future will take. The challenges that we face today are not insurmountable compared to those our ancestors survived so many years ago. We come from a legacy of strong willed and proud people who made a way when none seemed to exist, and so I call on each and every member of this community to look within and reflect on how far each of you have come, and how far the Virgin Islands have come, so that you may draw on that inner strength to see us through to the brighter days that lay ahead," Delegate Christensen said.
"We cannot afford to sit back and wait for someone else to turn these islands around. As we gather this weekend for the many festivities throughout the territory, let us remember that it is up to us to reclaim our economic independence in order to preserve the freedom that was bought for us so many years ago by the blood of our ancestors."