SOUTH FLORIDA – Honourable Sandra Grant Griffiths, JP Consul General of Jamaica
Independence Message 2010:
Fellow Jamaicans,
It is once again time to raise our flags, promote our culture and proclaim our sovereign statehood in observation of the 48th Anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence on August 6. Significantly, we also mark in this commemorative season the 172nd Anniversary of Emancipation Day on August 1, thereby signifying national liberation as well as the recognition of the human dignity of the previously enslaved.
I am deeply privileged to address you as Consul General of Jamaica and to express bountiful appreciation for the outstanding patriotism and support demonstrated in general by our Community. At the same time, I take the opportunity to acknowledge the many hands of friendship and love extended to our people in these United States, where the cordial and respectful relationship between our nations and peoples continues to flourish.
Jamaica has been blessed by the character of her people and by loyal associates. This has been so in times of celebration and in times of empathy. And, when national courage is buoyed by goodwill, unity of spirit and positive purpose, the super-structure is well-laid for progressive governance and the re-arming of the psyche of our citizens for the demands of national development.
The nation of Jamaica is emerging from difficult days. We have experienced, and have been tested by, circumstances that must guide the decisions made at every juncture by Government, Civil Society, the Jamaican Diaspora, and the man in the street for the future. I am certain that at every level of society, we can, with one will and the benefit of the divine guardianship to which our National Anthem so clearly speaks, maintain our equilibrium and move forward with might once again.
As we rejoice therefore with humility but with great pride, we invite our friends, our Caribbean peers and United States partners in the wider society to join Jamaicans in the cities and counties of Florida at the many cultural events, worship services and other exciting offerings. Experience the positive spirit of Jamaica and mark our contribution to the diversity of the cultural, intellectual, social, and entrepreneurial landscape of this State. Rejoice with us in our remarkable achievements over the past forty-eight years while we take due cognizance of any missteps and re-tool. Pray with us for continued progress and accomplishments as we enhance our mutually beneficial relationships.
Let us to celebrate and reinvigorate the vision of “Jamaica, Land We Love”
Sandra Grant Griffiths, J.P. Consul General of Jamaica to Florida, the Southern United States, The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands
